Meetings & Events Best Practices

Accessible meetings and events can be accessed and participated in by all attendees. They use accessible technology, provide information in advance, and support participation in multiple formats.

You can make your meeting or event accessible by following best practices for accessibility and making accommodations when necessary.

Meeting Materials

Materials used in meetings or events at U-M are required to meet digital accessibility standards and provide equitable access for people with disabilities.

Meeting materials may include slides, documents, and communications. Learn more about making these materials accessible:

In addition to making meeting materials accessible, it is best practice to:

  • Provide materials in advance (send by email, share on website, or attach to calendar event)
  • Give people independent access to materials, when possible

Access & Accommodation Statements

Some people may face barriers participating in your event, due to a disability or other access needs. 

Use an access and accommodation statement to give people essential information and to create an opportunity to make accommodations when needed. Accommodations are required modifications for people with disabilities who encounter a barrier.

An access and accommodation statements consists of:

  1. Information about the event
    • Tell people what the event will consist of, including accessibility features and other features (e.g. lunch is provided)
    • This helps people determine if they need an accommodation (e.g. a meal without allergens)
  2. Commitment to accessibility
    • Tell people you are committed to making the event accessible
    • This encourages trust so people reach out with requests or feedback
  3. Opportunity to request accommodations
    • Tell people exactly how to request accommodations (e.g. if you need accommodations to participate, provide information in this form)
    • This lets people take the next step to get what they need (e.g. I need ASL interpretation during presentation)

If people contact you to ask questions or request accommodations, be prepared to respond and follow through. Like all event planning, accommodations work best when handled in advance.

Find more information below about supporting specific access needs.

Presenting Information

Multiple Ways

During events, present information in multiple formats or modes, so all people can follow along. 

The following examples show how information can be presented in multiple ways:

  • Discussion is conducted over audio and displayed in automatic captions
  • Slides are shown visually and described in words by presenter
  • Key action items are announced at end of meeting and captured in shared notes

Presenting information in multiple modes enables participation for people who cannot hear, see, or process information during the meeting for a range of reasons, including but not limited to disabilities.

Easy to Perceive

Take steps to make it easier to see and hear information during the meeting. For example:

  • In a large room, use a microphone for audience questions
  • In an online meeting, mute microphone when not speaking
  • Design slides with large font and high contrast so they are easier to see
  • When presenting, face the audience and adjust lighting to highlight the speaker
  • When presenting online, limit distractions in your video background

Flexible Participation

During events, it is best practice to allow multiple modes of participation, so all people can contribute. For example:

  • In remote meetings, allow flexibility in the use of cameras
  • Design breakout activities to encourage multiple roles such as note-taking, speaking, facilitating, reading aloud
  • In a large room, set up seating options to allow people to sit in rows, set up at tables, or stand at a high table

Supporting flexible options allows participation from everyone involved.

In addition, setting norms for participation can help everyone. For example, indicate if people should raise their hands to speak or simply speak up. 

Accommodations and Supporting Specific Needs

In addition to using best practices in all meetings, some people will require specific accommodations in order to make meetings or events accessible to them. 

Automatic Captions

Captions are a live text equivalent of being spoken. Captions can be automatic captions (generated by automatic speech recognition tools) or CART (captions created live by a human professional).

Automatic captions are a good accessibility feature for many people. In general it is best practice to turn them on or make them available during meetings.

CART

Professional live captions or CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) are live captions delivered by a professional human transcriber.

CAR, is often necessary for people who rely on captions as a primary mode of accessing spoken content in a meeting. This may include people who are d/Deaf, hard of hearing, or have difficulty processing audio information.

CART may be necessary because it can provide greater accuracy, and avoid missing or incorrect information for people relying on captions.

CART providers charge a fee for their services (usually about $50 to $150 per hour) which is paid by event or meeting organizers. 

ASL

American Sign Language (ASL) is a language mostly used by people who are Deaf. Sign language interpretation is necessary for people whose primary language is ASL.

ASL providers charge a fee for their services (usually about $100 to $150 per hour) which is paid by event or meeting organizers.

Accessible Technology

Most meetings can be made accessible by choosing accessible platforms (for example, Zoom for online meetings, Google Docs for shared note-taking) and allowing people to use their own devices or technologies as needed. 

However, some cases may require additional support or options.