How to have more inclusive virtual meetings

I recently read this TED article entitled “How to have more inclusive meetings on Zoom” which you can read in full here. It highlights some important points that everyone should be considering to make their meetings more inclusive (whether they are hosting them on Zoom or an alternative platform). So do take the time to read the original article.

I wanted to highlight some points that can be done to help make meetings more inclusive for those of us who use subtitles.

Firstly, I wouldn’t actually recommend using Zoom if you want to be include people who use subtitles in the conversation — as they are not particularly user friendly (yet). You either can have someone type the subtitles captions during the meeting and type these directly into Zoom or you can integrate a third party service (at a cost). This is why I opt for using Microsoft Teams where I can as it includes live captions that can simply be used. They are not perfect, but they avoid the need to make a request for someone to volunteer to type up captions for you or go through a complex set-up in advance.

Turning to the article. There are a few key points that I personally relate to and endorse so I wanted to take the time to draw them to your attention (with my own thoughts as well) so that you can consider them when you next host a meeting with someone who is deaf or hard of hearing and uses subtitles (and lip reading):

• Have a facilitator: the article sets out the importance of having a facilitator to ensure that the meeting runs smoothly. A facilitator can help all attendees have an opportunity to speak up and can assist people in their understanding of a meeting, by repeating questions and moving the conversation around the group using names, messages and other prompts. Additionally, if there is a named facilitator they are a useful person to tell that you need extra support without needing to explain about your disability to absolutely everyone.

• Names: Online platforms that display people’s names can be great for learning people’s names (and is of benefit to everyone). I often mishear names in an in-person meeting, so using a platform that displays the names of the attendees can be really helpful and is one of the ways that virtual meetings can be better than IRL ones.

• Allow time when using multiple inputs: If you are using the chat or Q&A function, allow time for people to change between the two and don’t overuse at the same time, it can be hard to focus and understand on both auditory and text inputs at the same time. Similarly, sometimes text/chat can be a great way to share something if you think people will struggle to understand.

• Offer Closed Captions/Subtitles: You should check with attendees in advance if they need any adjustments generally (not just re subtitles). In relation to cc/subtitles, if you are going to offer them or someone has requested them ensure that you know how to set up your meetings so that the attendee can see the subtitles/turn them on etc and also send them details of how to access/turn on the subtitles on the particular platform you are using in case they have not used it before.

• Provide a recording or transcript — I think it is great when people provide a recording or transcript. This allows me to go back and check my understanding (particularly if there were no subtitles available) and if you have used a platform that doesn’t offer subtitles, adding a recording to say youtube will allow the person to use the auto-generated subtitles through youtube (in the absence of proper subtitles being added). Of course, if possible, please do take the time to add proper (and corrected) subtitles to your content.

• Consider having conversations in smaller groups — Breaking larger meetings into smaller groups can help all attendees have more meaningful conversations, but it can also help those of use who are deaf or hard of hearing participate and understanding those conversations.

• Take Responsibility for Accessibility — If you are hosting/holding a meeting, be sure that you know and understand what accessibility options are and that you take responsibility for ensuring that it is accessible for your attendees (and asking them).

• Ask people what adjustments they need — Ask your attendees what they need and what would be useful to them. Offer this to everyone (not just those who approach you to request adjustments as people will often suffer in silence).

• Use Video — Some attendees might lip-read — encouraging speakers to use video (and good lighting) is important to ensure that they can be understood by attendees who are deaf or hard of hearing (and can also add a human element to the meetings for the benefit of all attendees). If a video is good enough quality, sometime this can be easier than relying on subtitles throughout and the mix of video and subtitles can make the meeting fully accessible for someone like me or at least the best I can legitimately get.

• Ask for Feedback (and take action) — after the event ask your attendees for feedback. If you send a feedback survey, include a question re accessibility and adjustments and improvements for the future. I will regularly give feedback and I am even more likely to do so if I am specifically asked the question. Once you have received the feedback, think about what you can do to to solve any issues and put in place any action points suggested.

Finally, if you haven’t already seen it, the Law Society has produced some guidance for making sure that your meetings are inclusive. You can find this here.