HSU's accessibility policies require that all audio-visual materials used for instructional or other official University use must include closed captioning. These policies are part of a larger CSU effort, the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), which is intended to ensure that any technology used on campus is accessible to all students, faculty, staff and the general public regardless of disability.

This commitment reflects a goal to provide the most effective learning environment for all students, not just to ensure compliance with various federal and state laws. As such, all instructional and training materials must be deliverable to students with disabilities in a way that is:

• comparable in quality to those received by students without disabilities
• comparable in timeliness of delivery and availability
• provided in a manner and medium appropriate to the significance of the message and the abilities of the person receiving the materials

You can add the closed captioning yourself, or Classroom Technology Services can arrange for closed captioning services through an outside vendor, Automatic Synch Technologies (AST). A sliding-scale fee applies, depending on the length and format of the video and whether a transcript is provided.

If you are interested in adding your own closed-captioning, most common multimedia platforms - Windows Media Player, RealPlayer, QuickTime, Flash, YouTube - incorporate the ability to create and display at least rudimentary closed captions. For more extensive captioning development, try a dedicated closed-captioning tool such as Media Access Generator (MAGpie).

Automatic Synch Technologies charges the following fees to create captioned videos:

Note that tapes and DVDs attract an additional fee of $54 each; transcripts are not accepted with these media.

Further closed-captioning resources may be found at the National Center for Accessible Media's Accessibility Tools & Guidelines

Check out closed captioning for Elluminate! web conferencing

If you want to have Classroom Technology Services handle your closed-captioning requirements, you'll need to complete the Service Request Form, have it signed off by someone with budget authority, and return it to Classroom Technology Services in Gist Hall 205.

To do the captioning yourself, follow the instructions in your software documentation or help file to access the closed-captioning capabilities. Refer to the links in Using This Service below for additional resources.

If you're using Classroom Technology Services, you'll need to provide the following:

• A digital media file, tape or DVD
• A transcript if available
• A copyright release if the video was produced by an off-campus company or individual

If you're doing the work yourself, you'll find useful guidelines at the links below:

• WebAIM's Software for Creating Captions (MAGpie)
• WebAIM's Media Player Accessibility
• WebAIM's Captioning for Quicktime
• WebAIM's Captioning for RealPlayer
• WebAIM's Introduction to Captioning for Windows Media

• Where can I go to get closed captioning done?
• What does Classroom Technology need from me to do my closed captioning?
• How much does captioning cost?
• How long does captioning take?
• How can I reduce the cost of captioning?
• What do I get back from Automatic Synch Technologies?
• What is a video transcript?
• How do I indicate in a video transcript that some sounds are too quiet to hear?
• Do I have to create my video transcript myself?
• Can I just provide my lecture notes instead of a video transcript?

Classroom Technology Services is located in Gist Hall, room 205. Phone (707) 826-3169.

The Accessible Technology Initiative group is located in Little Apartments and may be contacted at (707) 826-4678

All laws and policies relating to closed captioning and other accessibility requirements can be found on the Accessible Technology Initiative website.