Compliance

ADA-Compliant Live Streaming with Real-Time Captions

WCAG 2.1-aligned closed captions on your live stream. Built for streamers, brands, and broadcasters who need accessibility compliance — not just nice-to-haves.

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What ADA / WCAG asks for in live video

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA require live video content to provide synchronized captions for users who are deaf or hard of hearing. The key term is "real time" — pre-recorded subtitles after the fact don't count.

For streamers signed to brand deals, partnered to platforms, or running official broadcasts, this matters: failure to provide captions can trigger lawsuits (over 11,000 ADA digital accessibility cases were filed in the US in 2024 alone) or break sponsorship terms.

How StreamTranslate meets WCAG 2.1 captions guidance

1.2.4 Captions (Live) — captions are provided in real time during live broadcast. ✓
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) — high-contrast outlined text on any background. ✓
1.4.4 Resize Text — captions are sized to viewer's preference via streamer config. ✓
1.4.10 Reflow — caption layout responds to viewer screen sizes. ✓
2.2.1 Timing Adjustable — captions show for human-readable duration before being replaced. ✓

Latency is under 2 seconds (sufficient for "real time" per WCAG). Accuracy is broadcast-grade via Deepgram's nova-3 model.

Who needs ADA-compliant streaming

Brand-partnered streamers — most modern sponsorship deals require accessibility-conformant content
Educational broadcasters — federal and state-funded content has accessibility requirements
Government / public-sector live events — Section 508 explicitly requires real-time captions
Healthcare and legal streams — both industries have strict accessibility mandates
Enterprise webinars and product launches — corporate accessibility policies often mirror WCAG

Setup time and ongoing cost

Setup takes 60 seconds: paste an OBS browser source URL, you're broadcasting captioned. No engineer needed. No legal review of complicated software. Zero ongoing maintenance.

Cost starts at $14.99/mo for the Starter plan (25 hours of captioning per month). For broadcasters needing more, Pro is $34.99/mo and Unlimited is $199/mo for 24/7 broadcasting. Compare to dedicated captioning services that cost $1-2 per minute of live captioning ($60-120/hour).

Frequently asked

Are auto-captions enough for ADA compliance?

WCAG 2.1 Level AA accepts real-time auto-captions for live content. For pre-recorded content, manually-corrected captions are required. Most streamers and broadcasters using auto-captions for live streams are conformant.

Does Twitch's built-in captions meet ADA requirements?

Twitch's caption support is partial and not guaranteed. For compliance, dedicated tools like StreamTranslate that render captions reliably across all viewer devices are safer.

Can I add my company's brand colors to the captions?

Yes. Customize text color, outline, font size, and position to match your brand or accessibility needs.

Are captions stored or recorded for compliance audits?

Each session generates a transcript log accessible from your dashboard. For longer compliance retention, contact us for enterprise plans.

How does this compare to a human captioning service?

Human services (CART, etc.) cost $60-120/hour and have human latency. We're $14.99-199/mo with under-2-second latency and 95%+ accuracy on clear speech. For maximum compliance assurance, hybrid (auto + human review) is the gold standard.