Interpreting and Captioning Services
Disability Support Services (DSS) provides sign language interpreting, Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART), and closed captioning services when deemed reasonable and appropriate. These services are available to currently enrolled GW students who are registered with DSS and have been approved for these accommodations.
If you are a consortium student taking classes at GW, please register with DSS to ensure the timely arrangement of your services.
For visitors in need of interpreting services during a campus tour, please inform the Welcome Center of your needs when scheduling your visit.
Online Courses
DSS acknowledges the evolving nature of GW's curriculum, with a wide range of online courses available to students in the Washington, D.C. area and worldwide. To ensure accessibility for both asynchronous and synchronous online course content, students who require captioning in the online environment must register with DSS. This requirement also applies to distance education students enrolled in individual courses at the university.
For questions about online course accessibility, please email dssat@gwu.edu.
If you need interpreting services for your ongoing GW classes or for a single appointment—such as office hours with a professor, a group work session, a meeting with the Office of Advocacy and Support, or an appointment at the GW Student Health Center—please complete the DSS Interpreting Services Request Form.
- For single appointments: Submit your request at least 5 business days before the meeting date.
- For semester-long classes: Submit your request 1 month before the semester begins.
- For advanced academic programs (medical, law, and science): Submit your request as soon as you register for the class, as it may take additional time to find interpreters with the necessary expertise.
Request Services for a GW Event
The George Washington University is committed to ensuring that all programs and events are accessible to everyone. Starting September 1, 2015, all GW-affiliated offices and programs are responsible for independently arranging and funding interpreting services for their events. Guidelines for arranging interpretation and CART services can be found on the Accessibility Events website.
If you need a list of contacts for sign language interpreting and related services, please email dssat@gwu.edu.
Closed Captioning
Closed captioning provides on-screen text for all auditory elements in a pre-recorded clip or film, including non-verbal sounds like sirens, thunderstorms, and laughter. This is different from subtitles, which typically only show spoken language.
For students approved for closed captioning accommodations, all in-class media must be captioned and accessible. This includes recorded lectures, videos (including YouTube clips), and audio files. Professors are encouraged to use real-time captions in PowerPoint presentations and to generate captions for recorded videos post-production.
Students must submit the Closed Captioning Service Request for their courses at least 3 weeks before the term starts. DSS will then coordinate with professors to implement this accommodation. Captioned videos are typically available within 2-3 business days after submission.