Improvised Captions

This page shares the improvised automated caption setup that was made and shared for the Configure-Able Infrastructures Workshops. Alongside this is also shared here how the different FLOSS video call and automated caption software we tried and that lacked the capacities that was wanted for the workshop.

Improvised Automated Captions

It does have to be said that even with this desire to manifest FLOSS access, the improvised automated captions we came up with still ended up working with big tech solutions. In discussion we felt working here with google's local automated caption on a FLOSS video call was a way to Wiggle Room towards access within FLOSS. Even though this approach also did ask individuals to configure their own access, we tried to offer up interdependent access through clear instructions, as well as being their to debug issues. This need for collective configuration was also felt to be a place to be in contact with and make sense of automated captioning software.

Improvisation Instructions

AI captioning via an extension on Chrome browser

If you need to use Live Caption here are steps to run them locally on Chrome. This needs you to download the browser to then join the call.

Live Caption is only available in English.

  1. On your computer, download and open Chrome.
  2. At the top right, click menu button and then Settings.
  3. At the bottom of the Settings page, click Accessibility.
  4. Turn on Live Caption.

Tips:

  • When you play a video, to turn on captions, at the top right click Media control.
  • To use Live Captions for videos that auto-play, turn on the video volume.
  • When you click away from the tab with sound, live captions will appear in a hover-bubble that you can drag. To return to the tab with audio, click.

Frictions with FLOSS

Here I share the frictions we found with FLOSS video calls when trying to find accessible platforms and ways of meeting through them.

Video Conferencing

Jitsi

  • This did have a way of doing live captions, but needed you to set it up from the backend and host Jitsi yourself to do this. We both did not host a Jitsi instance, nor could find one that had this already installed.
  • After the first workshop, we also realized that Jitsi can only host a small group of people, and the workshop size meant people could not always access the session.

Big Blue Button (BBB)

  • This had room for live captioning (which is great!), but for a workshop like this that lacked the funds to hire a live-captioner, there was no automated option.

Automated Captioning

Here is a list of addons for Firefox that were also tested out and did not quite work or were not accessible.

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