Captions (Live)
Success Criterion 1.2.4 Level AA
Question:
Are you providing real time captions for all live media that includes audio?
Why is this important
To understand the audio components of live streaming events, such as webinars and live newscasts, users who are deaf or hard of hearing need live captions. Live captions identify who is speaking and include the dialogue, sound effects and and any other significant audio.
Whom does it benefit?
Example 1:
As a student who is hard of hearing,
I want live captions provided during webinar
lectures
so that I gain a full understanding of the parts of the
presentation that are spoken by the instructor.
Example 2:
As a person who is deaf,
I want captions provided during live news broadcasts or
alerts
so that I be aware of any emergency situations, disaster
alerts, and other relevant information.
What should you do?
Provide real time captioning for all audio content in live media.
This success criterion is intended for content being delivered by the speaker or presenter (e.g., live presentation, live news web cast, town hall meeting), not for two-way communications or meetings.
How do you do it?
- Contract with a Communication Access Real Time (CART) vendor to provide captions remotely via a separate online platform.
- Give participants instructions on how to connect to CART content online.
- After the live event, post an edited transcript.
Note: The source of the audio needs to be clear and at the appropriate volume to be properly live captioned.
Need technical guidance?
- Technical guidance is available for implementing this Success Criterion at the Understanding Success Criterion 1.2.4: Captions (Live) page.
Additional Resources to help you:
- Making Audio and Video Media Accessible - W3C Web Accessibility Initiative
- CART Captioning Demo (youtube video) - Professional Reporting Services, Inc.
- Captioning and CART - Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA)
- CART or Real-Time Captioning - Deaf-Hearing Communication Centre
- Communication Access Realtime Translation - National Association of the Deaf