Mediathread Accessibility Guide

Image Manipulation Accessibility

  • Instructors should prepare alt text for any images provided in Mediathread
    • If Mediathread is used to edit an image to call out a particular element, the alt text should be updated to match that change
      • Example: A professor uses Mediathread to edit a picture of a cell by adding a circle around the mitochondria, the alt text should be update to match that change
  • If alt text cannot be added to images in Mediathread, instructors should have alt text prepared for any images being provided or edited using Mediathread. This way instructors can provide a student using screen reading software with an equivalent alternative.
    • Example: Access to an accessible Word Document
    • Contact OAE for questions or support
  • An assignment requiring students to use Mediathread’s image editor will be inaccessible for students using assistive technology
    • Instructors should avoid assignments that solely rely on Mediathread’s image editor
    • If an assignment relies on Mediathread’s image editor, it is recommended that the instructor have an alternative assignment prepared 

General Accessibility Recommendations

  • Provide a hyperlink for each video or audio clip and include the desired watch times
  • When using images with Mediathread, avoid relying solely on color to indicate or prompt a response
    • Include a shape or text in the image to indicate where students should be looking
    • Students with color blindness benefit by conveying information using different techniques 
  • Check the accuracy of a video’s captioning 
    • On YouTube, you can check if a video’s captioning is created algorithmically or has been checked/created by a human. Select the “CC” button to investigate
      • When you select the “CC” button and see on the top left of the video “English,” this means the captioning has been edited and most likely was created/checked by a human
      • When you select the “CC” button and see on the top left of the video “English (Autogenerated),” this means the captioning was created by an algorithm, lacks punctuation, and was not checked by a human  
      • Even if you see “English” displayed when selecting the “CC” button, continue to skim throughout the video and check to ensure the captioning is matching the dialogue 
    • Check to ensure the captioning is displaying in Mediathread if you are using video platforms other than YouTube
      • Skim through the video and check that the captioning is accurate and stays in sync with the video player
    • If you want to add professional captioning to a video, SODA has a list of Captioning Vendors with negotiated discounted rates for Stanford.
  • Check to see if audio-only materials (e.g. Podcast) have transcripts available
    • If a transcript is available, provide a hyperlink to it in the assignment’s instructions. This can be very beneficial for students with hearing loss.

Captioning Accommodation

  • If a student with a captioning accommodation is enrolled in the course, all video/audio materials will need to be made accessible including the media selected by other students 
  • Coordinate with OAE to put in place a process to provide access for the student

Screen Reading Software and Image-Based Assignments in Mediathread 

  • Any image-based assignments created with Mediathread are not compatible with screen reading software
    • Mediathread does not have alt text or image description functionality, which makes it inaccessible to screen reading software used by students with vision loss 
    • You will have to reconstruct the assignments outside of Mediathread, and based on your learning objectives, provide equivalent alternatives for students who use screen readers and/or are unable to use pointing devices
    • Contact OAE for questions or support
    • Check in with the student to make sure they can access the assignment

Screen Reading Software and Video-Based Assignments in Mediathread 

  • Mediathread is not fully compatible with screen reading software 
    • Mediathread does not read out the tags or notes sections of posted assignments. This can make it confusing for students using screen reading software because they might not know what section they are in.
    • Notify the student and see if they feel comfortable using Mediathread to complete assignments
  • If the student requests the assignment be added to a different platform, transfer the assignment to Canvas
    • Create a Canvas assignment or discussion page and include the same directions that were posted in Mediathread 
    • Specify the specific watch times for the provided video (Example: Start: 5:15, End: 10:20)
    • Provide the video as a hyperlink on the Canvas assignment page
      • If using a platform other than YouTube, confirm with the student that they can use the video player 
    • Check in with the student to make sure they can access the assignment