TC@ADA30

How to Make an Event at TC Accessible

Teachers College strives to provide equal access to all College activities and events. Here are the steps you can take to ensure your event is accessible:

Include pre-registration with an accommodation request question
Caption your online events
Format materials correctly
Book a request for Media Services which should include microphones. There is a fee associated with Media Services, so you will need to allocate funds in your budget when planning your event.
Ensure that your event location is physically accessible
If your event includes and interactive component, please contact OASID for guidance to make your activity inclusive.

Include Pre-Registration with Accommodation Request

A key to making events accessible is communication prior to the event. This could be handled by including an invitation in pre-event publicity and pre-registration to request accommodations in advance of the event with sufficient lead time (about two weeks). Be sure to include the OASID Accommodation Statement.
If someone with a disability requests an accommodation for your event, send that request to the OASID at oasid@tc.edu. If you have not received a request, you will still need to make your event as accessible as possible.

Caption your Online Events

How Do I Caption my Online Recorded Event?

If no one has requested captioning, you are still responsible for providing captioning for your event if it will be publicly posted. Please note, videos should not be posted until they have been properly captioned. We will take you through the options and steps.

Option 1 - Request Human Captioning

There is a fee associated with Human Captioning, so you will need to allocate funds in your budget when planning your event. Keep in mind that the human captioning service takes up to 2-4 days to process.

Follow these steps:

Upload your recorded event into TC Digital Media.
Open a Service Desk Ticket or email servicedesk@tc.edu
Include Name, Department, and Index Number
Include name of the video and where it is saved within TC Digital Media

Option 2 - Request Auto Captioning

Auto Captioning is generated quickly and is free of cost. However, automatically-generated captions do not meet the needs of deaf or hard of hearing individuals or accessibility requirements, unless they are confirmed to be fully accurate. If you choose this option, you will need to review the captions and manually edit for errors before posting your video.

Follow these steps:

Upload your recorded event into TC Digital Media.
Click Manage Captions
Select Auto Caption option
Resources: How to upload a video and request the auto-captioning and also how to auto-caption a video that is already in TC Digital Media.

How Do I Caption my Live Online Event?

For live presentations, interpreters or CART, may be required to ensure effective communication with individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing in those settings. If you receive a request for this type of accommodation, please reach out to oasid@tc.edu.

However, TC promotes captioning as a best practice that benefits all individuals, including English Language Learners, individuals with learning disabilities, those who wish to see the spelling of technical terms, and those who need to search for specific content in a set of videos. You can reach out to TCIT at servicedesk@tc.columbia.edu for information about how you can add live captioning to your event.

Format your Materials Correctly

When formatting your materials for your events, here are some things to keep in mind:

Text Equivalents for all Content

Include all details from flyers as text in the body of your promotional email.

Create Accessible Documents
Create Meaningful Links
Formatted Lists
Color and Contrast

More Resources:

How to Make Content Accessible

Event Planning Guide for Including Individuals with Disabilities

For more information or accommodation requests, contact the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities (OASID) at oasid@tc.edu, (212) 678-3689, (646) 755-3144 video phone.