Video captioning guidelines

These guidelines supplement the ASU IT Accessibility Standard and explain the captioning requirements for video, including recordings of live events, prerecorded video, and video from third-party sources published on ASU new, redesigned and existing webpages; social media; and online presentations and trainings.

Live video

At ASU, video of live events should have auto-captions enabled at a minimum. If you use Zoom or Microsoft Teams Meetings for meetings, presentations or other live events, enable captions:

If someone with a disability requests an accommodation for a live event, please see Requests for accommodation on this page. If you record your live event, you must add captions before distributing.

Recorded video

New video. At ASU, new recorded video intended to be viewed by students, employees, or the public must have edited auto-captions (or manual captions) that the video creator ensures are accurate.
Existing video. At ASU, existing recorded video intended to be viewed by students, employees, or the public must have edited auto-captions or (or manual captions) that the video creator ensures are accurate as soon as time and resources allow, with high-risk video being given higher priority, as outlined in the remediation priorities of the ASU IT Accessibility Standard.

Please note:

Accessible captions is defined as either (a) edited auto-generated captions or (b) professional human-generated captions.
Exceptions to this guideline might include a foreign language video when captions would reveal the answers on a test or a video that will be viewed by 20 or fewer people.
See the How to add captions section below.

If someone with a disability requests an accommodation for a recorded video, see Requests for accommodation in the sidebar to the right.

Third-party video

If you link to or share a third-party video with students or employees, it must have captions.

If you want to share an uncaptioned library-owned or -licensed video in a class or Canvas, add it to your ASU Library Resource Organizer in Canvas, and the library will automatically caption it. Or you can submit a Streaming Video Reserve request form, and the library will activate the tool in Canvas and add the item for you. (See more information about ASU Library streaming videos.)

For other videos, contact the owner and asking them to add captions; add captions yourself; or find another video that conveys the same information and has captions

How to add and edit captions

Auto-generated captions

If you publish a video with auto-generated captions, you are required to review and edit them. Aim for 95% accuracy or higher to meet accessibility standards.

Unedited auto-generated captions are often not accurate enough for individuals with disabilities to fully understand the content.

How to add captions and transcripts with MediaPlus

When you upload a video on MediaPlus, it will be automatically captioned and transcribed using speech-to-text technology.

Captions: Once captions have been generated, you can edit them directly within MediaPlus or you can manually upload external captions from another platform such as Zoom, Wistia, YouTube, etc. (VTT caption format only).
Transcripts: Once transcripts have been generated, you can edit them directly within MediaPlus.

To learn more about using MediaPlus visit the MediaPlus Resources Page.

How to add captions on other platforms

YouTube: Most videos uploaded to YouTube are automatically auto-captioned. Learn how to edit those captions. Once edited, you can download the captions as an .SRT or .VTT file for use on other platforms.
Wistia: See how to request auto-captions and how to edit auto-captions in Wistia.
Vimeo: For paid members, Vimeo provides auto-generated captions, which must be manually edited.

Software for auto-generating captions

Camtasia: Manually add captions or use the integrated Microsoft speech-to-text engine to add auto-generated captions in Camtasia.
Windows Speech Recognition: Use this free speech recognition software built into Windows to generate a transcript. You will need to time sync the transcripts and upload the file in the .SRT or .VTT format.
Google Docs Voice Typing: Use this free "voice typing" software in Google docs (available in the Chrome browser only) to generate a transcript. You will need to time sync the transcripts and upload the file in the .SRT or .VTT format.

Paid professional (human-generated) captions

For live events: Contact SAILS for advice on providing accommodations and possible referrals for professional interpreters and/or transcribers.
For recorded video: If you don't have the time or resources to manually create captions or to edit auto-generated captions, many paid professional captioning services are available. In some cases, it may make sense to take advantage of a paid service to edit auto-generated captions or to have a professional transcribe a recorded video.

Caption writing guides

The recommended guide to writing captions is the Department of Education-supported Described and Captioned Media Program (DCMP) Captioning Key.

Relevant W3C WAI documents

WCAG 2.1 Guideline 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded): Captions are provided for all prerecorded audio content in synchronized media, except when the media is a media alternative for text and is clearly labeled as such.
How to Meet WCAG 2.1 Guideline 1.2.2
WCAG 2.1 Guideline 1.2.4 Captions (Live): Captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media.
How to Meet WCAG 2.1 Guideline 1.2.4

Requests for accommodation

If a request for an accommodation is made:

Students: If a student who is registered with SAILS requests an accommodation, notify SAILS and work with the student's Disability Access Consultant to meet the student's needs.
Employees: If an employee requests an accommodation, contact the Office of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.
Members of the public: If a member of the public requests an accommodation, contact SAILS for advice on providing accommodations and possible referrals.