Video Conference refers to any gathering that uses video conferencing technology (like Zoom or Google Meet). This includes small club or department meetings, webinars, or hybrid events. Accessibility features vary between conference platforms—make sure that CTS has reviewed the VPAT of the platform you plan to use to make sure it is compliant.
Be sure to review the Documents and Slide Deck content types because video conferences often include sharing of digital materials. A best practice is to share digital materials in advance of the conference in addition to during the conference.
The Five Principles
- Identify Content Types: Styles (headings), Bullets (lists), Hyperlinks. Content types are displayed and labeled consistently.
- Provide Text Equivalents: Provide captions, transcripts, and audio description.
- Use Color Carefully: Contrast, Sensory Characteristics
- Provide Descriptive Hyperlinks: Link purpose and location
- Use Clear Language: Overview, Concise and specific, avoid jargon
Additional Considerations
- Provide Text Equivalents: Provide captions, transcripts, and audio description. Large conferences should include Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) rather than automated captioning. Good audio is important for captions, transcripts and translations to be accurate.
- Provide Descriptive Hyperlinks: Use Descriptive Hypertext in chat when possible but be aware that hyperlinks are not always screenreader accessible in these platforms, so providing hyperlinks in multiple places is ideal.
- Use Clear Language: Overview, Concise and specific, avoid jargon
- Attend to Time: There are delays when using CART and sign language interpretation, so be sure to pause occasionally to allow everyone to catch up. Allow for ample time for participants to think if called upon to contribute, and plan for breaks every 60-90 minutes.
- Identify the Language: Set the language for conference so that captioning works accurately.
- Provide ways to navigate that work for all input types: NA
- Provide error identification, prevention and handling: Provide information about who/where digital materials are coming from if there are follow up questions.
- Plan for responsive design: Make sure applications
A common accommodation request for video conferences and live events is sign language interpretation. Coordinate with accessibility resources if an interpreter needs to be hired. Always interpreters are used, be sure to pin/spotlight the interpreters so that they are always visible.