Looking at captioning your videos for equal access? See below on how you can get the ball rolling!
Before we get started, if you have received a request for the current quarter and know that your videos are vital to your course, please complete the Captioning and Transcripts Request Form to get your videos captioned. Thank you!
Otherwise, here are some steps to get you started:
First Step: Review Your Course Materials
Is any of the information is outdated or not particularly crucial to the course? If so, consider:
- Replacing audio and video content that does not fulfill this accommodation. If you have a video without captions, consider replacing it with similar captioned content. By finding videos with captions you not only ensure access but can also often find more current content on the topic you are presenting.
- Removing uncaptioned content from the course requirements altogether. Please note: Not requiring a student with this accommodation to view the content, or providing the student with an alternate assignment, is not an equitable solution since it creates a classroom experience for one student that differs from the rest of the class.
Are all your videos VITAL to your course? If so, now what?
Search online! See if you can find a version of the video that already has typed-in captions. (Please note: Auto-generated closed captions, like the kind available on most YouTube videos, are often highly inaccurate and therefore not acceptable.)
YouTube is a great place to start. You can filter your search to guarantee that the results have the right kind of captions. Here’s how:
Step One: Enter your keywords in the search bar at the top of the page and click on the search button.
Step Two: On the results page, click on the “Filters” drop-down menu located just below the search bar.
Step Three: Click on “Subtitles/CC” located in the “Features” column of the menu.
Step Four: “Subtitles/CC” will now be listed as one of the filters at the top of the results page, and your results will only contain videos with typed-in captions.
Coming soon: Other online sources for captioned videos!
Is your video not available online with captions?
Complete the Captioning and Transcripts Request Form to get the DRC the information we need to get your videos captioned.
Frequently Asked Questions about video lectures:
“I’d like to create a video lecture for my course, how do I do that?”
The DRC recommends using a combination of speech-to-text software (for instance, Dragon NaturallySpeaking) and Camtasia Relay.
Please note: Bellevue College Help Desk currently only supports the use of Camtasia Relay, so be sure to access this and not an alternate version of the Camtasia software (like Studio 8).
“I made lecture videos in Camtasia Relay, how do I add captions to them?”
Use the TechSmith Guide on how to edit captions in Camtasia.
Coming soon: Step-by-step tutorials on how to create accessible video lectures for your class!
“This audio-only content is really important to my class! Now what?”
If you have access to Dragon NaturallySpeaking voice-recognition software, you can use it to create your transcript. If you don’t have a copy of Dragon, Windows has built-in speech recognition software, and there are many free options available online.
Still stuck? Contact the DRC.
“This all seems really complicated and confusing, and I’m short on time! Do I really need to do all of this?”
Bellevue College Accommodations Policy states students with disabilities must be provided “equal opportunity in accessing the benefits, rights, and privileges of college services, programs, and activities,” and these accommodations will be provided “in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Washington State law.”
This means that, as an instructor at BC, you are responsible for providing your students with equal access to course information and materials. However, if you are having difficulty doing so, DRC resources are available to aid you in that process.
For further reading on accommodations policy at the college, please see Policy 2500 Accommodations for Students with Disabilities.
I’ve read through this entire FAQ page and I still have questions! Can you help me?
Yes! If you’ve tried everything here and are in need of further assistance complete the Captioning and Transcripts Request Form to get the DRC the information that we need to get your videos captioned or email us if you have other questions.
Last Updated September 15, 2022
