General Best Practices for Inclusive Video and Audio Creation

  • Use the decision tree below to determine what alternative communication formats you need for your multimedia (e.g., captions, descriptive transcripts, etc.). Alternative communication formats will vary by media type. 
  • Ensure the video player or podcast platform you select is accessible. Reach out to the Digital Experience team with any questions before selecting a platform.
  • Script what you are going to say before recording a video, if possible. This script can then be used for both captioning and transcripts. 
  • Use clear language and spell out acronyms.
  • Avoid flashing and animated content in videos. This content can trigger epilepsy and vestibular disorders. While you can add a trigger warning to a video, keep in mind that anyone can develop epilepsy or a vestibular disorder at any point in their life so your video could be their first trigger, so they wouldn't know to pay attention to a trigger warning. While animation can be fun, it can also be harmful. 
  • Use a tripod stabilizer when recording any handheld iPhone videos. Without a tripod, there is often a regular shake and abrupt turns in the recording. Also remember to slowly zoom in. Abrupt, fast, and shaking movement is a trigger to folks with vestibular disorders and too much movement of an iPhone camera during a long duration of time can make anyone watching the video sick. 
  • Make any overlay text readable, ensuring it follows the color contrast guidelines and ensuring it is not placed in the area in which captions will appear if someone has captions enabled.
  • Some people use mouth movement to help understand spoken language. When feasible, ensure that the speaker’s face is visible and in good light.
  • Use human transcribed captions for any live stream accommodation requests or for any pre-recorded videos. If you don't receive a request for captions for a live event, you can use automated captions. Just remember to edit the captions on the recorded video before publishing it.

How to Request Alternative Communication Formats

Please submit a request through the Event and Multimedia Accessible Communications Request Form at least two weeks in advance.

Please submit a request through the Event and Multimedia Accessible Communications Request Form during the early planning stages of your live streamed event (the recommendation is two months notice).

Accessible Multimedia Communications Decision Tree

Results will display automatically when you select an option.

What you will need to provide effective communication to everyone

Basic Transcript

What are basic transcripts?

Basic transcripts are a text version of the speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the content.

Who uses basic transcripts? 

Basic transcripts are used by the Deaf and Hard of Hearing Community, the Deafblind community, people who are Deaf, anyone that has difficulty processing auditory information, and others.

Descriptive Transcript

What is a descriptive transcript?

Descriptive transcripts for videos include a text version of the speech and non-speech audio information needed to understand the content, as well as all visual information needed to understand the content.

Who uses a descriptive transcript?

Descriptive transcripts are needed to provide audio and video content to people who are Deafblind and are also used by members of the Deaf and Blind communit as well as by people who process text information better than audio and visual/pictorial information.

Human-Transcribed Captions

What are human-transcribed captions?

Human-transcribed captions are a text version of the speech and non-speech audio information (i.e., sounds) needed to understand the content. They are displayed within the media player and are synchronized with the audio. 

Who uses captions?

Captions provide content to people who are Deaf and others who cannot hear the audio. They are also used by people who process written information better than audio.

When is it okay to use auto-captions?

Auto-captions can be used during meetings and other live events where human-transcribed captions haven't been requested as an accommodation. However, keep in mind that live public events such as commencement or a state of the University live stream are public-facing and thus not everyone can request an accommodation - in those cases, you should use human-transcribed captions for an inclusive and accurate experience for everyone attending virtually and in person. 

Auto-captions can also be used to get started on captions for a pre-recorded video if you haven't scripted it and decide to caption a video yourself. In that case, you must edit the captions once they are auto-transcribed to confirm proper spellings, punctuation, and timing. YouTube is recommended for auto-captions of pre-recorded videos as it will provide you with the most accurate captions for editing purposes. 

Audio Descriptions

What are audio descriptions?

Audio description describes visual information needed to understand the content. (For example, “Pat opens a small box, looks at a diamond engagement ring, and cries”.) Depending on the type of video and media player, description can be:

  • integrated into the main script and recording (which works well for some training videos, yet not most stories)
  • narration added to the main audio track and provided in an alternative version of the video (for stories)
  • provided in a text file or as a separate audio track (if supported by the media player)
Who uses audio descriptions?

Audio descriptions are used by the blind community and others who cannot see the video adequately. In addition, the epilepsy and vestibular disorder community may use audio descriptions for videos with flashing content and motion sensitivity warnings.

Sign Language Interpreters for Accommodation Requests and Public-Facing Livestreams

What is sign language?

Sign languages use hand and arm movements, facial expressions, and body positions to convey meaning. Sign languages are different across regions and countries. For example, American Sign Language (ASL), Black American Sign Language (BASL), British Sign Language (BSL), and Auslan (Australian Sign Language) are different.

Who uses sign language?

Sign language is the native language of many people who are Deaf. Some do not read or understand written language well — especially at the speed of most captions. Some people will want to have sign language and captions at the same time.

Key considerations when using a sign language interpreter
  • Confirm the type of sign language needed to ensure you hire the right sign language interpreter. As mentioned above, just like any language, there are multiple types of sign language.
  • Capture the full signing space when either pre-recording or live streaming.
  • Ensure the signer's display box is large enough. Viewers need to be able to clearly see all movements and facial expressions.
  • Position the signer to avoid obscuring important information in the video. The signer is usually at the bottom right. If your video has information such as a news ticker at the bottom, position the signer above that.