Urdu live captions and productivity tool for job interviews

Pakistan's Ministry of National Health Sciences has recorded that 4.8% of the total population — approximately 11 million people — has a hearing disability, one of the higher national prevalence rates in South Asia. Pakistan has a statutory 2% job quota for persons with disabilities in all provinces (raised to 3% in Punjab in 2015). A 2019 study of government departments in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa found that almost all departments had failed to meet even the 2% threshold. The gap between what the law requires and what hiring practice delivers is wide, consistent, and undocumented in most of the country's private sector.

Late identification of hearing loss drives educational disadvantage upstream of employment. WHO's Eastern Mediterranean office found that neonatal hearing screening in Pakistan is hindered by financial constraints and a dearth of reliable epidemiological data — most hearing losses are identified late, after the critical period for language development. By the time a deaf or hard of hearing person reaches interview age, they have typically navigated an education system with limited support, reducing access to the qualifications that formal employment requires.

The interview itself presents a separate, acute barrier. Pakistani corporate and government interviews are fast, formal, and conducted in a mix of Urdu and English that can shift unpredictably within a single question. No mechanism requires an employer to provide captioning or a sign language interpreter at the interview stage. Disclosure can invite bias at the shortlisting stage. And the 2% quota, even when met, does not address whether the interview process is accessible. Captio AI requires no employer arrangement — place the phone on the desk at the start of the interview and read every Urdu question as it is asked.