1.2.4: Captions (Live)

What it means

Live video with sound — such as a webinar or stream — must have real-time captions so deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers can follow along as it happens. Live captions can be human or high-quality automated with correction.

The goal is equivalent access during the event, not only after it ends.

How to fix it

• Book captioning or reliable live auto-captioning for live streams and webinars.
• Display captions in the player or a dedicated caption panel.
• Correct obvious live caption errors when possible during or right after the event.
• Archive the recording with edited captions for people who watch later.

Quick examples

• Good: A live town-hall stream shows captions in sync with speakers in real time.
• Bad: A live product launch has audio only; captions arrive days later as a PDF.
• Good: Viewers can turn live captions on before the stream starts.
• Bad: Live captions lag two minutes behind and drop entire sentences.