Accessible virtual meetings
Editor’s Note: In the coming weeks, follow our new series, Working Remotely.
As the series unfolds, if you have any questions or feedback to share, email us directly at digital.training@ontario.ca.
As a member of the Experience Design chapter, and the visual storyteller behind this Working Remotely series, I’m also an inclusive design specialist. This means that I’m invested in elevating user-centered design that brings to life the “make it accessible” principle, outlined in the Ontario Digital Service Standard.
Lately, I have been focused on how to support public servant teams as many shift to remote ways of working. This week, I’m sharing my reflections on ways to keep accessibility top of mind when running virtual meetings. I’m learning more each day, and welcome your resources and comments below.
What I mean by accessibility
An accessibility issue is just a mismatch between the task to be performed and a person’s ability to do that task.
When it comes to virtual meetings, particularly large ones, it’s especially important to understand the needs of your participants.
Know your audience — before the meeting
Provide a clear agenda with roles and responsibilities for each participant and always ask if participants have any accommodation requests.
Consider the following:
- Do participants have the right tools for the meeting?
- Do participants understand how the tools will be used for the meeting?
Keep participants engaged
Online conversations can move quickly and can be hard to follow. Video conferencing tools, in particular, output a lot of information, so I’d recommend reviewing Episode 2 on how to run an effective virtual meeting.
Here we outline the importance of establishing roles and responsibilities, and setting meeting norms and rules of engagement, to make all team members feel included from start to finish.
But there are always ways to improve the accessibility of a virtual meeting. Here are some additional tips for consideration.
Clear communications
When communicating with participants through text-based channels like email, it’s important to make the message as clear as possible. This means including heading levels and bulleting action items.
Plain text emails
When sending the agenda of a virtual meeting through email, make it as clean and simple to read.
For example in Office 365 you can change the message format in your settings to plain text.
Include an accommodation note
When sending out an virtual meeting invitation, include the following message:
“If you are having trouble accessing this document or portions of it and require a different format, please contact [insert point person]. This meeting will be held using [Insert the technology] and will require a [Video, teleconference and/or chat function — insert your format].
At the start of a meeting
Remind participants of all housekeeping information.
If you’re a moderator, remind participants:
- how they can ask questions
- how the meeting technology will work
- to introduce their names when they speak, so audio-only participants understand who is speaking
- stating your name also helps note-takers clearly attribute comments or for live-captioning it communicates the identity or change of speakers
- to speak slowly and clearly, as much as possible
- to speak one at a time
You can’t be the moderator and the presenter
If you’re assigned to be the speaker of a session, you can’t also moderate questions from participants. Assign a team member to perform this task.
If you’re the virtual meeting chat moderator:
- keep track of messages from the chat
- keep an eye on participant body language when the video camera is on
Virtually presenting
Virtual meetings often have a strong visual component to them. Making sure the visuals and slides have good contrast and large fonts is a great start, also, try to keep text minimal to reduce cognitive load.
When using slides:
- Describe any visual content on slides
- Pause at the start of each slide to allow folks to read the slide before there is speaking
- Pause between slides to allow participants to process information and ask questions
I’d highly recommend also browsing Good Readability which offers a comprehensive list of things for accessible presentations.
Experiment with the note-taker role
Documentation is especially important in virtual meetings. Participants who can’t physically be in meetings or those who process information in writing best really benefit. Plus, it goes back to what we outlined in Episode 1 on getting started.
While it’s always important to appoint a note-taker, collective note-taking is another way to engage participants and include different perspectives.
How to include members without online access
Not everyone will be able to join via video, and this goes back the importance of having a back-up plan for all virtual meetings. Providing teleconference options for all meetings is advised. This also helps in the event of internet connection issues, which can arise unexpectedly.
Not all tools are created equal — choose what works for your team
Some tools we use for meetings are great for some and not others, once you understand your audience try and choose a tool that will meet their needs.
What works for someone with cognitive issues may not work for a screen reader user and vice versa.
When we ask how accessible something is we always need to know the context, so we must ask how accessible to whom and for what.
Be flexible, be open, be ready to adapt
Always ask people what they need and they will tell you. Best practices may not always be in place, so if you need an accommodation make it known, even if that means asking someone else or your manager to help.
Additional reading
Accessibility in Video Conferencing and Remote Meetings
Guide to Conducting Accessible Meetings
Presentations — with considerations for visual, hearing, cognitive, anxiety and non-fluency
Use a screen reader to chat in Microsoft Teams
Accessibility support for Microsoft Teams
Use live captions in a Teams meeting
Accessible remote meeting guidelines — neurodivergent participants
