Zoom accessibility best practices
Use the chat tool to foster inclusion in your synchronous class sessions
- When a question is posed in the chat, repeat aloud the question when you respond to it. If the question is posted privately to the instructor, leave the name of the student anonymous.
- Save and share the chat with students after the session ends via email or repost on Canvas.
- Assistive technology cannot activate embedded links from the chat. It is recommended that faculty repost embedded chat links in a common space, such as Canvas Announcements.
- Save In-meeting Chat - Source: Zoom
Record class sessions to the cloud for auto transcription
- Make recordings available to students after the session has ended so students can revisit the recording if they were unable to attend or would like to watch it multiple times.
- Audio Transcripts for Zoom Meetings - Source: Brown University
Provide multiple means for accessing and engaging with content
- Offer students choice and autonomy about how they can acquire information and actively participate in their learning (e.g., written, audio, and/or video).
Do not compel students to turn on their cameras
- Students may have their cameras turned off for a number of reasons, including privacy reasons.
Additional Resources:
- Zoom Considerations for Teaching Students with Disabilities - Source: Yale University
- Getting Started with Zoom Closed Captioning - Source: Zoom
- Inclusive Strategies for Student Camera Use During Zoom Class Sessions - Source: Brown
- Enable Live Automatic Captions - Source: Brown
- Save In-meeting Chat - Source: Zoom
- Keyboard Shortcuts for Zoom - Source: Zoom
- Cultivating Community Online - Source: Brown
- Remote Teaching: Zoom and Panopto FAQs - Source: Brown