Videos
Video Media for All
Videos posted on behalf of Palm Beach State College must meet accessibility standards by April 24, 2026, according to a rule on digital accessibility published by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Video creators should be aware of three main accessibility elements:
- Captions so that people who are deaf or hard of hearing can access the audio content in text form.
- Transcripts so users with visual impairments can understand both the spoken words and descriptions of key visual details.
- Appropriate color contrast in text and graphics so users with color-related visual impairments can see them.
Please review the recommendations below. For faculty assistance with course videos, please visit the Training and Resources page.
Note: Kaltura is the college’s preferred video hosting platform for faculty and staff. If YouTube is used, it must be through an official PBSC YouTube channel — not a personal account.
Captions and Subtitles
Captions
Captions are the on-screen text that matches what’s being said in a video, along with important sounds. You’ll usually see a CC button on the video player to turn them on or off. Captions aren’t just essential for people who are deaf or hard of hearing — they’re also super helpful for anyone watching in a noisy place, people who don’t have sound on, those learning English, or anyone who just understands things better when they can both see and hear the information.
When you upload a video to Kaltura or YouTube, automatic captions are generated using speech recognition. However, these captions may not always be accurate and can take some time to appear. Before sharing your video, review and edit the captions to ensure they’re correct and properly synchronized with the audio.
Please note: Videos uploaded to Kaltura in Fall 2025 or later automatically generate captions for content spoken in English. For videos uploaded prior to Fall 2025, please check to ensure captions are present and accurate. If they are missing, follow these instructions to request them.
Resources
Subtitles
Subtitles look a lot like captions, but their main job is to translate spoken content into another language. If a video has subtitles, you can usually find them under the closed captioning (CC) button and choose from a list of languages. Just note — some media players use the word ‘subtitles’ when they really mean captions.
Transcripts
Transcripts are written versions of a video’s content, giving people an alternative to watching. They’re especially helpful for people who are deaf-blind and use Braille devices, as well as anyone with slow internet or technical issues. Transcripts are also easy to scan or search, making them a quick way for busy people to find what they need. Because they replace the video, transcripts should include both the spoken words and descriptions of key visual details.
Kaltura creates a transcript from its automatic captions, and any edits you make to the captions will update the transcript too. In the newest Kaltura video player, the transcript shows up next to the video by default. You can search within it, hide it using the X, or click on any line to jump to that part of the video. You’ll also see options to print or download the transcript.
For YouTube, you can either add a transcript directly to your video or follow steps to create and upload a transcript file.
Best Practices
- On-screen text should be accessible. Use a contrast checker to ensure the foreground and background colors provide sufficient contrast.
- Videos and other media should not automatically play on default. This type of content can be a barrier for those with cognitive impairments, photosensitive epilepsy, ADHD, and other conditions. Users should have the ability to pause videos and other media. If media plays by default and this feature cannot be turned off, users should be made aware of this, e.g., “This video will automatically play in a new window.”