Some basic accessibility reminders/info for virtual platforms:

1. If you’re live-streaming a speech, put the interpreter in frame

If there’s no interpreter, save the video and post it with captions later.

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2. Auto-generated captions don’t count as accessible. Full stop.

Have you ever tried reading those? Do you know how damn inaccurate they are? Don’t even try and tell me they’re “accurate enough,” I will block you.

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3. If you are posting a video that has audio, you better take the time to post it with captions. Whether it’s a story, you ranting, something newsworthy, whatever.

You do not get to decide who gets access to your content. If I want to skip it, let me make that decision.

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4. On that note, captions aren’t a space for you to add your silly side comments or take out things you wish you hadn’t said. You need to include everything.

Same idea as before, stop deciding what someone gets access too, that’s not your job or your right.

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5. Captions benefit more than just people that are deaf/hoh. People with audible processing disorders and people that retain more info by reading also benefit.

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Now let me make your life easier, even though that isn’t my job:

There are LOTS of apps now that will caption for you, and you just have to go through and edit them (and you DO need to edit them, otherwise they’re just auto-gen, which, see point 2). Next tweet for options.

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Some examples are:
- AutoCap (free, iPhone and Android)
- Threads (free, iPhone and Android)
- MixCaptions (free, iPhone and Mac)
- Clipomatic (4.99, iPhone and Android)

You can—and should—do your own research on captioning apps that will work best for your content.

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Stop excluding people from your content. I know a lot of y’all have had your eyes opened to different kinds of inaccessibility these past months—myself included—but you should know by now to caption your content.

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Understand that while I want to be nice, patient, and gracious with you while you learn, I will speak for myself and say that I only have so much time and energy for that. While you are slowly learning I—and many others—are missing out on key pieces of information.

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This revolution will be accessible and inclusive, or it is not a revolution at all.

/fin