Making virtual events accessible

It is important to understand people’s accessibility requirements in advance:

• Provide a range of alternative registering options. For example, online, telephone and email.
• Make the registration form accessible. For example, the Events Office uses the University approved Microsoft Forms for the registration process for many events, and this has an immersive reader facility that is also suitable for screen readers.
• Give people the opportunity to communicate their requirements in the registration form. Include a box asking if they have any access requirements, with a text box for them to elaborate further.

• Brief your speakers, presenters and panellists. 
• For those who rely on lip and face reading, it is important that the speaker:

1. remains as still as possible whilst speaking/presenting. 
2. blurs the background to allow the focus to remain on the speaker’s face. Blurring the background is possible in both Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
3. ensures their face is well-lit.

• Ask your speakers to use headphones or a decent microphone to ensure the best sound quality possible.
• Send any documents that you will be sharing in the webinar in advance to those who need it so they can prepare.
• For those using a screen reader, the chat function in both Microsoft Teams and Zoom can be difficult to follow. If there is a Q&A in your online event, try using the Q&A box instead. This allows the audience to submit questions to the host, the host can choose to publish those questions, as well as to either orally respond or to type the answer. Simple instructions for Microsoft Teams Q&A are available online. This facility is also available in Zoom, but not in the basic package. 
• If you plan to show any documents during the webinar, or if you want to share your screen showing documents produced with any other Microsoft Office products, Microsoft has a useful accessibility checker. The accessibility checker (available in Office 365) can be used on a day to day basis, even when sending an email, and is a good way to learn the principles of ensuring you are communicating in an accessible way. Simple to use guidelines on how to use this function are available.