Video: What makes a video conferencing environment feel like an inclusive space?

Since the COVID pivot, Zoom and a handful of other video conferencing platforms have transformed the way we think about remote and hybrid learning environments. Video conferencing environments are now a normalized space for teaching, learning and generally connecting with community.

For learners who have disabilities that prevented them from attending on-campus courses, the online pivot opened up a world of course offerings that had previously been inaccessible. That said, we still have much to learn about making video-conferencing learning environments accessible and inclusive.

• Before the call, to prepare all learners to participate accessibly
• During the call, to engage accessibly with all learners and encourage accessible and inclusive participation
• After the call, to request and respond to feedback

Rooted in Rights produces accessible media resources that can be useful for teachers. In this video, people with diverse experiences of disability share simple accessibility practices that help them to perceive, understand and engage with others. Though this video isn’t specifically for educators, many of the accessibility practices are relevant to educator praxis and learner experiences.

Reflection

What connections did you make between your digital praxis and the accessibility strategies in the video?

What will you do differently?

Why?

What follows is an example of how I worked with something I heard in the video to build digital accessibility practices into my praxis.

Preparation: Make sure learners have what they need before class starts.

ACTION: Send a Welcome to Class email to the whole class at least one week before the first day of class. Make sure it includes the following:

• Share the course’s Zoom link (If using an LMS, link to the location of the Zoom information in the LMS)
  
  Why? This practice will reduce the anxiety at the start of class for learners who don’t know where to find the Zoom link and I won’t get flustered fielding emails and texts from students who can’t get into class. Win!
  
• Invite learners to contact me before class if they have any specific accessibility needs in video conferencing environments.
  
  Why? Disclosure can be sensitive and inviting learners to have a private conversation is preferable to putting them on the spot to disclose any needs on a video call with peers.
  
• List the accessibility practices I will employ. For example, in the invite email I will let learners know I plan to:
  
  • Enable closed captions at the start of every class. Jessie suggested doing this as a standard practice, without being asked. Auto captions may not be accurate enough for D/deaf learners, and they may still require ASL interpreters but captions can support many learners who may or may not be comfortable asking for them to be turned on in class.
    
  • Enable live auto transcripts. Sean suggested assigning someone to take notes so others can focus on what’s being said, but if I enable the transcript feature that allows transcripts to be copied by learners, they can paste the transcripts into their notes and search them as needed.
    
    This simple practice can significantly reduce anxiety for some learners and help them engage with live discussions knowing that if they miss writing something down, they can skim the transcript after class and pick up what they missed.
    
  • Share a list of important names or key terms 3 days in advance of class. ASL interpreters require this and preparing it for all learners draws their attention to the importance of the names and terms in the lesson. Also, auto-captions and transcripts can not be relied upon for accurate spelling.
    
  • Share the slide deck 3 days in advance of class. This practice can be really hard for those of us who tinker with presentations up to the last minute, but it is very important. Sending decks in advance enables learners using screen readers or zooming tools to “view” the slides either by listening to the alt text, or magnifying the slides. If they can do this before class they can be included in the learning as it happens in class, rather than being disabled by what they can’t perceive.
    
    ASL interpreters also benefit from seeing the decks in advance, in fact sharing decks with the whole class helps learners come to class prepared to discuss the topics. If I’m still tinkering when I need to send the deck, I will say that and voice any significant changes in the presentation.
    
    Why list these practices in a Welcome email? I’m telling all learners, I want to foster an inclusive and accessible learning environment for all learners from day one. If learners know I will do these things, they don’t have to ask me to do them. It is potentially one less disclosure they have to make and they might feel that much more comfortable at the start of class.

What hurdles might block your path?

Sending this Welcome email a week before the first class might not give learners enough time to reply and give me enough time to make any necessary adjustments or find support if there’s a request I don’t know how to address. But I may not have a complete classist much earlier than that so I will send it as soon as I feel I likely have a complete list.

What would make this work more accessible to you?

I can get flustered by tech not working as expected. I will ask our teaching and learning team for help setting up and testing the accessibility features with me in the video conferencing environment before the first day of class. Once I do this once, I will have an email and a setup system I can use for each class. If needed, I can book a meeting with a learning experience designer to discuss any accessibility challenges raised by learners.

Further Reading:

Keast, Q. (2020, October 26). I’m deaf, and this is what happens when I get on a Zoom call.