Check remote tools
Make sure all remote or online platforms and tools you use in your activity meet participants’ accessibility needs and work with their support tools. Plan and test audio, camera, video, presentations, assistive technology integration, and other accessibility features.
Both online activities and digital tools are popular. When used well, they are convenient and more accessible than some physical tools.
- Make sure your activity meets the accessibility needs of people with disability. People’s accessibility supports may work better with online or digital platforms and tools.
Relevant pages
Hosting accessible online meetings and events (IncludeAbility)
Guide: running inclusive online meetings (Inclusion Australia)
Online meetings checklist (Council for Intellectual Disability)
Choosing platforms and tools
Pick platforms, tools and features that help people participate fully and equally.
- Think about the outcome you want to achieve from your activity.
- Brainstorm ways you could get this outcome with different remote or online tools. These could include virtual whiteboards, chat and text message platforms, videoconferencing, polls and content management systems.
- Choose online platforms and digital tools that meet the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
- Conduct an accessibility audit using the government’s Digital Service Standard. You could also hire a digital accessibility auditor to work with you through the process.
- Search for and read tools’ accessibility documentation. Check for the accessibility features that the people with disability who are participating in your activity might need.
- Consider how the tools work and look on different devices that people may be using for the activity, such as phones, tablets, laptops, and desktop computers. Think about how people on all devices can have a high-quality and accessible experience.
- Create a guide or share instructions on how to use your selected tool and its features. Identify and highlight the general and accessibility features that you and other people will use. Share how the tool works with assistive technology like screen readers.
- Trial the accessibility features you will use in your engagement so you are comfortable with them.
Relevant pages
Design: Make participant experiences positive
Plan: Meet people’s accessibility needs
Digital Service Standard (Digital Transformation Agency)
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C)
Setting up your tools
Establish ways for you and your team members to support both the activity and the participants with the technology. To do this you should:
- Consult relevant accessibility documentation, where available.
- Meet the latest WCAG standards for elements such as text, images, audio, and video.
- Make sure you know how to use the tool’s accessibility features.
- Adjust settings to ensure relevant accessibility features are turned on.
- Test the functionality and accessibility of your chosen technology.
- Be clear on how you will manage any technology issues. Know who has the expertise and availability to support you if anything goes wrong.
- Hire additional service providers to increase the accessibility of your engagement, such as a live captioner or an Auslan interpreter.
Relevant pages
Design: Partner with disability specialists
Plan: Create accessible materials
Sound
Audio is one way to communicate with participants during your activity. You should:
- Make sure your audio is clear and doesn’t disturb or distract other participants.
- Be in a quiet room or reduce background noise.
- Speak into your microphone (which may be part of your headphones).
- Remember to charge your headphones/earbuds before the engagement starts.
- Turn off your microphone when you are not speaking.
- If participants are registered users, familiarise yourself with the National Relay Service, which can change voice to text/text to voice and Auslan to English/English to Auslan.
Example
You tell a participant how you will contact them and when they should expect your call. They don’t pick up when you call. You understand there are many reasons why they may have missed your call. You leave a voice message and send them an email (these were their preferred contact methods). You tell them why you called and how they can let you know when they are next available to talk. The email has more information on other things they can do to prepare for the next time you call, such as being in a quiet room. The next day you call them at the agreed time, run the interview, then arrange payment for their involvement.
Relevant pages
Plan: Create accessible materials – audio and video
Web camera display
Enabling your camera during video or videoconferencing allows people to see you and your environment. When your camera is on you should:
- Use a plain or solid-coloured background to minimise distractions. Choose backgrounds with good contrast between speaker and the background design and colour.
- Avoid virtual backgrounds if possible or use a virtual background with minimal distractions.
- Make sure you are using the highest image quality available on your device or application while maintaining a high-quality experience.
- Make sure your face is well lit.
- Make sure you are in frame and talk to the camera.
Allow participants to choose to turn their camera on based on their preference or come to a mutual consensus with participants on their expectations of using a video platform.
Example
You want a virtual background for your meeting to maintain the privacy of your home environment. You join the meeting early as you will lead it. You know a team member is sensitive to bright lighting and some patterns. You choose a background that has a solid colour, minimal patterns, and clearly shows the difference between your hair and clothing. You move around the room to face the window so your face is better lit and there is no light coming from behind you.
Relevant pages
Plan: Create accessible materials – presentations
Deliver: Deliver an inclusive activity
Presenting and sharing presentations
When presenting you should:
- Decide whether it is helpful or unhelpful to share a presentation or your screen.
- Ensure your text, images, and video are compliant with WCAG standards.
- Ensure your presentation slides have clear titles.
- Consider giving people a copy or access to the content being displayed so they can interact with it using their assistive technology.
- Signpost to say where you are as you present information – for example, set up frames in virtual whiteboards that participants can use to navigate to different parts of the board.
You should make it easy for participants to:
- See interpreters and presenters. If they are in separate locations, manage this. Features such as ‘spotlight’, ‘pin’ or setting up as a stream may help.
- Follow along independently. Examples include providing copies or access to what you share, telling participants when you are moving between information, and reading out information such as titles and content as needed.
Relevant pages
Plan: Create accessible materials – presentations
Chat
You may offer text, chat platforms, or chat functionality in videoconferencing.
If using text message and chat platforms, you should:
- Choose platforms that are affordable, secure, and familiar to people.
- Tell people how you are collecting, handling, and storing any personal information like phone numbers and names.
- Follow your organisation and industry best practice processes to manage privacy, encryption, and other security concerns.
If using the chat functionality in videoconferencing, you should:
- Invite participants to use the chat function to contribute to the conversation.
- Make sure you keep track of comments and questions shared in the chat.
- Read out comments and questions before you respond to them. If possible, it can be helpful to read everything shared in the chat.
Relevant pages
Context: Address access barriers
Design: Start by thinking about accessible design
Plan: Give participants clear information in advance
Setting up participants’ tools
Take the time to ensure people can easily and accessibly use the tools and engage in the activity. You should:
- Prepare your participants for the activity by sending them a guide or tips on how to use the platform or tool as part of your planning and preparation communication.
- Join the meeting early and enable accessibility features, such as captioning, hosting rights, and volume.
- Check participant settings and permissions like sharing screen, video, audio, and captioning.
- Check participant communication channels to make sure people are supported to join.
- Ensure you are not using features of the platform or tool that are inaccessible for your participants.