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Accessible Media - Closed Captioning and Described Video

Regulations of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) address the need to provide alternate formats upon request.  These may include captioning (CC) or described video (DV).

Permissions Required under Copyright

To add the CC/DV to a media resource, the original copyright holder must provide written permission to add the accessible feature(s) to their work. We can assist with this process.

For Students

The Library ensures all DVDs purchased include Closed Captioning, and strives to ensure all streaming media collections to which it subscribes provide Closed Captioning as well.

Some older resources may not contain such features. Please contact Alternate Formats to request accessible formats of library-owned media resources.

For Faculty and Staff

Process for Ensuring Media Resources are Accessible

The Alternate Formats team assists faculty with the sourcing of accessible media alternatives for video utilized in their courses, including closed captioning and described video. 

  • First, we seek to replace the item with a version with CC/DV. 
  • If an accessible version does not exist, we seek other commercial media resources with similar content. If an alternate resource is acceptable to you, we will purchase it.
  • If no suitable substitute is available, we will contract out to add CC/DV to the item. This can be a lengthy process, but we will keep you informed every step of the way.

The Alternate Formats team may also be able to assist with captioning of video produced by faculty (e.g. lecture recordings) depending on volume of content.

All Accessible Media requests & inquiries can be directed to Alternate Formats.