How to make live streams ADA compliant

If you are streaming your sermons, events, or conferences live, it is important to make sure that  they are ADA-compliant and accessible. Everyone should have access to your live streams.

What is ADA compliance?

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is a civil rights law enacted in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities. Following ADA compliance means that businesses, organizations, and public entities should provide equal access and opportunities to people with disabilities, including physical spaces, services, and digital content, such as websites and live streaming platforms. Websites, apps, and online services must be designed to provide accessibility for people with disabilities. 

Examples of how ADA compliance relates to live streaming:

Why is ADA compliance important?

ADA compliance is important because it helps guarantee universal accessibility for individuals with disabilities while benefiting organizations legally, ethically, and practically.

This can be important for the following reasons:

Protecting your organization

If your organization does not meet ADA standards, you could face:

Staying compliant helps you avoid legal risks while showcasing your commitment to equality.

Welcoming all people

When your live streams are accessible, you allow more people to feel included and valued. This could mean reaching a broader audience, fostering belonging, and encouraging diversity. Live streaming with ADA-compliant features like captions and screen reader compatibility allows individuals with disabilities to worship alongside others, even from home. People with disabilities are often overlooked. Offering accessible services shows them they are vital to your organization. ADA compliance also allows people with different needs, perspectives, and backgrounds to unite as one community.

Improving accessibility for everyone

Accessibility improvements benefit not just people with disabilities, but also the entire community. Features like closed captions and easy navigation can provide better usability for everyone.  For example, captions help everyone follow along, including those watching your live stream in noisy or quiet environments.

How to make sure live streams are ADA compliant?

By taking the proper steps, you can meet ADA compliance requirements while serving a broader audience with care and excellence:

Add captions to your live and on-demand streams

To add captions to live and on-demand streams, you can work with a platform that provides real-time captions for live streams. Resi integrates seamlessly with captioning tools, ensuring accurate, real-time subtitles. You can add captions to on-demand versions of your live streams, so they remain accessible to viewers who watch later.

Ensure compatibility with screen readers

Individuals who are blind or visually impaired rely on screen readers, which are assistive technologies that read out loud what’s displayed on the screen. To ensure your live streaming platform and related website are compatible with screen readers you should choose a streaming platform with controls (like play, pause, and volume) that are compatible with keyboard navigation and assistive tools. You should add clear and descriptive alternative text (alt text) to any images or visuals on your website, particularly on the pages hosting your streams. It is also important to ensure users can navigate your website and access your streams using only a keyboard.

Use high-contrast, easy-to-read visuals

For individuals with low vision or color blindness, high-contrast visuals can make a huge difference in readability. When designing your live stream content, use text that contrasts sharply with its background (e.g., white text on a dark background or vice versa). Avoid conveying important information using color alone (e.g., red = stop, green = go). Include text or other indicators to make the meaning clear. It is also important to use large, legible fonts with a clean style (sans serif fonts like Arial or Verdana work well).

Provide audio descriptions for visual content

For individuals who are blind or visually impaired, audio descriptions help communicate what’s happening visually during your live stream. This can include narrating on-screen visuals useful to understanding the message (e.g., “The pastor is now showing a map of biblical regions”). Don’t forget to ensure that vital information is spoken aloud instead of being shown visually (e.g., a scripture reference on the screen should also be read aloud).

Choose a streaming platform that supports accessibility

The technology behind your live stream is important in making your services ADA-compliant. A reliable and accessible platform like Resi can help you meet compliance standards by supporting captioning tools for both live and on-demand streams. Resi provides resilient and high-quality playback to prevent buffering and ensure smooth experiences for all users, including those relying on assistive devices. It also offers compatibility with accessibility tools, such as screen readers and keyboard navigation.

Test your stream for accessibility

Accessibility doesn’t happen by accident—it requires intentional testing. Before going live, use tools like Lighthouse to check your live stream for issues. Reach out to members of your organization with disabilities and ask them to test your live stream. Their feedback can help you identify areas for improvement. Try accessing your live stream using keyboard-only navigation or screen readers to identify potential barriers.

How Resi helps you achieve ADA compliance

At Resi, we know that churches and organizations want to make their services and events accessible to everyone—including individuals with disabilities—because it reflects their commitment to inclusivity and excellence. ADA compliance isn’t just about meeting legal standards; it’s about removing barriers so everyone can connect and engage. With Resi’s live streaming technology, your organization can confidently create accessible, reliable, and inclusive streams that comply with ADA standards.

Here’s how Resi supports ADA compliance and helps make your live streams more inclusive:

Reliable captioning integration

Resi provides captioning tools, allowing you to add real-time captions to your live streams. These captions help viewers follow along even if they cannot hear the audio. After a live event, Resi enables you to upload captions to on-demand recordings, ensuring they remain accessible to all viewers at any time. Resi’s high-quality streaming also ensures that captions remain synced with the audio, eliminating delays that could confuse viewers. 

Resilient streaming for uninterrupted accessibility

Resi’s unique Resilient Streaming Protocol (RSP) helps provide all viewers, including those relying on assistive technology, enjoy smooth, uninterrupted live streams. Resi’s technology guarantees smooth playback, even in environments with poor internet connectivity. This means that users relying on captions, screen readers, or other assistive technologies don’t miss critical parts of your stream due to buffering or interruptions. Resi streams also maintain high video and audio quality regardless of viewer location or bandwidth limitations.

Compatibility with assistive technologies

Resi’s platform is designed with accessibility in mind, ensuring compatibility with tools used by individuals with disabilities. Resi’s streaming interface integrates seamlessly with screen readers, allowing visually impaired viewers to navigate your streams and access content quickly. Screen readers rely on clear, structured code to deliver spoken descriptions of what’s on-screen, and Resi supports this functionality. For individuals with mobility challenges or those dependent on keyboard-only navigation, Resi’s platform ensures that users can access playback controls (like play, pause, volume, and fullscreen) without needing a mouse. 

Visual accessibility with high-contrast options

For viewers with low vision or color blindness, Resi’s platform helps make sure that your content is easy to see and interact with. Resi delivers clear, high-resolution video streams that allow the audience to see text, visuals, and speaker movements easily. This is helpful for users with visual impairments who may rely on visual clarity to interpret content. Resi’s video players also allow users to adjust volume or playback speed, giving them more control over their viewing experience and making it accessible to people with different needs.

Seamless website integration

Resi streams work within websites designed to follow WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines), the standard for web accessibility. This ensures that your live stream interface is inclusive and navigable for all users. Resi also allows you to include alternative text (alt text) and descriptive labels for your live stream embeds, helping users who rely on screen readers to understand the purpose of the stream. With Resi, you can customize the look of your embedded stream player to prioritize accessibility, such as adding clear labels or buttons for easy navigation.

Future-proofing with continuous innovation

ADA compliance and accessibility needs evolve, and Resi is committed to staying ahead of the curve by continuously improving our platform to address these changes. Resi regularly updates its technology to ensure compatibility with emerging accessibility tools and practices so you can stay compliant without additional effort. Resi collaborates with churches and other organizations to identify accessibility needs and implement solutions that work for their communities.