Vendors & Service Providers
Harvard University explores requests for reasonable accommodations from individuals with disabilities. We encourage you build accessibility in on the front-end, in both practice and budget planning, as you would catering, AV or other event needs.
Please find below a listing of vendors that may be useful in your office’s exploration of an individual’s reasonable accommodation request.
Note that it is the responsibility of each individual school, department or event sponsor to be responsive to all requests as well as to cover the cost of accommodations provided to an individual/general audience at their event or program. No cost is passed onto the requesting individual and cost should not be a factor when exploring accommodation.
For further questions or consultation during this process, our office may be reached at disabilityresources@harvard.edu.
In order to streamline the process to request services, the following referral agencies can respond to interpreter and CART requests for Harvard affiliates and guests who are Deaf and/or Hard of Hearing. The two agencies identified below offer remote services for ASL or CART. Remote may be a helpful option to consider for the implementation of last minute requests.
UDR has a model contract available for university partners who are hiring effective communication service providers. Please contact our office to obtain this information or if additional assistance is needed to explore these resources.
Hands in Motion
- Hands in Motion: Hands in Motion's (HIM) mission is: “The sky’s the limit when it comes to providing equal access to the world”. HIM aims to act as an extension of their clients and provide the most complete and accurate interpretation possible. HIM strives to provide the highest quality job performance and exemplary customer service to their clients. In person or remote ASL or CART services can be requested by contacting info@himservice.com or 877-310-8389.
SignGlasses
- SignGlasses: SignGlasses' mission is to empower humanity with the ability to communicate and forge connections seamlessly, transcending barriers of accessibility wherever and whenever needed. Remote ASL interpreters and captioners can be requested through your school or unit's Local Disability Coordinator or by contacting disabilityresources@harvard.edu.
Audio description, also referred to as a video description is an additional narration track intended primarily for blind and visually impaired consumers of visual media (including television and film, dance, opera, and visual art).
- For an internal listing of providers with Harvard experience, please contact disabilityresources@harvard.edu. Please note: there is an associated cost for hiring service providers.
While Harvard does not have a preferred vendor for Braille services, any of the three vendors below listed below can create braille materials such as programs, brochures, or business cards:
- National Braille Press – Downtown Boston
- The Alternative Media Access Center (part of Georgia Tech)
- Access-USA in New York
We’d be happy to consult if you have any questions during this process.
HUIT and UDR offer guidance to schools and departments looking to add captioning to video resources.
While there are numerous captioning vendors available, the following have been evaluated by the University. Below are selected available vendors. More information on exploring and hiring service providers may be found on the Digital Accessibility website.
Vendor | Cost | Accuracy | Turn-around time | Suitable use cases | How to |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
3Play Media | (High) Harvard negotiated pricing | very high (99%+) |
Standard: 48 hours Premium: 24 hours |
Preferred Vendor. Use for videos that need high degree of accuracy, such as for a student who needs captioning for a course lecture or videos to be made public. Offers a wide range of services and formats. |
Instructions: 3Play |
Rev | $1/min | Very high (99%+) | 24 hour turnaround if video is 20 minutes or less. | Used for videos that need high accuracy, such as for a student who needs captioning for a course lecture or videos to be made public. | Instructions: Rev |
Cielo24 | On per minute basis | Very high (99%+) | 24 or 48 hours | Combination. Can be integrated with video platforms. | Instructions: Cielo24 |
Live Captioning or Realtime captioning may be provided at a live event and is displayed as lines of text across the event video screen and/or via the event livestream. There are several vendors that may be contacted for Live Captioning Services:
- WGBH - Media Access Group
- Caption First
- Coast2Coast Captioning
- Hardeman Realtime, Inc.
- Karasch & Associates
- The National Captioning Institute, NCI, Inc.
- VITAC
Please note: there is an associated cost for hiring service providers.
Equipment Loan
Our office has two wheelchairs available for loan to the Harvard Community. Additional equipment and software may be available for loan through the Assistive Technology Lending Lab.
Harvard Art Museums, HMNH, and the Harvard Information Center also have wheelchairs available for visitor use on-site, on a first-come first-served basis.
Equipment Rental
There are a number of equipment rental companies in the local area. Wheelchairs, walkers, scooters, and other equipment may be rented from local vendors that provide short term loans for a cost.
Belmont Medical Supply
185 Belmont Street, Belmont, MA 02478
617-484-3888
Boston Orthopedic & Respiratory Equipment
175 Main Street, Charlestown, MA
617-337-5133 or (800) 854-6370