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Budgeting for Accessible Information and Communication*

Use accessibility as a budget line item when you begin your financial planning. Provide enough funds to cover such services as sign language interpretation, Braille translation, TTY number and real-time captioning. You will need to contact an appropriate supplier to get an actual estimate of the costs. Links to suppliers can be found in the ‘More Information’ section at the end of this document. There are some general guidelines, based on current market prices as of the time of publication that can help you out when determining your budget.

Braille and Large Print

Pricing for print materials are based on the length and complexity of content needed to be translated into Braille or large print.

Shorter documents such as brochures and Fact Sheets, approximately 2 to 3 pages in length, provided as a Word or PDF file with few illustrations or charts are lower in cost to translate. The translation would result in 6 to 9 pages of Braille and would need approximately 5 to 7 working days for turn around. The cost for this type of document would be approximately $30 to $55 for the master transcription and $3 to $5 for each Braille copy thereafter. The cost for a large print version of a document of this type would have similar costs and timeframe.

Translation for an average 10 paged Word document would result in 25 to 30 Braille pages. Costs would run $150 to $180 for the master transcription and $13 to $16 for each Braille copy thereafter. The timeframe for turn around is 7 to 10 working days. The large print version of a document of this type would have a similar master and copy as well as turn around time for production.

Lengthy, more complex documents with no electronic text file and that contain many charts and images will be higher in cost to translate. 20 to 30 print pages would transcribe to 120 to 180 Braille pages. Costs are based per page for lengthy complex documents and would need approximately 2 to 3 weeks for turn around.

Sign Language Interpreting

For sign language interpreting, the cost will be based on how long the service is needed and whether one or more interpreters will be required. Currently, the base rate for interpreting service is $110 per interpreter for up to two hours of service. After that, $55 is charged for every hour or part thereof.

Real-time Captioning

For voice-to-text captioning, also known as real-time captioning or CART, the cost will be based on how long the service is needed and whether one or more captioners will be required. Generally speaking, one CART provider can write for a 6-hour day with appropriate breaks.

Currently, while the rates for captioning do vary depending on the skill set of the captioner and meeting content, rates begin at $125 per hour per captioner with usually a 4-hour minimum, which includes a three hour minimum for the actual voice-totext CART service and one hour of preparation before the meeting. After that, the rate is charged for every hour or part thereof. Rough draft transcripts may be available after the meeting, but there may be additional charges for this service.