Captioning Grant
About the Grant
This grant is provided to NC State University faculty to assist them with creating accessible multimedia. Creating captions can be a significant investment of resources. This fund allows faculty to use modern course delivery mechanisms while ensuring all students can fully engage with course content.
How to Apply
To apply, visit the Captioning Grant Application Form. Any NC State faculty member may apply for this grant at any time.
Steps to Success
- First, apply for the grant.
- After your application is approved:
- Place an order with a captioning company. You are free to choose which company captions your videos.
- You will receive instructions for how to email your IDT to OIT’s business office.
- After receiving your captioned video(s), update your instructional resources.
- That’s it! It’s really that simple.
Frequently Asked Questions
What types of content does this grant cover?
The grant provides funds to caption videos used in NC State University official courses.
What accessibility features does this fund cover?
The purpose of this grant is to caption videos used for instruction, primarily pre-recorded videos. If you would like to caption a live video or add audio descriptions to a video, this will be considered. Please reach out to accessibility@ncsu.edu.
Does this mean that the University will fund all of my captioning needs?
Not necessarily. Regrettably, this fund is not sufficient to caption all video on campus. This grant is meant to:
- Assist faculty in creating accessible content when specific needs arise, and to
- Strategically target courses where proactive captioning will be most beneficial.
Creating accessible course content is still the responsibility of the faculty member and their department. Faculty are encouraged to find or create videos that are captioned. However, the grant acknowledges that finding accessible video content may be difficult for some subjects, and that faculty may not have the resources to create an accessible video about a particular subject.
What criteria are used to determine who will receive funds for captioning?
Requests to meet the needs of a student with a disability are usually approved. For proactive captioning requests, a number of factors will be considered:
- How many students will have access to the content?
- How integral is the video to completing a particular course of study?
- For how many semesters will this content be used?
- What volume of captioning is being requested?
The application process is simple, so faculty are encouraged to apply even if they feel their content may not be a strong candidate for receiving funding.
Can I go ahead and order captioning, then apply for grant funds later?
You could do this, but you are not guaranteed to be reimbursed for the cost of the captioning. If you are dependent upon these funds for completing the captioning, you should apply for the grant before placing the order. This includes captioning to meet the needs of a student identified by the Disability Resource Office.
How is the captioning actually done?
Creating captions is a two step process: creating a transcript, and synchronizing the transcript with the video. Both processes can be outsourced to a third party. See our Choosing a Captioning Company Guide for recommendations. Our Captioning Grant Convenience Contract provides pricing information.
Will NC State place the captioning order for me?
Generally no, but our office will assist you in ordering captions. The exception to this is if you are using Panopto.
I have another question!
We’re glad you’re interested in the grant! All other questions should be directed to accessibility@ncsu.edu.