Creating Accessible Zoom Meetings
Tips for Accessible and Inclusive Zoom Meetings
Learn how to plan, test, and run accessible Zoom meetings—from pre-meeting preparation and dry runs to inclusive facilitation during the meeting and essential post-meeting follow-up tasks.
Zoom Meeting Workflow
Schedule the Meeting
- Set date, time, and duration.
- Generate and distribute the meeting invitation (with a link and dial-in information).
Prepare Meeting Agenda
- Outline the key topics, presentations, and timelines.
- Share the agenda with attendees ahead of time. (Typically one month before the event).
- Microsoft Teams Channels
- Email Lists (Outlook, Google, etc.)
- Submit your event to UIC Today
- Pre-Meeting Survey Questions
- What would you like the presenter to discuss in more detail?
- Share presentation materials with meeting attendees.
- Share slides, handouts, or documents before the meeting in accessible formats (Word, tagged PDF, or HTML).
- Accessible Slide Design: Use high contrast (dark text on light background). Avoid small fonts or excessive text. Don’t rely on color alone to convey meaning.
Assign Roles
- Host: Responsible for managing the meeting.
- Co-Host(s)/Tech Support: Assists with technical support and managing participants.
- Presenters: Prepare and rehearse their material.
Host, Co-Host, and Presenter Responsibilities.
- Manage Participation:
- Encourage attendees to use the chat for questions and comments.
- Read chat questions aloud so all participants can benefit.
- Offer multiple ways to engage, including chat, voice, and reaction icons.
- Speak Clearly and Describe Visuals
- Announce your name before speaking.
- Verbally describe important visual content such as charts, images, and demonstrations.
- Avoid relying on visuals alone to convey key information.
Schedule the Dry Run
- Create a Zoom Meeting: Schedule a separate Zoom meeting for the dry run, ideally a few days before the actual event.
- Invite Key Participants: Ensure all essential participants (presenters, moderators, technical support) are available to join the dry run.
Set Up the Meeting Environment
- Test Equipment: Verify that all participants have functioning microphones, cameras, and stable internet connections.
- Confirm Zoom settings: Ensure sound notification is disabled when someone joins or leaves the meeting
- Sign in to the Zoom web portal as an admin with the privilege to edit account settings.
- In the navigation menu on the left, click on Settings.
- Select the Meeting.
- Under In Meeting (Basic), switch the Sound notification when someone joins or leaves toggle to disable the feature.
- If a verification dialog appears, click Disable to verify the change.
Familiarize with Zoom Features
- Review Controls: Go over the basic Zoom controls (mute/unmute, video on/off, screen sharing).
- Practice Screen Sharing: Have presenters practice sharing their screens or presentations.
- Test Audio and Video Settings: Make sure everyone’s audio and video settings are optimal.
- Enable Live Captions: In Zoom, turn on Live Transcription so captions appear automatically for participants.
Walk Through the Agenda
- Review the Agenda: Go through the meeting agenda to ensure everyone is on the same page.
- Practice Transitions: Practice transitioning between speakers, sharing screens, and managing Q&A sessions.
- Time Management: Time each section to ensure it fits within the allotted schedule.
- General Meeting Timeline:
- 5 minutes – Introductions of Host/Co-host, Guest Speaker, and Tech support
- 35 to 40 minutes – Presentation
- 15 minutes – Q&A
Review Contingency Plans
- Backup Plans: Discuss what to do if someone’s connection drops or if there’s a technical issue during the event.
- Start with an open discussion questions.
- Run through the services your team provides if applicable.
- Demonstrate 1 accessibility tool related to the presentation.
- Contact Information: Ensure everyone has each other’s contact information for quick communication if issues arise.
Finalize and Confirm
- Review Feedback: Gather feedback from participants after the dry run and make any necessary adjustments.
- Confirm Details: Confirm the date, time, and any final details for the actual meeting.
Set Up Early
- Start the meeting 10-15 minutes early to resolve any quick technical issues.
- Enable the waiting room if participants are arriving early (if applicable).
- Enable Live Captions: Turn on Zoom’s Live Transcription so captions automatically appear for all participants.
- Speak Clearly & Describe Visuals: Say your name before speaking and describe key visuals.
- Participation: Read chat questions aloud and offer multiple ways to engage (chat, voice, reactions).
- Hosts and co-hosts can use polls, breakout rooms, and Q&A features to increase engagement.
Check Equipment Again
- Recheck audio, video, and screen sharing.
- Ensure the meeting recording is set up if needed.
Post-Meeting Review
- Download and save all session materials for editing and distribution.
- Unedited Files:
- Video file
- Audio Transcript file
- Audio file
- Chat Logs file
- Unedited Files:
- Edit Zoom recording: Zoom provides an auto-caption transcript. Review and edit for accuracy. For external/public recordings, use a captioning service or edit captions manually before posting.
- Utilize Panopto to edit the video file, captions and transcript.
- Edit Transcripts: Export the transcript from Zoom and edit it for accuracy. Make the transcript available along with the recording.
- Accessible Posting Location: Post recordings on platforms that support captions (e.g., YouTube with captions enabled, or Kaltura/Box/Panopto with captions). Do not post video-only files with no captions or transcript.
- Add Context/Description: When posting, include a short description of the session (title, topics covered, speakers). Provide accessible links (no raw URLs when possible).
- Retain Accessibility of Shared Content: If slides or documents were updated after the meeting, share the accessible version alongside the recording.
Quick Checklist
- Live captions turned on during Zoom.
- CART captioning for important/high-profile events.
- Visuals described during presentation.
- Slides and handouts shared in accessible format.
- Recording captioned and transcript edited.
- Recording posted on a platform that supports captions.
- Accessible supporting materials posted with recording.