How do I ensure my meeting/class is accessible for all participants?

1. Enable the Closed Captions feature on your account for any meetings or classes that will require closed captions. Closed captioning services will be identified based on accommodation requests. In addition, please be familiar with how to assign a participant to type closed captions should a request arise.  Learn more about closed captioning in Zoom's help document on getting started with closed captioning.
2. Send out the Zoom Keyboard Shortcuts ahead of time. These instructions are valuable for anyone using keyboard only navigation or assistive technology. In addition, it could be helpful to anyone who may have had their mouse stop working unexpectedly. Learn more in Zoom's help document on keyboard shortcuts.
3. Describe visual content that is displayed will help anyone with a vision or cognitive disability, as well as someone that may have needed to call in due to a local internet outage. Remember to describe images and other visual content that is displayed. 
4. Provide instructions on how participants can ask questions. There are a couple ways people can ask questions:
   • Participants can use non-verbal feedback, such raising their hand and unmuting when called upon. Learn more in Zoom's help document on nonverbal feedback
   • Participants can post a question in the chat feature

   The recommendation is to use both features, but to always repeat questions that are provided through chat. By repeating the questions, you will help anyone that can’t access the chat during the session (people using assistive technology will have too much screen reader interference if they enable chat) and you will improve the captioning quality of any recorded sessions.

5. Send any resource links you post in Chat via email as well.  It’s okay to use the Chat feature. However, keep in mind that anyone using assistive technology may not be able to copy or activate the links.

   It’s recommended that you send any resource links you’ll be sharing either prior to or after the session. You can also speak out the URL when posting it in Chat.

   If your resource link is long, consider using a URL shortener, such as bit.ly or Tiny URL, to help with communicating the link verbally and so that the link is cleaner for anyone copying it from the chat box.

6. Confirm the best polling technology in advance. Please reach out to your IT office to identify which polling product is the most accessible to all your participants. Currently, the Zoom polling tool has significant barriers for both presenters and participants with disabilities.
7. Describe what you are annotating if using the Whiteboard feature. Similar to using a white board in the classroom, you should always describe what you are writing on the board for anyone with a disability or anyone that is using their phone due to internet connection issues in your virtual room.

 

How do I make the user experience better for people attending my meeting/class? 

1. Turning off HD Video will improve the user experience for everyone attending, especially if they have bandwidth limitations, restricted data usage on mobile, or unreliable internet access.  Some institutions may already have this feature disabled for all licenses depending on how your institution’s Zoom global settings are configured.

   From within the Zoom Client:

   1. Select the Home tab
   2. Select the Settings gear icon; a settings pop-up window will open
   3. Select the View More Settings link under General settings
   4. The Zoom website will open; login if you are prompted with the login screen
   5. The Meeting Settings page will open; navigate to the In Meeting (Advanced) section of the Meeting Settings page
   6. Disable the Group HD video setting
      1. Note: If the Group HD video setting is “locked by admin,” contact your Help Desk to have the feature unlocked.
2. Enable Always Show Meeting Controls.  The controls at the bottom of the Zoom screen will remain up. This improves the user experience for many participants as they don’t have to worry about the bar appearing and disappearing upon hover (especially if they are new to Zoom and don’t know how to make the bar at the bottom show up after it’s disappeared).

   From within the Zoom Client:

   1. Select the Home tab
   2. Select the Settings gear icon; a settings pop-up window will open
   3. Select the View More Settings link under General settings; the Zoom website will open
   4. Login if you are prompted with the login screen; the Meeting Settings page will open
   5. Navigate to the In Meeting (Basics) section of the Meeting Settings page
   6. Enable the Always Show Meeting Controls setting
3. Enable the Mute Participants Upon Entry feature. In your Meeting Settings, select the Mute participants upon entry checkbox when scheduling a session. Participants will have to unmute their mics to participate. This feature will ensure less disruptions at the start of a meeting or class. 
4. Record Your Zoom Session. There are a few reasons to consider recording your zoom sessions locally to your computer for distribution after a meeting or class:
   1. Occasionally, due to local outages, students or employees may not be able to access a live Zoom session
   2. Currently, there are several countries or regions where international students are unable to access live Zoom sessions for regulatory reasons
   3. Other unexpected distractions may come up that cause your meeting or class participant to miss portions of your class

   Learn more about recording to your computer in Zoom's help document on recording locally.

   Note: If you record your sessions to the Zoom cloud, you may experience a significant delay in accessing them at this time (as of March 20, 2020). Currently, the best approach is to record them to your local device.

For additional assistance, contact Academic Technology: (415) 405-5555, at@sfsu.edu, LIB 80