Interpretive Agency

The capacity of an audience member to form their own independent understanding and emotional response to content, free from imposed interpretations. In the context of media accessibility, interpretive agency is a concern when AI-generated or highly expressive captions may impose meanings or emotional tones on viewers rather than presenting neutral information that allows them to draw their own conclusions. Research with DHH viewers shows that preserving interpretive agency is important—viewers want captions that inform without dictating how they should feel about the content.