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WCAG 2.1

1.2.4 Captions (Live)

Level AA success criterion

Captions are provided for all live audio content in synchronized media, including live broadcasts, webinars, and streaming events.

Why it matters

Deaf and hard-of-hearing users cannot access live audio content without real-time captions. Unlike prerecorded content, live events cannot be captioned in advance.

Common violations

  • Live webinars without real-time captioning
  • Streaming events with no caption support
  • Live customer support video calls without captions
  • Conference live streams missing CART services

Code examples

Bad

<video id="live-stream" autoplay>
  <source src="stream-url">
  <!-- No live caption track -->
</video>

Good

<video id="live-stream" autoplay>
  <source src="stream-url">
  <track kind="captions" src="live-captions-endpoint" srclang="en" label="English captions" default>
</video>
<!-- Using a live captioning service like CART or AI-powered captions -->

How to fix

Use professional CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) services or AI-powered live captioning tools. Integrate caption APIs for streaming platforms. Test caption accuracy and latency.

Related criteria

Related resources

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