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3Play Media: Captions Aren't Just a Good Idea, They're the Law

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For companies concerned about online video captioning requirements, Josh Miller, co-founder of 3Play Media, gave a quick and helpful outline at the recent Streaming Media East conference in New York City. While moderating a panel on deploying video captions, Miller explained the regulations that content providers need to know.

"The first that some people might hear a lot about is Section 508, which is a fairly broad law that requires all federal electronic and information technology to be accessible [to those] with disabilities, including employees and the public," Miller said. "For video this means that captions really do have to be added to that content when it goes up online. If you've got audio content, a transcript is really all you need."

Going hand-in-hand with Section 508 is Section 504:

"Section 504 entitles people with disabilities to equal access to any program or activity that receives federal subsidy," Miller explained. "Web-based communications for educational institutions and government agencies are both covered by this. Section 504 and 508 are originally from the Rehabilitation Act of 1973."

Jump forward 17 years to get to the landmark ADA:

"The American's with Disabilities Act of 1990 covers federal, state, and local jurisdictions. It applies to a range of domains including employment, public entities, telecommunications, and places of public accommodation. The Americans with Disabilities Act was actually broadened in 2008 to match -- in terms of the definition of disability -- to match with Section 504," Miller said.

To hear more about captioning requirements, including 2010's 21st Century Communications and Video Accessibility Act, as well as how Netflix was successfully sued for not offering enough captioned content, watch the video below and download Miller's presentation.

 

Strategies For Deploying Accessible Video Captioning

This session will discuss captioning and transcription solutions implemented by consumer content services and enterprise corporations. Learn the costs and benefits derived from captioning, as well as best practices and tips for implementing accessibility technologies. The panel will also discuss strategies for meeting upcoming accessibility regulations and emerging standards that impact online video captioning.

Moderator: Josh Miller, Co-Founder, 3Play Media
Speaker: Thomas Aquilone, Enterprise Technology Programs Manager, Lockheed Martin
Speaker: Wendy Collins, VP, Digital Strategy, Infobase Learning
Speaker: Piyush Patel, CEO, Digital Tutors
Speaker: Ben Labrum, Senior Product Manager, Training On Demand, Oracle

 

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