Skip to Main Content
university logo

University Library

Faculty Guide -- Library Media Accessibility

Accessible Media

What are Closed-Captioned (CC) Videos?
Captioned videos provide access to people who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH). Captions are the text displayed on the screen to represent what is being said as well as important sound cues. Spoken words in the video are captioned verbatim.

Why should you use CC videos in the classroom?
CSU campuses are required by policy and law to ensure that their websites, instructional materials and electronic and information technology products and services are accessible to individuals with disabilities. Many of these resources, e.g., multimedia and video, require captioning to be considered accessible.

Captioned videos allow equal access to the content for students who are Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHOH). In order to ensure access for all students, all media must be captioned when being shown in classes in which a DHOH student(s) have requested an accommodation.

Which items must be captioned?
According to the Chancellor's Office captioning prioritization guidelines, the following items have a high priority for captions:

  • Multimedia items where an accommodation is requested from a student, staff member, or another person who requires captioning.

  • Multimedia items that will be shared multiple times and/or over an extended period of time.

  • Multimedia items that are reused in new courses and newly revised segments of existing courses.

  • Multimedia items that are used in a course for more than one semester.

  • Multimedia items that are on a public-facing web page (e.g., commencements or other public-facing streamed or recorded events, news, and marketing videos).

For more information about captioning, please see the the Chancellor's Office's Guide to Captioning. 

John F. Kennedy Memorial Library
California State University, Los Angeles
5151 State University Drive
Los Angeles, CA 90032-8300
323-343-3988