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This page includes guidance for live (synchronous) sessions, both remote and in person, and how to make these as accessible as possible for all.
Online sessions and events
The following guidance is for live online sessions and is focused on UCL's supported platforms which are Microsoft Teams and Zoom.
Before the session or event
If you don't already know the needs of your participants, find out if they have any special requirements in advance of the session. Any student with a Summary of Reasonable Adjustments (SORA) should have support in place or you will have been told what additional measures are needed.
Managing the session or event
- Manage speakers and make the rules clear about who can speak and when, how to ask questions, how to request permission to speak etc.
- If possible, have an assistant to oversee the chat and manage parallel conversations.
- Don't put pressure on participants to show themselves on camera as not everyone is comfortable doing so.
Presenting
- Blur your background to minimise distraction.
- If you are using Teams or Zoom, which allow multiple video feeds to be shown at once, it may be preferable to only have the video of the current presenter on to minimise distraction.
- Look at your camera to create ‘eye contact’ with your students and provide a more personal connection.
- Speak clearly and ask the group to confirm your audio is working well.
- Give your participants time to open or take in what you have shared.
- Embrace the pause. Take a moment after the end of your comments and allow for students to engage before continuing.
Sharing content
There are a number of steps you can take, and advice you can provide to attendees, to improve their experience of viewing shared content. More details can be found in our Guidance for Accessible Screen Sharing During Online Presentations and Meetings (Word document)
Use of captions
Captions are particularly helfpul for participants with a hearing impairment or D/deaf participants but also help those who don't have English as a first language and are generally of benefit to all.
Zoom and Microsoft Teams meetings offer automatic live captioning. In Teams, this needs to be turned on by and for individual participants, so advise participants of this at the start of the session. You can find further information on the using live captions in Microsoft Teams meetings support page.
In Zoom it is controlled by the host or co-host but individual participants can choose to show or hide them once they are activated. It is good practice to enable closed captions and show participants how to hide them if necessary. You can find further information on the enabling automated captions in Zoom support page.
Microsoft PowerPoint also supports the use of real-time, automatic captions or subtitles.
Further information
- AbilityNet has published guidance on How to host an accessible online meeting.
- Choosing the right platform for live teaching provides a useful overview of the options available.
- For guidance and resources on running accessible events, please refer to the CAM Events Toolkit.
- A checklist of tips for making events accessible is also available online from the UCL Equality, Diversity & Inclusion website.
- Supporting neurodiversity in education guidance can benefit everyone in our community, but there are specific suggestions for personal tutors and research supervisors.
- UCL's Office of the President and Provost (Equality, Diversity and Inclusion) have produced accessible remote meeting guidelines with a focus on neurodivergent participants.
- Learn how to use accessibility features on Microsoft Teams.
- Learn how to use accessibility features on Zoom.
In person sessions and events
Lecture theatres, classrooms etc.
Use a microphone
If the room has a microphone, use it! Microphones are provided to ensure that everyone can hear what is being said clearly. Not everyone will be comfortable to admit that they cannot hear the speaker clearly or ask for speakers to wear the microphone.
There are a range of microphones available in teaching spaces. If microphones are stored in a docking station, please return them to the docking station after use, this will ensure that they stay charged and available for other users.
Repeat questions
If you are asked a question from the audience, repeat the question. This is important if the lecture is being recorded as it will ensure that both the question and the answer are clear on the recording. Also, it provides other members of the audience with an opportunity to hear the question clearly.
Say what you are doing/writing/drawing
If you are making use of a visualiser or adding additional annotations to presented materials, talk through what you are doing. This is important if the lecture is being recorded as it will provide additional information for those who may have a visual impairment.
Laboratories
- Allow students to work with a partner or in small groups.
- Consider using plastic instead of glass.
- Allow extra time of setup and taking down of the experiment equipment.
- Address safety procedures for students with mobility and sensory disabilities in advance.
- Provide written instructions, whether this is displayed on a board or on a handout. This helps students who have hearing impairments to better understand what is expected of them, and it also helps all students stay on task
- Describe what is being done during the experiment. This not only helps visually impaired students, but will also help all students better understand what is happening.
Other physical environments
Guidance on how to make field trips and personal tutoring more accessible is available in the Moodle course Accessible Teaching Practices: Providing Access to All using Universal Design for Learning (UDL).
Make Your Graduation an Accessible Day to Remember provides guidance to blind and partially sighted students as well as to universities on the steps they can take to ensure graduation ceremonies can be made accessible.
Further information
The University of Edinburgh have produced some good practical guidance for creating accessible lectures/tutorials. In addition, there are also key guidelines to making face to face sessions accessible.
Session materials
UCL Education Committee approved policy that lecture materials be made available to students 48 hours in advance. Guidance has been produced on how to make materials available in advance.
For content specific guidance on how to create accessible materials please refer to relevant sections of this site.
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