The University is legally obligated to caption or provide a transcript of the following materials:

• Audio/video content that is mandatory for all students (Example: orientation videos)
• Online/hybrid courses or educational programs when a student who uses captioning as a reasonable accommodation is registered in the course. This scenario requires professional captioning.
• Audio/video content that is shown as part of a face-to-face or live course or educational program, unless an interpreter or CART writer is present, when a student who uses captioning as a reasonable accommodation is registered in the course
• Audio/video content that is mandatory for all employees, such as employee training videos (Example: UAB HR Open Enrollment video)
• Audio/video content that is job-related to UAB employees who use captioning as a reasonable accommodation
• Audio/video content that is accessed by the public and which is hosted on or embedded in an official UAB website or must have synchronized captions
• Audio/video material requested to be accessible by a disabled individual as a reasonable accommodation

5 Elements of Quality Captioning

1. Accurate - Errorless captions are the goal for each production.
2. Consistent - Uniformity in style and presentation of all captioning features is crucial for viewer understanding.
3. Clear - complete textual representation of the audio, including speaker identification and non-speech information, provides clarity.
4. Readable - Captions are displayed with enough time to be read completely, are in synchronization with the audio, and are not obscured by (nor do they obscure) the visual content.
5. Equal - Equal access requires that the meaning and intention of the material is completely preserved.

The above guidelines provided by (DCMP-Described and Captioned Media Program) are consistent with the 2014 mandates by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

A comprehensive list of captioning guidelines with screenshots and video examples can be found on the DCMP website.

Captions generally appear within 1-2 hours after being fully transcoded into the system.

Please note: Captioning When a video or audio entry is first uploaded to Kaltura, it is transcoded into the system (which can take 1-2 hours) then the captioning process begins.

No action is needed from the media owner for auto-generated captions to appear. The auto-generated captions appear on the media automatically

If you edit these captions or order professional captions, the edited captions will replace the current captions available by clicking the CC button on the player.

If you have students requiring captions as part of an accommodation, Professional Captions should be requested through UAB’s Disability Support Services (DSS) professional captioning request form.

Content uploaded to Kaltura after December 2021 is automatically captioned with auto-generated captions. If you have media that was uploaded before this data, you can request it be captioned by following the instructions in our Order Captions Guide.

Yes, Zoom’s captions are not imported along with the video. Kaltura captions are more accurate and will appear automatically once the video has processed, and the captioning process is completed.

Owners of videos in Kaltura have the ability to edit the auto-generated captions using Kaltura’s web editor. Go to the video in My Media, click Actions, then Edit. Once on the edit screen, click the Caption tab, then the Edit Captions button. See the Kaltura Caption editing guide for step-by-step instructions on how to access and edit captions.

By default, only the owner of the video has the permissions to edit the video and its captions. Owners of a video can add others as a collaborator so that they have the permissions to see the video in their My Media and edit the captions. Follow this guide to add someone as a collaborator with the specific permission: Co-edit.

Auto-generated captions are automatically ordered for the source language English. If you would like to order captions in a different language, follow this guide to order Auto-generated captions and choose the source language that is being spoken.

Please note: The source language must be selected properly as it will not translate to another language.

Owners of media with captions can remove auto-generated captions by following these directions:

1. Go to Media entry in your My Media.
2. Click Actions, then Edit.
3. Click the Captions tab (A).
4. Click the X (B) if you wish to completely delete the file or click the “show on player” (C) icon to remove the captions from displaying on the video.

Users can add their own caption file produced elsewhere for videos in Kaltura by following these directions:

1. Go to Media entry in your My Media.
2. Click Actions, then Edit.
3. Click the Captions tab (A).
4. Click “Upload captions file” (B) button.

Please note: This file should be a specific file type (SRT, DFXP, or VTT) made for captions that contain the spoken words and the timestamps. Transcripts cannot be uploaded here.

Yes, all videos that have an audio track are automatically captioned with auto-generated captions regardless of their role. Faculty, staff, and students all have the same level of access and receive the captions on videos upload.

Students and other viewers can turn on the captions by clicking the CC icon in the video player. If there is not a CC icon at the bottom right of the player, that video does not have captions. You can contact the owner of the video to request they get it captioned.

Users can reach out to UAB eLearning via the following options:

Phone: 205-934-7217
Support Ticket: Ask eLearning
Training: Request a Training Meeting

UAB Disability Support Services is available to consult with faculty, staff, and students regarding accommodations, captions, and transcripts.

Phone: (205) 934-4205
Email: dss@uab.edu