Hosting Accessible Remote Meetings and Events
Providing Live Captions for Events
2021
Sep
24
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Quick start guide ➜
We all have a role to play in making Harvard’s digital information more accessible.
Content Creators ➜
Guidelines and resources to make your content accessible.
Developers ➜
Best Practices and guides for making your applications and tools broadly accessible.
DIGITAL ACCESSIBILITY SERVICES
Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) supports the Harvard community in making sure that everyone has the opportunity to access the university’s knowledge, ideas, and resources.
University Disability Resources
For access to all other disability-related resources and guidance for students, faculty, staff, visitors and guests, please visit University Disability Resources ➜
Featured Event
31st Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act
Leaders and community members from across the University celebrated the 31st anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). We celebrated great strides in providing equal opportunity, and discussed the work that remains.
Watch the video to learn about initiatives that support students, staff, faculty and the public with disabilities and how everyone at the University has a role to play in making sure Harvard is inclusive and welcoming to everyone.
Guidance from Digital Accessibility Services
Hosting Accessible Remote Meetings and Events
When meetings and events are held remotely, digital accessibility is important to ensure that all attendees, including people with disabilities, are able to participate and engage with content at the same time, with the same ease of use. With a little pre-planning, event hosts can structure an inclusive and functional environment for all participants.
Providing Live Captions for Events
Live captions provide an inclusive meeting experience for participants who may not otherwise be able to hear speakers and sounds at the event. They provide access and benefit other attendees such as those who might have distractions or non-native English speakers. While we encourage live captioning for all events and meetings no matter the number of participants or size, there are three common scenarios where an event sponsor or meeting host might provide live captions.
Live Transcripts available in Zoom
Zoom now offers a Live Transcription Service for every meeting, and meeting hosts are encouraged to turn it on as an inclusive practice. Live transcripts allow participants to see automatically generated captions and transcriptions of spoken audio in real time during a meeting or webinar. While auto-generated captions do not meet the accuracy requirements of Harvard’s Policy, they can still be beneficial for meeting attendees.
Harvard-Licensed Tool to Check Accessibility
Siteimprove ➜
Harvard-Licensed Tool to Check Accessibility
- Breaks down accessibility issues into prioritized, manageable tasks
- Runs automated Accessibility and Quality Assurance checks
- Tracks and reports progress towards accessibility compliance
- Provides guidance and practical recommendations
Getting Started with Siteimprove
Digital Accessibility Services Office Hours
Got accessibility questions? Not sure where to start? We're here to help!
The Digital Accessibility Services (DAS) team is available to answer your questions and provide guidance and support to the Harvard community.
We will be holding open office hours in a Zoom meeting room on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month from 10am-12pm.
Instructor-Led Trainings and On-Demand Videos
On-Demand Training Videos by Topic
A curated series of on-demand training videos that provide quick overviews of popular accessibility topics.
Harvard Policies
Harvard University Digital Accessibility Policy ➜
For Harvard’s public-facing websites and web-based applications.
Settlement Caption Requirements ➜
Harvard's legal obligation requirements for captions.
Accessible Technology Procurement and Development Policy ➜
For technology applications and products we buy and develop.Resources
Working with Vendors
Media Accessibility
Labs, Services, and Contacts
Digital Accessibility Techniques
Library of Accessibility Techniques
Browse a comprehensive library of how-to guides with practical examples and code snippets to help you create accessible content and code.
News from the Harvard Gazette
Increasing digital accessibility
University policy to ‘make information and resources more easily available to those who need it’
Harvard has adopted a new, University-wide Digital Accessibility Policy, which will increase the accessibility of Harvard’s public-facing websites and web-based applications, as well as the digital content Harvard creates and posts on those sites.