The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires covered entities to provide effective communication for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Radford University provides communication access services and accommodations based on individual needs.
American Sign Language (ASL) Interpreting
Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)
CART provides real-time captions of spoken communication, allowing people to read what is being said during classes, meetings, and events.
Captioned Media
Videos and other audiovisual materials should include accurate, synchronized captions that are easy to read and clearly visible.
Assistive Listening Devices (ALDs)
Assistive listening devices amplify sound and can help reduce the effects of background noise. They may be useful for people who are hard of hearing in classrooms, meetings, and other settings.
Captioning, a textual representation of audio media, is an important accessibility tool for deaf people, as well as a benefit and learning tool for others. With so many avenues to obtain or create captioned media, ensuring that instructional materials are accessible is achievable.
The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has 3 main criteria that captions must comply with: