Accessible Media-Assistive Technology Initiative :: Equity & Diversity Services

Assistive Technology Initiative Office

Accessible Media

Procedures for Requesting Accessible Media | Request Form Instructions | Resources

BEST PRACTICES:

Pick legal media. Check out Mason's Copyright Resources Office for more information about legal media. Other copyright and legal media resources may be found at Resources on this page. (Illegally obtained media WILL NOT be captioned.)

Pick the most accessible option first. When viewing videos located at the Mason library, please look for the Closed Captioning (CC) option.

University Libraries Library Catalog
Finding Accessible Media at George Mason University Libraries
For additional support, contact Media Services Librarian, Laura Jenemann

Provide supporting materials. Submit documents that will aid captioning production.

With your request, submit a text (.txt) document with glossary or key terms, proper names, acronyms, words needing special attention, etc. used in the video.
In addition, for Distance Education courses: Use Dragon Naturally Speaking when creating the audio of the course and/or provide a text (.txt) document script.

Turn on Closed Captions.

Special Considerations for Distance Education Faculty

Consult with your Instructional Designer (ID)
See note below in Procedures for Requesting Accessible Media
DE faculty and captioning instructions

Procedures for Requesting Accessible Media

1. Faculty will complete the online Accessible Media Request Form (per Accessible Media Request Form Instructions) for all audio and video being used in their courses. Faculty will be required to fill out an online request form for each media file that requires captioning and/or video description. (i.e. One request form for one file.)

a. NOTE – Distance Education Courses: All web-based material used for Mason courses must be made accessible to students with disabilities. As distance education (DE) courses are primarily delivered online, it is the responsibility of faculty to ensure that any audio or video used in their courses are captioned and/or video-described to provide equivalent access for individuals with sensory impairments (See University Policy Number 1308, Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, and Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act). DE Faculty that will be using audio or video in their courses should consult with instructional designers when filling out the online Accessible Media Request Form.

2. Staff and Faculty will submit media (i.e., DVD, URL, video file, etc.) and request forms to ATI at least 15 business days prior to the date that the media is needed in the course. Please note: Requests submitted less than 15 business days from the date that the media is needed may not be completed on time.

3. ATI staff will contact faculty if there are any questions or need for clarification prior to the start of the job. The job will not be started unless an online media request form has been submitted.

4. If the media to be shown is available on DVD, ATI staff will contact the Media Services Librarian (703-993-7593) to investigate whether or not Mason owns an accessible version of the media.

5. Media Services staff will evaluate current resources to determine if Mason owns the media and whether or not it is accessible.

a. Library owns the original resource: If an accessible version is in the library collection, the media will be made available to the staff or faculty member making the request. If an accessible version is available, but the library does not have an accessible copy in their collection, the Media Services Librarian will purchase an accessible copy and make it available for loan to staff/faculty.

b. Library does not own the original resource: If an accessible version is available for purchase, but the library does not own the original resource, then the Media Services Librarian will purchase an accessible version of the media. In the event that collection funds are unable to cover the costs of the media, the ATI will pay any associated costs. When the media is no longer needed, staff/faculty will return the media to the Media Services Librarian to be added to their collection.

6. In the event that an accessible version is not available for purchase, the ATI will evaluate the current media format (i.e., DVD, streaming video, URL, etc.) and determine the most efficient method for providing post-production accessibility.

a. Please Note: The addition of post-production open or closed captions, and/or video description, is for noncommercial, educational purposes only. Mason ensures that the master and work copy (i.e., copy being used to add captions to) are in the hands of a limited number of individuals in the institution and no content in the original media will be removed or modified. Unauthorized reproduction of the media for any other purpose is prohibited. (U.S. Copyright Law, Title 17, Section 121 – 10/2009)

7. Once an accessible copy is available (whether by post-production, purchase, or library loan), the ATI will inform staff/faculty making the request on where to pick up their media.

a. Accessible media that is purchased or produced by the ATI - The faculty/staff member will receive an email confirming that electronic media can be picked up at the ATI Office. For jobs processed electronically (i.e., Docsoft), faculty/staff will be emailed a link from which they can access the completed file(s).

b. Accessible media that is available through the library - The faculty/staff member will receive an email confirming that electronic media is available in the library and to contact the Media Services Librarian to arrange for pick up.

Request Form Instructions

Please fill out one Accessible Media Request Form for each audio or video request. If you need to submit multiple captioning requests at one time, there are web browser settings available to facilitate submissions using auto-complete. Refer to Auto-Complete Settings directions for your preferred browser.

Please note: Fees may be applied in the event that a request is submitted to the ATI less than 15 business days prior to the date needed and/or the media requested is not already in a pre-recorded digital format.

Please note: The addition of post-production open or closed captions, and/or video description, is for noncommercial, educational purposes only. Mason ensures that the master and work copy (i.e., the copy being used to add captions to) are in the hands of a limited number of individuals in the institution and no content in the original media will be removed or modified. Unauthorized reproduction of the media for any other purpose is prohibited. (U.S. Copyright Law, Title 17, Section 121 - 10/2009)

FORM FIELD DESCRIPTIONS:

Name: This should be the name of the person requesting accessible media services (i.e. faculty, department, instructional designer, etc.)
Phone number: To be used by ATI for any clarification or correspondence regarding request
E-mail: To be used by ATI for any clarification or correspondence regarding request
Date Needed By: Latest possible date before the scheduled viewing
Instructor Name and Course Number (if available): Insert name of instructor/professor and include the course number if the video is for a class
Semester: Choose the appropriate semester
Material Title: Insert name of media (i.e. film title, audio title, etc.)
Are you the copyright holder of the material? Choose Yes or No to indicate whether you own the rights to the material for which you are requesting accessible media.
If No, who is the copyright holder? (Please provide as much copyright holder contact information as possible): Insert name of person, company, organization, etc who owns the copyright to the material (i.e. NBC, CNN, etc.) and contact person or agent, e-mail, phone number, address, website, etc.
Length of video to be captioned (hours/minutes/seconds): Indicate the exact length of the video or clip (i.e. 45:05 for 45 minutes, 5 seconds)
Format: Indicate the format of the media i.e. DVD, Audio file, Audio-Video file (MP4, AVI, WMV, MOV, FLV), Web URL
Delivery of Media to ATI: Indicate how the media will be delivered to ATI i.e. Media located at Library (hard copy), Media located at Library (database or streaming), Drop off DVD-CD-Flashdrive at ATI, Email media file(s) to ATI, DropBox media file(s) to ATI, Upload media file(s) to Mason Captions server, or Web URL in request. Emailed files should be sent to amp@gmu.edu. For files that can be delivered via DropBox, have a Web URL or have a Library link, please pasted the appropriate link(s) in the "Additional Information or Web links" section. (Directions for sharing folders via DropBox may be found on DropBox's site.) If you wish to upload files to the Mason Captions server, contact us for directions and log in information.
Additional Information or link(s): Please include any additional information that may be needed to provide the best search or outcome (i.e. specifics of . . . ). If applicable, paste necessary DropBox, Web URL or Library links here, too.
I confirm this material is legal and will be used for educational purposes.: Choose Yes or No (Requester must confirm the material is legal and will be used for educational purposes in order for the accessible media request to be processed.)

Resources

Copyright & Legal Media Resources

Web Captioning Overview (WebAIM)

Directions for working with captioned video files saved on cd, dvd or flashdrive

Directions for uploading video files and/or accessing captioned files from Mason captions server using CyberDuck.

Directions for sharing folders with others on DropBox.

For more information about captioning videos and transcribing audio, please visit our Web Accessibility site.

George Mason University

Equity and Diversity Services

Assistive Technology Initiative Office