Thread Subject: extract from FAQs on www.section508.gov

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From: terry.weaver@gsa.gov
Date: Wed, Nov 01 2006 1:45 PM
Subject: extract from FAQs on www.section508.gov

The section of the FAQs that address captioning:


C.6 Use of EIT in Federal Agency Training
i. If a Federal agency conducts training and uses multimedia, such as
videotapes or computer based training, must the materials developed be
accessible under 508?
Yes. Multimedia is considered EIT and, if used by the Federal government,
must be accessible unless an exception applies (see sections F and G,
below). Section 1194.22 of the Access Board's standards addresses
requirements for web- based intranet and internet information and
applications. Section 1194.24 addresses video and multimedia products. In
addition to the requirements of section 508, agencies also have
obligations to their employees under sections 501 and 504 of the
Rehabilitation Act.
ii. If a Federal agency is distributing a television or multimedia
production or a web-cast presentation, does it have to be open or closed
captioned and audio-described?
Section 1194.24(c) and (d) of the Access Board's standards require that
all training or informational video and multimedia productions which
support the agency's mission and which have audio information or visual
information that is necessary for the comprehension of the content, be
captioned or audio described. Hence, if the production is multimedia (e.g.
image and sound) and is considered "training or informational," then it
must meet the applicable requirements of 1194.24 (c) and (d) of the Access
Board's standards. If the production is web-based, regardless of whether
it is multimedia, such as a live webcast of a speech, then it must also
meet the applicable requirements of 1194.22.
iii. Does the requirement to open or close caption and audio describe
apply to productions that have a limited purpose, scope, and shelf life or
contain quickly "perishable" information?
Section 1194.22 of the Access Board standards applies requirements to
web-based intranet and internet information and applications without
regard to the perishable nature of a production. Similarly, section
1194.24 addresses video and multimedia products without regard to the
shelf life of a production.
iv. Do videotapes of briefings or "raw or stock" film footage for
documentation purposes have to be captioned or audio described? What if
the videotape is later played for an audience? Do graphs and charts used
in the briefing have to be audio described?
Briefings or other recordings made for purposes of documentation are not
considered "training or informational videos." As noted in the preamble to
the Access Board's final rule, section 1194.24 does not require that a
videotape recorded by a field investigator to document a safety violation
be captioned or audio described. However, if such a videotape were
subsequently used as part of a training or informational presentation, it
would have to be captioned and audio described. (See 65 Federal Register
80517, December 21, 2000.) Any graphs or charts that are not described in
the narration of the video would have to be audio described if the visual
information was necessary for the comprehension of the content.
v. Is the requirement to open or close caption, and to provide audio
description specific to English?
No. The requirement to caption (i.e., to provide access to audio
information for persons with hearing impairments) and provide audio
description applies irrespective of the language. It is recommended that
captioning and audio description be in the same language as the content of
the production. For example, Spanish audio should be captioned in Spanish.
There is no requirement to provide captioning in a language different from
the content of the production (e.g., English audio need not be in Spanish
or vice versa.) vi. Must the lyrics in songs embedded in productions be
open or closed captioned?
This answer depends on whether the lyrics are considered content essential
for comprehension. For instance, a production that features a dialogue
between two people while a radio softly plays a song in the background
should have the conversation in the foreground captioned. However, since
the song from the radio is not essential for comprehension, the captions
could simply indicate that music is playing in the background.
C.7. "Agency Websites"