How to Configure Zoom to improve accessibility in meetings.

Before creating meetings with Zoom, it is good practice to review your Zoom Account Settings. Your configuration here applies to all any meetings created. Below is a checklist of things to check before, during, and after a Zoom Meeting.

Before the Meeting

Before scheduling the meeting, review your Zoom settings for the following:

Create Zoom one-click joining url for the meeting.
Steps: Log in at umich.zoom.us -> Settings -> Security -> Embed passcode in invite link for one-click join

Enable closed captions for meetings.
Steps: Log in at umich.zoom.us -> Settings -> In Meetings (Advanced) -> Closed Captioning

Turn on (or off) Automatic Recording for the Zoom meeting ID for the meeting.
Steps: Log in at umich.zoom.us -> Meetings -> Select Zoom meeting ID for the Course -> Edit -> Automatically record meeting in the cloud

Before the scheduled meeting:

Share materials for the meeting beforehand via Canvas, email, meeting invite, or any other means.

Ensure that your microphone and camera is sending out quality audio and video.

Ensure that your environment is as quiet as possible without echo and without any lighting issues.

During the Meeting

Turn on Auto-Transcription for paticipants.
Steps: Click Live Transcript -> Select Enable Auto-Transcription

Inform participants that they must turn on captions for themselves after you activate them.
Steps: Click Live Transcript -> Select Show Subtitles.

Inform participants that the course is being recorded.

Turn off captions for yourself if you wish.
Steps: Click Live Transcript -> Select Hide Subtitles

Remember to verbally describe visual content that is shared in the meeting and to read around and pertinent content from the Chat window.

After the Meeting

Email participants with any important new information that was shared through the Chat window during the meeting.

Let participants know where they can download the meeting recording (if recorded) and transcript(s) when they are available.

Additional Considerations

 

  1. If you have decided to not record a meeting, you will need to schedule your meeting such that any participants who need closed captions and/or who read lips are available to participate live at the scheduled meeting time.
  2. Learn more about Zoom's Audio Transcription.
  3. Auto-Transcription does not work in Breakout Rooms. Consider:
    1. Hire a human transcriptionist (this person can be moved into one breakout room and provide captions only there.)
    2. Looking into licensing a 3rd-party service to provide transcripts on a participant-by-participant basis for use on their individual computers. Example products include Verbit.
  4. Auto-Transcription does not automatically qualify as an ADA accommodation. Please direct questions to the Office for Institutional Equity (OIE) at institutional.equity@umich.edu if an ADA accommodation is needed.
  5. Learn more about Zoom Accessibility Features.

 

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