[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"doc-seo-514463-105":3,"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":81,"doc-detail-514463-en":131},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"ok",{"site_id":7,"language":8,"slug":9,"title":10,"keywords":11,"description":12,"schema_data":13,"social_meta":74,"head_meta":76,"extra_data":78,"updated_unix":80},105,"en","new-federal-accessibility-requirements-for-online-courses-spring-2026-captioning-action","New Federal Accessibility Requirements for Online Courses - Spring 2026 Captioning Action","","New federal ADA Title II regulations effective April 24, 2026 require public community colleges to provide live captions for synchronous online instruction, starting in Spring 2026. Faculty must enable real-time captioning in Zoom, ensure caption accessibility by clearly identifying speakers, and follow best practices for accuracy. Non-compliance may trigger civil rights complaints, funding loss, legal action, or course restrictions. Enhanced captioning services will be supported through CART and California DECT Grant funding.",{"@graph":14,"@context":73},[15,34,56],{"@type":16,"itemListElement":17},"BreadcrumbList",[18,23,27,31],{"item":19,"name":20,"@type":21,"position":22},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",1,{"item":24,"name":25,"@type":21,"position":26},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/","Document",2,{"item":28,"name":29,"@type":21,"position":30},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/healthcare/","Healthcare",3,{"item":32,"name":10,"@type":21,"position":33},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/new-federal-accessibility-requirements-for-online-courses-spring-2026-captioning-action/514463/",4,{"url":32,"name":10,"@type":35,"image":36,"author":41,"headline":10,"publisher":44,"fileFormat":47,"inLanguage":8,"description":12,"dateModified":48,"datePublished":49,"encodingFormat":47,"isAccessibleForFree":50,"interactionStatistic":51},"DigitalDocument",{"url":37,"@type":38,"width":39,"height":40},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/new-federal-accessibility-requirements-for-online-courses-spring-2026-captioning-action/514463.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":42,"@type":43},"Rainbow Cat","Person",{"url":19,"name":45,"@type":46},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-09","2026-10-06",true,{"@type":52,"interactionType":53,"userInteractionCount":55},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":54},"ViewAction",14,{"@type":57,"mainEntity":58},"FAQPage",[59,65,69],{"name":60,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":62},"What do the new federal ADA requirements require for Spring 2026?","Question",{"text":63,"@type":64},"Live captions are required for synchronous online instruction. Starting Spring 2026, all faculty teaching live online courses must enable real-time captioning.","Answer",{"name":66,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":67},"How should instructors handle speaker identification in captions?",{"text":68,"@type":64},"Captions must provide equivalent access by making it clear who is speaking. Use speaker names in Zoom, repeat/paraphrase questions with the student’s name, and pause briefly between speakers.",{"name":70,"@type":61,"acceptedAnswer":71},"Who is affected and what happens if no student requests accommodations?",{"text":72,"@type":64},"The requirement is proactive: captions are needed for all live instruction regardless of whether students request accommodations. Only online/hybrid courses with synchronous components are included; in-person-only classes are not.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":32,"og:type":75,"og:title":10,"og:site_name":45,"og:description":12},"article",{"robots":77,"canonical":32},"index,follow",{"doc_id":79,"site_id":7},514463,1791459487,{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":83},"success",[84,88,92,96,101,106,110,115,120,123,127],{"id":22,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":85,"show_sort_weight":86,"slug":87},"Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":26,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":89,"show_sort_weight":90,"slug":91},"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":33,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":93,"show_sort_weight":94,"slug":95},"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":97,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":98,"show_sort_weight":99,"slug":100},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":102,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":103,"show_sort_weight":104,"slug":105},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":107,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":29,"show_sort_weight":108,"slug":109},7,40,"healthcare",{"id":111,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":112,"show_sort_weight":113,"slug":114},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":116,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":117,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":119},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":118,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":121,"show_sort_weight":118,"slug":122},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":124,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":125,"show_sort_weight":124,"slug":126},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":128,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":25,"category_name":129,"show_sort_weight":97,"slug":130},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":82,"data":132},{"doc_id":79,"user_id":133,"nickname":42,"user_avatar":134,"doc_module":4,"category_id":107,"category_name":29,"doc_title":10,"doc_description":12,"doc_content":135,"file_id":136,"file_url":137,"file_type":138,"file_size":139,"view_count":55,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":22,"is_downloadable":22,"audit_status":22,"page_count":97,"language":140,"language_code":8,"site_id":7,"html_lang":8,"table_of_contents":141,"faqs":142,"seo_title":143,"seo_description":12,"update_tm":144,"read_time":145,"preview_page_count":4},962090769181,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_6f874abed73319feea01a86fa6f0fab8","Subject: New Federal Accessibility Requirements for Online Courses  \nDear Colleagues,  \nAs of April 24, 2026, new federal regulations under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) Title II require all public community colleges to provide live captions for synchronous online instruction. This is no longer optional and/or provided upon request. It is a legal requirement that affects every live online course we offer.  \nWhat This Means for You:  \nStarting Spring 2026, all faculty teaching live online courses must enable real-time captioning. Federal regulations require that captions provide equivalent access to spoken content, which includes making it clear who is speaking, particularly in discussion-based courses. This ensures equal access for students who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as benefiting students with learning disabilities, ESL students, and anyone in noisy environments.  \nIMMEDIATE ACTION REQUIRED:  \nStep 1: Turn On ZOOM Auto Captions During Each Live Class  \n1. Start your Zoom meeting as usual  \n2. Click Live Transcript (or Captions) button on the toolbar  \n3. Select Enable Auto-Transcription  \n4. Captions will now appear for all participants who want them  \nStudents can turn captions on/off individually. They control their own viewing experience.  \nStep 2: Improve Caption Accuracy and Speaker Clarity  \nFederal accessibility standards require that captions identify speakers so viewers can follow multi-speaker discussions. While the exact format isn't mandated, using names is the most effective way to ensure compliance and provide equivalent access.  \nTo help meet this requirement:  \nIdentify yourself clearly:  \n• Set your Zoom display name to include your title: \"Dr. Smith-Instructor\" or \"Prof.  \nGarcia\"  \nWhen calling on students, use their names:  \n• Say: \"Thankyou, Marcus. Marcus, what's your answer?\"  \n• This helps both automated captions and students following along identify who is speaking  \nRepeat or paraphrase student questions with student names:  \n• Student asks question  \n• You respond: \"Thanks Sarah, you're asking about cell division...\"  \n• This ensures both the question AND the speaker are captured in captions  \nAdditional best practices:  \n• Speak clearly and at a moderate pace  \n• Pause briefly between speakers to allow caption systems to update  \n• Structure discussions: \"I'm calling on Ahmed, then Lisa, then Carlos\"  \nWhy speaker identification matters: A hearing student can see who's raising their hand. A deaf or hard-of-hearing student using captions needs the same information. Without speaker identification, captions don't provide equivalent access.  \nWhy This Matters  \nLegal Compliance: The U.S. Department of Justice mandates this under WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards. Non-compliance can result in:  \n• Office for Civil Rights complaints  \n• Loss of federal funding  \n• Legal action from students  \n• Course restrictions or closure  \nStudent Success: Research from Oregon State University surveying over 2,100 students at 15 universities found that 98.6% of students who use captions say they are helpful, and  \n75% use them as a learning aid. More than half of students (52%) reported that captions improve their comprehension of course material  \nThis benefits everyone, not just students with disabilities. ESL learners, students in noisy environments, and those who process information better with both audio and text all benefit from captions.  \nSpring 2026: Enhanced Captioning Services  \nWhile Zoom auto-captions are sufficient for many lecture-based courses, discussionheavy courses often need better speaker identification than automated systems can provide.  \nFor Spring 2026, College of the Canyons will provide:  \nProfessional CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) Services:  \n• Live human captioners for seminars and high-interaction courses  \n• Real-time, accurate speaker identification  \n• 98%+ accuracy with proper speaker labels  \nFunding through the California DECT Grant:  \n• State funding","cbCaioDCrtBM4zmp","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaioDCrtBM4zmp","pdf",110783,"English","# What This Means for You\n# Immediate Action Required\n## Step 1: Turn On ZOOM Auto Captions\n## Step 2: Improve Caption Accuracy and Speaker Clarity\n# Why This Matters\n# Spring 2026: Enhanced Captioning Services\n# FAQs","[{\"question\":\"What do the new federal ADA requirements require for Spring 2026?\",\"answer\":\"Live captions are required for synchronous online instruction. Starting Spring 2026, all faculty teaching live online courses must enable real-time captioning.\"},{\"question\":\"How should instructors handle speaker identification in captions?\",\"answer\":\"Captions must provide equivalent access by making it clear who is speaking. Use speaker names in Zoom, repeat/paraphrase questions with the student’s name, and pause briefly between speakers.\"},{\"question\":\"Who is affected and what happens if no student requests accommodations?\",\"answer\":\"The requirement is proactive: captions are needed for all live instruction regardless of whether students request accommodations. Only online/hybrid courses with synchronous components are included; in-person-only classes are not.\"}]","New Federal Accessibility Requirements for Online Courses - Spring 2026 Captioning Action | PDF",1791299678,13]