keeping webinars inclusive - alistair mcnaught and paul richardson - jisc digital festival 2014

Keeping Webinars InclusiveAlistair McNaught: Jisc TechDisPaul Richardson: Jisc RSC Wales

www.jisctechdis.ac.uk13/04/2023 1

So what would YOU do if ……..

• You had a profoundly deaf delegate in your session?• You had a moderately visually impaired delegate in your session?• You had a blind delegate in your session?• You had someone who is severely dyslexic in your session?

Live example

A live introduction to Birmingham

13/04/2023 www.jisctechdis.ac.uk 3

What’s in a name?

• Ham – home

• Ing – tribe

• Beorma – a tribal leader.

• Beorma’s tribe’s home…..

• Beorma-ing-ham


What’s in a place? Geology

• Rocks – building materials, fuel, ironworking, pottery.

• Vegetation – hunting on the heaths and woods; fishing in the valley streams.

• Variety of soils for farming.

• Routeways


What’s in a place?Natural vegetation


The quirks of history

Stability and enterprise

De Bermingham family were Lords of the Manor for 400 years.

Sought permission to hold market (1156) and fairs (1250).


The quirks of history

Enterprise and fortune

Tenants had more freedoms than usual for the time and there were no restrictive obstacles to trade.

Markets, smithies, potteries.

Supplied Roundheads with swords and armour.

Reputation for manufacturing blossomed.


And so the city grows


Elements of accessible online experiences:

• Advance preparation• gain foreknowledge• adapt to delegate needs (eg pre-scripting presentational

elements)

• On the day • implementing whatever adjustments you’ve made.• supporting delegates in optimising their systems

• Session follow up• for feedback• To provide post-event resources that may not have been

possible on the day – eg summary of discussion threads.

On the day – blind people

Issues:Listen to presenter or listen to screen reader? Which is most important?Accessing visual information?Some functionality not accessible?Keeping up with the multiple threads by sound alone?Suggested solutions?

On the day – deaf people

Issues:What is presenter saying - content?What is presenter saying – instructions – eg press voting button, annotate whiteboard?Making sense of text dense info?Keeping up with the multiple threads when working in second language?

Suggested solutions?

On the day – dyslexic people

Issues:Making sense of text dense info?Fear of poor spelling?Keeping up with the multiple threads – speed of reading? articulacy of written responses?


On the day – motor impaired people.

Issues:Keyboard only access to all functions?Speed of writing and disjointed contributions to multiple threads ?


VI – TechDis suggestions

• Personality and privacy check – do they want others to know and if so what is their preferred explanation.

• Test intended feature use in advance with delegate if possible.• Advise on whether to focus on presentation/discussion or

timeliness of either. Silencing screenreader may be required.• Describe key content of all slides.• Build in staging points for facilitator to aurally summarise key

threads and invite other contributions.• A VI person could be given permanent “open mike” to request

clarification at any time.• Facilitator uses periodic private communication (instant

message or phone) to check all is OK.

Hearing – TechDis suggestions

• Personality and privacy check – do they want others to know and if so what is their preferred explanation?

• Depending on the context, presenter can work from a script sent to the delegate beforehand. Deviations from the script can be flagged the chat by facilitator.

• Activity instructions can be added to text chat by facilitator or added to an ‘instruction’ slide.

• Use relevant images to support slide text.• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key threads in

text pane and/or invite questions or comments.• Pause regularly if delivering via a sign language interpreter.• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check all is OK

Dyslexia / literacy suggestions


• Pre-empt spelling issues by clarifying value of contribution over the value of literary flair.

• Depending on the context the presenter can send any text dense resources to delegate beforehand.

• Use relevant images to support slide text.• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key threads

aurally and invite other contributions.• Give option of open mike for questions or comments.• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check all is OK

Dexterity – TechDis suggestions


• Depending on the context the presenter can send any resources to delegate beforehand so they can prepare their responses/questions.

• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key threads aurally (navigation may be trickier without a mouse).

• Give option of open mike.• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check

all is OK

Conclusions

• Try to consider the needs of all delegates.• Accommodations for disabled people may be

welcomed by many others and usually look and feel like good practice.

• If an accommodation is likely to have a detrimental effect on others it is the wrong accommodation.

• Any disabled delegate should be given the option of submitting a question/comment immediately after the event for inclusion in the post event notes. People with disabilities can find it difficult to respond quickly to the chaos of text chat.

More Information


http://moodle.rsc-wales.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=292

