There are two exceptions to copyright for the benefit of disabled people:

  1. You, or someone acting on your behalf, make a copy of a lawfully obtained copyright work in a format that helps you access the material.
  2. Educational establishments and charity organisations reproduce, communicate, make available, distribute and lend accessible format copies of protected works on behalf of disabled people. The exception permits acts such as:
    • Making Braille, audio or large-print copies of books, newspapers or magazines for visually impaired people
    • Adding audio descriptions to films or broadcasts for visually impaired people
    • Making sub-titled films or broadcasts for deaf or hard-of-hearing people
    • Making accessible copies of books, newspapers or magazines for dyslexic people.

However, the following requirements have to be met:

  • Accessible copies of copyright-protected works can be made only from lawfully-accessed copies
  • An accessible copy can only be made by a disabled person or an authorised body acting on their behalf
  • The copy can only be made for the personal use of a disabled person. Accessible copies cannot be made, communicated, made available, distributed or lent to a person who is not a disabled person under these exceptions
  • An accessible copy must only change a copyrighted work to the extent that is necessary to convert it to an accessible format
  • It must be done on a non-profit basis

Note: there is a discrepancy between accessibility regulations and copyright law, where the former doesn’t take precedent over the latter

Creating a transcript from a third-party-owned resource constitutes an adaptation, and it can only be done with the copyright holder’s permission.

See also Can I make a transcript from a third party owned video?

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The author takes no responsibility for the content of this page, which is not intended as binding legal advice. The views are about copyright in the UK Higher Education sector context.