Enhancing Event Accessibility with Real-Time Captions at Microsoft (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Hi, I'm Jessica Rafuse at Microsoft. I want to tell you how we provide captioning for our events. Real-time captions are a text version of what is being said at your event, both by speakers on the stage and audience members who ask questions. Real-time captions enable people who are deaf or hard of hearing, people with certain learning disabilities, and many more to experience an event in a format that works best for them. Captions should appear on the primary stage or monitor, in a large, contrasted font, in close proximity, but not obstructing other visual aids or media. This applies to both in-person and online events. In the room, be sure to reserve seating for people with disabilities to provide a priority view of the stage and the captions at the same time. You may also consider adding secondary monitors dedicated to captioning in order to supplement the captions on the primary screen. At Microsoft events, real-time captions are generated with artificial intelligence. Using our Live Captions and Subtitles tool. However, if someone requests real-time captions as a disability accommodation, then we provide CART services. CART stands for Communication Access Real-Time Translation, and CART services means a human being will be typing and producing the captions for the attendees. In addition to real-time captioning, all audio-video materials that you share at an event should be captioned. Your audience will view the video while reading the embedded captions on the same screen for a more comfortable viewing experience. At Microsoft, the Production Studios team provides captioning and audio descriptions for videos. Third-party caption services are a great option too. For more information about audio description, check out our Audio Description at a Glance video. Thanks for learning more about event captioning, and thank you for your commitment to accessibility and disability inclusion. To learn more, visit microsoft.com accessibility.