Effective July 1, 2022, sign language interpreting and live captioning accommodations through McBurney Disability Resource Center will now be centrally funded by campus. This will streamline the process, making it easier for the requester and McBurney Center staff to accommodate the request, while the cost is covered.

What this means: If you receive a request for a disability-related accommodation for sign language interpreting or live, professional captioning for an event/presentation, job interview, employee meeting, etc., that is being sponsored by UW-Madison, then the McBurney Center will coordinate the accommodation and the service will be funded centrally by the university. Requests can be from faculty, staff, students, visitors, and guests. While the coordination time and interpreting/captioning time will be funded centrally, providing the service will remain a collaborative process.

A few reminders: Please make sure to add tag lines to your event advertising so people know how to let you know if they have a disability-related accommodation. For example, “If you need an accommodation to attend this event, please contact (hosting unit contact person’s NAME & EMAIL)”.

Also, if you would like to proactively make your event accessible for the general public, without having a specific accommodation request, the McBurney Center can still coordinate your request. Please note your department will continue to be financially responsible for any services that do not have a specific disability-related accommodation request associated with them.

When you make requests for interpreting or captioning in our software, CommunicationAccess@UW, you will be asked if the request is for a disability-related accommodation (if so, you will be asked for the individual’s name and contact info) or if it is for public access. You will be asked for your Unit, Division, Department, Subdepartment (UDDS) info either way, but you will only be charged if it is for public access.

For more information and FAQS on this change and how to make your sign language interpreting or live professional captioning requests, please visit the  Departmental Services and Accommodations  page on the McBurney Center website. We will be continuing to add information as this new process evolves.

Email questions to communicationaccess@mcb.wisc.edu.