To begin, The Twitch platform offers a closed caption program for content creators to enable on their streams, allowing the audience the option to use it. Although this option is available to all streamers, it lacks consistent usage across the platform, with many streamers not enabling the program at all. I noticed that while some streamers are friendly with the closed caption feature, others rarely or ever use it at all. Surprisingly, this included some of Twitch’s largest content creators such as KaiCenat, TimtheTatMan, and Jynxzi. Generally, with these streamers having the largest viewer base, they tend to attract the largest communities, and by not turning on closed captions, they are unintentionally restricting hard-of-hearing individuals from fully participating. By not having this feature enabled, a significant part of the population – around 20% of the world who are hard of hearing (WHO, 2025) as well as about 20% of teenagers (HealthyHearing, 2024), Twitches main target audience - are limited to the content they can properly engage with. While many streamers do cater towards people who are hard of hearing, oftentimes those viewers are forced to watch the same creators, not having the freedom to engage with anyone else they wish. Although they would be able to still watch the visual aspect of the live stream, understanding the commentary behind it is a huge component for the user’s experience.
I suggest that moving forward, Twitch takes control of access to the closed caption feature instead of leaving it in the hands of the content creator. Twitch should incorporate this feature automatically when a streamer goes live, in this case people hard of hearing will have equal access to every streamer just like any other user. Upon the creation of a streaming account, the creator should be told that closed captioning will be automatically an available feature, giving them an understanding that viewers will have the ability to turn it off and on at will. For maximum efficiency, the closed captioning overlay software should be able to pick up both the creator’s voice as well as any on screen audio that may be used. For instance, if a content creator is playing a video game, the close captioning software can show the dialog from the game as well as the streamer's reaction to it. For viewers that tend to watch streams without closed captioning, nothing will change as this feature should be easily accessed to turn on and off.
Furthermore, Twitch viewers should have control over which font is used for closed captions. Currently, when viewers enable closed captioning while watching a live stream, they are presented with the same Twitch Sans font. The Twitch Sans font is a custom design for the platform based on a generally sans-serif design. Although this font was created to be generally legible, people with certain disabilities or preferences may struggle with it over others. In Christina Bachmann and Lauro Mengheri’s piece, Dyslexia and Fonts: Is a Specific Font Useful, she says, “The publisher Angolo Manzoni created a specific font called EasyReading™, which, thanks to its high graphical legibility, is able to satisfy the special needs of dyslexic readers. [...] However, the weight of the specific characteristics of the EasyReading™ font is still not clear and will require additional work.” (Bachmann & Mengheri, 2018). This quote suggests that the creation of a new font has been beneficial for some dyslexic readers, yet not everyone benefits equally, and certain individuals vary based on their preference. I suggest giving the option for the user to have the capability to choose the font they wish to have displayed for closed captioning. If incorporating a massive database of fonts is undoable, Twitch could add 5-10 alternatives, giving the user the option to choose from. This will improve the user experience when using closed captioning for both people who struggle with certain fonts, and people who simply prefer to read in one font over the other. It is a simple fix that could have a largely beneficial outcome.
In conclusion, while Twitch is a popular platform that strives for inclusivity and creativity, its current implementation of closed captions has plenty of space for improvement to better include hard or hearing users and those with learning or reading disabilities. By making closed captioning automatically a feature on every Twitch stream as well as customizable, I believe Twitch fill be able to foster a more inclusive space for all viewers, ensuring equal access to content across the platform. Even through smaller changes such as offering different font styles for closed captioning, Twitch could significantly improve its user's satisfaction. Twitch aligns its values with fostering a sense of belonging and innovation, by implementing these new features Twitch will point itself in the right direction, perfectly aligning itself with its morals. The smallest changes can spark the biggest impact, and Twitch has an opportunity to make those changes.