Video Accessibility Tools
Creating accessible video content ensures all students can engage with course materials effectively. This page outlines how to record and caption videos using Kaltura, Panopto, and YouTube—three tools supported or commonly used at Rutgers.
Using Kaltura
Kaltura is a video library with the ability to store and create new video content. Kaltura provides professors with the freedom to upload existing video materials such as YouTube videos as well as MP4 videos or the option to create a new video via Kaltura Personal Capture.
All video materials uploaded via the Kaltura platform will be automatically closed captioned with the “CC” toggle feature appearing at the bottom right corner of the screen. When a student with a disability is identified in your course the closed captioning of all video materials should be manually edited to account for spelling, grammar and punctuation.
We recommend using Capture space to record your lecture. Watch this tutorial on how to use Kaltura's Personal Capture to create voiced over videos, screen recordings, and more.
Once you have created your videos and uploaded them to Kaltura, to add captions:
- Log in to Rutgers MediaSpace (anyone with a net id has access to a personal account) – Kaltura MediaSpace Captioning Tutorial
- Edit captions directly in your Canvas Course shell under “Kaltura Course Gallery” (located at the left side tool bar of your course homepage) – Kaltura Course Gallery Captioning Tutorial
These changes will now appear in the video you shared to Canvas.
When recording in Zoom, there is a speed control for increasing speed, but not decreasing. There is a feature in Kaltura that allows you to control the play back speed of a video (increase and decrease speed). For more information on this feature go to the following external link: How to change display and playback speed of media in Kaltura
Add your media directly to your Canvas shell by inserting a video from your Kaltura Library. Kaltura Plug icon Tutorial
Using Panopto
Panopto is another video platform available at Rutgers, primarily used by the School of Communication and Information (SC&I) and other units. It is integrated into Canvas and Sakai and offers features for recording, captioning, and organizing video content.
- Faculty and students can access Panopto through the SC&I Panopto Portal or by enabling the Panopto widget in Canvas.
- If you’re unsure whether your course uses Panopto, contact help@comminfo.rutgers.edu for access and setup support.
Panopto allows you to record:
- Using the desktop app (recommended for full-screen or multi-source recording)
- Through a browser (quick recording of webcam or browser window)
Videos are automatically saved to your Rutgers Panopto account and can be shared directly or embedded in Canvas.
- Automatic captions are added when you upload a video (about 60% accurate).
- You can edit captions directly within the video editor for better accuracy.
- Instructors can also upload a transcript or provide audio descriptions to meet accessibility requirements.
- Students can toggle captions and adjust playback speed on the video player.
- Panopto automatically generates a table of contents from slide titles and bookmarks, helping students navigate content.
- The player supports screen reader access, keyboard navigation, and includes options for playback speed and caption visibility.
Using Youtube
YouTube is widely used and has built-in accessibility features, though we recommend verifying content accessibility before assigning.
- YouTube auto-generates captions for most videos.
- Use YouTube Studio to:
- Review and edit captions
- Add timestamps and speaker labels
- Learn more about editing captions on YouTube’s official guide
- When selecting YouTube videos, filter results by subtitles/CC.
- Look for videos that mention “closed captioning” or “audio description” in titles or descriptions.
- Preview videos before assigning to ensure accuracy and clarity.
- For a practical guide to making videos more accessible, view the NCDAE YouTube Accessibility Cheat Sheet
Need help?
For help creating accessible videos or captioning your content, contact Rutgers Access and Disability Resources