Faculty & Staff: How to Ensure Media is ADA Compliant

Owned by Jon Cunningham (Deactivated)
Last updated: Aug 01, 2024 by Aeoleon Bryant
1 min read

Ensuring media is ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) compliant is essential for accessibility in educational and online environments. This guide provides step-by-step instructions to help you verify and enhance the accessibility of your media content, ensuring that all users, including those with disabilities, can access and benefit from your materials.

Introduction

The purpose of this article is to outline the key steps required to ensure that all media used in online courses and other digital platforms comply with ADA standards. This includes adding closed captions to videos, providing alternative text for images, and ensuring transcripts are available for audio content.

Steps to Ensure Media ADA Compliance

1. Closed Captioning for Videos

  • Requirement: All videos used in online classes must have closed captions.

    • Videos produced by Digital Media Productions are already captioned.

  • YouTube Videos:

    • Verify the accuracy of captions on YouTube videos.

    • Note: YouTube’s automatic captioning does not meet ADA compliance standards due to potential inaccuracies.

    • Use professional captioning services or manual editing to ensure caption accuracy.

2. Alternative Text and Descriptions for Images

  • Alternative Text (Alt Text):

    • Provide a brief description of each image used in your content.

    • Alt text allows screen readers to convey the image content to visually impaired users.

  • Long Descriptions:

    • Offer detailed descriptions for complex images, such as graphs or charts.

    • Ensure that the description conveys all necessary information that the image presents.

3. Audio Narration for Videos

  • Requirement:

    • Any video featuring visual elements (such as "how to" tutorials, demonstrations, lab experiments, etc.) must include audio narration to describe the visual content.

    • Provide captions for all narration and dialogue in the video.

4. Transcripts for Audio Content

  • Audio Files:

    • Attach a transcript for audio content, including voiceover presentations, podcasts, or standalone audio files.

    • Transcripts should capture all spoken words and relevant sound cues.

Additional Information

  • If you have any doubts about the ADA compliance of your media, please contact Digital Media Productions for assistance:

    • Phone: 904-997-2665

    • They can provide guidance and services to help ensure that all media content meets ADA standards.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you can ensure that your media is accessible to all users, including those with disabilities, thus complying with ADA requirements. Regular checks and updates to your content will further enhance accessibility and inclusivity.