EIT Accessibility Policy

Utah Valley University’s mission is to provide access to higher education through a variety of modalities, including the use of technology. Given the institution's focus in inclusion, this access must extend to everyone, including individuals with disabilities. As educational technologies evolve, from websites to distance education, UVU seeks to provide equal access to all university programs, services, and activities provided through electronic and information technology (EIT).

Policy 452

EIT Accessibility Standards

The following standards establish accessibility requirements necessary to meet these goals. In our mission to provide accessible EIT across campus, UVU will align with the recommendations in  Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (as revised). We therefore strive to meet the standards and guidelines outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level AA, for all electronic information and technology (EIT). For all non-web-based EIT (software, desktop/mobile applications, documents), UVU will follow the Guidance on Applying WCAG 2.0 to Non-Web Information and Communications Technology (WCAG2ICT), Level AA. Additional guidance on specific types of EIT can be found below.

Utah Valley University promotes machine video captioning as a best practice for all video production and/or distribution. Captioning video content is essential to inclusive programs and student success. Captions provide a text alternative to audio allowing viewers greater access to content and improved overall comprehension by mitigating miscommunication which may arise from:

• Viewer's hearing ability
• Speaker's accent
• Sound quality
• Background noise
• Viewer's primary language
• Complex topics or vocabulary

When using machine captioning for video content, it is important to take a moment to check the following:

• Is the video copyright protected?
  
  • If so, does UVU own the copyright? Captioning Workflow Chart, (Accessible text version of captioning workflow chart)
  • If not, does UVU have permission to use and caption the video or does the use and captioning meet the criteria for “Fair Use”?
• Caption quality
  • Are the captions clear and understandable to the average person? (There can be some minor errors)
  • If the captions are incoherent or hard to understand, human captioning should be considered.

Captioning Resources

If machine captioning is sufficient for the video content, there are a number of tools and resources on campus to support university faculty and staff in captioning videos.

• YouTube automatic captioning
  
• Kaltura machine captioning
• Amara Captioning Guide

Please contact the appropriate department below to request captioning assistance.