The following strategies will help ensure that students who are deaf and hard of hearing have access to audio-visual media, used in the classroom.

• Reserve seating in the front row for students who are deaf or hard of hearing when viewing films to allow for ease of reading captions.
• The use of interpreters or captionists simultaneously with uncaptioned media may not be the best substitute for access. The lag time between the sound from the source and the interpretation/text provided by the captionist can be confusing.
• It is impossible for a student to look in two directions at the same time.
• In the event that interpreting/captioning simultaneously is necessary, the transcript of the audio portion should be available to both the students and the service provider before viewing the material. While this option technically makes the material accessible, it does not provide equal access since the words are not synchronized with the visual action, creating confusion for the viewer.

Accessibility of Digital and Online Materials

Please use and/or design accessible materials in all courses including online, web enhanced, hybrid courses and traditional courses.

Order Accessible Materials: Check with the vendor as newer versions of digital online or published materials may now be designed with accessibility in mind!

Available from the NECC Library

Films on Demand (website): all films are captioned!
Britannica ImageQuest (website): all images are accessible!
Contact or Visit: The Center for Instructional Technology, (978) 556-3681.