As a general rule, content creators and curators are responsible for the accessibility of the video and audio they create, publish, maintain, manage, or procure, with help and guidance provided by support teams.
Quality Standard
All recorded USU videos must include captions that meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards.
Captions must either be:
- Produced by an approved captioning vendor
- Edited and verified by USU personnel to meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards.
Automated or machine-generated captions that have not been reviewed for accuracy do not meet this standard.
For audio-only recordings, an accurate transcript meeting the same quality standards satisfies this requirement.
Scope
USU Video on University Websites
Any video embedded or hosted on USU-owned or USU-managed websites must include captions that meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards at the time the video is published or added to the website.
Video on Distribution Channels
USU Video published on external distribution channels must include captions that meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards when the video is published.
Distribution channels include publicly available platforms such as:
- YouTube
- Vimeo
- Kaltura
- SoundCloud
- Social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, etc.)
Live Video
Live video broadcasts should take reasonable measures to ensure accessibility, including providing live captions when feasible.
Course Video
Recorded course videos may use automated or machine-generated captions as an interim accessibility measure when there is no identified Deaf or Hard of Hearing student enrolled in the course. When a Deaf or Hard of Hearing student is enrolled in a course, all required instructional videos must include captions that meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards.
Requests for Exceptions
Requests for exceptions to this standard will be reviewed individually by the Digital Accessibility Steering Committee through the Accessibility Exception Request process.
Lack of sufficient funding for any unit, department, or college of the University as the sole reason for an exception will not be considered.
Pre-Approved Exceptions
The following exceptions have been granted. An Accessibility Exception Request does not need to be submitted:
Legacy video published on third-party platforms prior to July 1, 2022, that is not embedded or linked on a USU website is encouraged to include captions as a best practice but is not required to be captioned. If captions are not present, there must be a clear method for requesting captions or a transcript.
- Example request language: Captions are available upon request by emailing captions@usu.edu.
- For audio recordings: A transcript is available upon request by emailing captions@usu.edu.
Compliance
To ensure compliance with these standards, regular (at least annual) audits will be run on known campus video and audio content. If an organization is out of compliance, a report will be shared with the unit’s Digital Accessibility Liaison. Issues should be resolved within 30 business days.
If issues are not resolved within 30 business days, they will be referred to the Office of the Executive Vice President & Provost.
Failure to address identified accessibility barriers may result in required remediation plans or removal of inaccessible videos from public access.
Best Practices and Recommendations
- When posting a USU Video, official distribution channels should be used.
References
- University Policy 5101: University Social Media Accounts
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1
- Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability; Accessibility of Web Information and Services of State and Local Government Entities
- Fact Sheet: New Rule on the Accessibility of Web Content and Mobile Apps Provided by State and Local Governments
Definitions
Automated or Machine Captions
Captions generated by an automated service that have not been reviewed and corrected by a human to meet the USU Captioning Quality Standards. Machine captions alone do not meet federal or university accessibility requirements.
Captions
Text synchronized with video that provides the spoken dialogue and relevant non-speech audio information (e.g., speaker identification, sound effects, and music cues) necessary to understand the content.
Distribution Channels
Distribution channels include any video platforms (e.g., YouTube, Vimeo, Kaltura, Soundcloud, etc.) or social media platforms (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc.) that are available to the public.
Legacy Video
Video published on third-party platforms before July 1, 2022, that is not embedded or linked on a USU website.
Live Video
Video that is broadcast in real time as it is being created.
Recorded Video
Video created in advance and made available for on-demand viewing.
Transcript
A text version of spoken audio content that includes dialogue and relevant audio information. For audio-only recordings, a transcript that meets the USU Captioning Quality Standards satisfies the captioning requirement.
USU Captioning Quality Standards
The university’s established requirements for caption accuracy, completeness, synchronization, and formatting as found on the Caption Quality Standards webpage.
USU Video
Video created, published, or distributed on behalf of Utah State University, including video hosted on university websites or external distribution platforms.
Resources
The following resources are available to assist university units in meeting the Video and Audio Accessibility Standard: