UCL speaker presenting with a microphone. Credit: Mary Hinkley for UCL.

29 October 2024

By Leda Kamenopoulou

Synchronous accessibility can be challenging

In a previous IOE blog, I wrote about accessibility as a right and not an option, and I summarised key actions for creating accessible digital content, such as Word and PowerPoint documents. These resources, however, are almost always created asynchronously. In this post, I consider how to make sure live teaching delivery is accessible, focusing in this instance on the needs of students with hearing impairment. I list best practices that I recommend as an expert on inclusive education and sensory accessibility, and as a programme leader for UCL’s Special and Inclusive Education MA, experienced in putting reasonable adjustments in place for our students.

What difference will these steps make?

By adopting these best practices, you will make your teaching accessible to students with hearing impairment, hearing aid users, and those with sensory processing needs. You will also make your content more accessible to students whose first language is not English and/or who may be unfamiliar with some of the language and terminology you use. It will benefit many others who risk not hearing everything because they are sat at the back of a big lecture hall. It will benefit you, because you will be modelling and leading the way on accessible practices. In a nutshell, the answer to the question ‘who benefits from accessible practices?’ is simple: everyone!

My 10 compulsory practices (whenever practically possible)

1. Use subtitles during your presentations. Below I provide the instructions. You can provide subtitles via PowerPoint, even if you just have one ‘title slide’ and are otherwise speaking without using slides.
2. For every audio/video content shown, provide subtitles/closed captions.
3. Provide instructions for tasks/exams in writing as well as verbally.
4. Always use a microphone, even in small teaching rooms.
5. If the mic is not functioning/available, stand closer and face the person with hearing impairment.
6. Face students when you talk. For example, do not talk when you are looking at your speaking notes, the projector or slides on the computer screen.
7. Enunciate clearly, slowly, and do not cover your mouth with your hands.
8. If a student talks or asks a question during the lecture, either give them the mic or repeat what they said to the whole class using the mic.
9. Enable captions on Zoom/Teams and show participants how to enable them.
10. Do not enable captions on Zoom/Teams at the same time as on the presentation slides, because you will have overlapping subtitles!

My five recommended good practices

1. Get feedback from students about accessibility regularly, especially in the first sessions.
2. Introduce yourself to any note takers and support workers in your sessions.
3. If you have a transcript of your presentation, send it to the note takers afterwards. I also send my slides so they can check terminology, etc.
4. Edit captions of recorded presentations for accuracy. Particularly focus on correcting any crucial information that is likely to be misspelt, such as names of authors you mentioned in the lecture.
5. Be sensitive to language: many (but not all) hearing impaired people do not like that term and prefer to describe themselves as deaf or hard of hearing.

Instructions for how to use subtitles on PowerPoint (as a commonly used package for creating presentation slides)

Before you start presenting each time, go to ‘Slide Show’ and then click on the box that says: ‘Always Use Subtitles’.

If the subtitles do not appear after you have ticked the ‘Always Use Subtitles’ box, go to ‘Subtitle Settings’ and then ‘Microphone’ and tick the ‘UAC Capture Device’. This ensures the sound from the mic is picked up by the system to create subtitles. Do this in good time before your teaching session, in case you need to call for assistance.

Remember, in the real world, things can always go wrong when you least expect it. Reassure the student that everything is going to be available, the lecture recording, complete with captions/subtitles, and transcript so they do not worry, and know that they will have accessible content asynchronously.

With thanks to Emerita Professor, Chloë Marshall, and UCL’s Head of Digital Accessibility, Ben Watson for their input.