Accessible Media
Accessible Videos
Video captioning
You may have noticed that all the videos on our website have captions provided (the small cc icon to the right on the video player bar) and a link to download a transcript of the video.
Here are a few of the key actions you can take now:
- Record your lectures so that captions can then be added.
- Edit automated captions such as those created when you upload a video to Panopto or YouTube.
- Switch on Live captions in MS Teams.
- Always tell students that captions are available in Teams for live meetings.
Video transcription
This is the process of producing a text document from the words spoken in a video.
Download a copy of the Accessible-Videos_Transcript
Accessible images
Download a copy of the Using JAWS screen reader_Transcript
This video features Dr. Brian Butler using the Job Access With Speech (JAWS) screen reader to read a Word document. Make a note of any difficulties he encounters with images in the document. Use this information to help you create some best practice guidance to make sure that the images you use in all of your teaching resources are accessible to screen reader users.
- Add alternative text to any images which add meaning to all of your teaching resources including Canvas courses, PowerPoint presentations and Word documents.
- Make sure your alternative text clearly describes the image depending on the context it has been used in. How does the image contribute to the learning experience?
- If the image is used only for decoration, make sure that a screen reader will not recognise and announce it, e.g. “Mark as decorative” in a Word document. Would students have an equivalent learning experience if you removed the image? If so, it is decorative.
Why give an alternative version of an infographic?
Download an accessible version of the What our students say infographic.
For infographics, there can often be a lot of useful information and they often make difficult topics easier to wrap our heads around. However, not all students can access or view them. By creating an alternative version, more students can benefit. The alternative version is written as a text or transcript of the original. The images used on our infographic above are decorative; had the images contained additional information, descriptions of the various images would have also been included in the alternative version. The accessible version also employs the correct use of headings and lists. We'll review headings types a bit later on in the course too.