1. Keeping Webinars
Inclusive
Alistair McNaught: Jisc TechDis
Paul Richardson: Jisc RSC Wales
www.jisctechdis.ac.uk11/03/2014 1

2. So what would YOU do if ……..
• You had a profoundly deaf delegate in your
session?
• You had a moderately visually impaired
delegate in your session?
• You had a blind delegate in your session?
• You had someone who is severely dyslexic in
your session?

3. Live example
A live introduction to Birmingham
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4. What’s in a name?
• Ham – home
• Ing – tribe
• Beorma – a tribal leader.
• Beorma’s tribe’s home…..
• Beorma-ing-ham
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5. What’s in a place?
Geology
• Rocks – building
materials, fuel,
ironworking, pottery.
• Vegetation – hunting
on the heaths and
woods; fishing in the
valley streams.
• Variety of soils for
farming.
• Routeways
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6. What’s in a place?
Natural vegetation
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7. What’s in a place?
Natural vegetation
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8. 11/03/2014 www.jisctechdis.ac.uk 8

9. The quirks of history
Stability and enterprise
De Bermingham family
were Lords of the
Manor for 400 years.
Sought permission
to hold market (1156)
and fairs (1250).
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10. The quirks of history
Enterprise and fortune
Tenants had more freedoms than
usual for the time and there were no
restrictive obstacles to trade.
Markets, smithies, potteries.
Supplied Roundheads with swords
and armour.
Reputation for manufacturing
blossomed.
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11. And so the city grows
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12. Elements of accessible
online experiences:
• Advance preparation
• gain foreknowledge
• adapt to delegate needs (eg pre-scripting presentational
elements)
• On the day
• implementing whatever adjustments you’ve made.
• supporting delegates in optimising their systems
• Session follow up
• for feedback
• To provide post-event resources that may not have been
possible on the day – eg summary of discussion threads.

13. On the day – blind
people
Issues:
Listen to presenter or listen to screen reader?
Which is most important?
Accessing visual information?
Some functionality not accessible?
Keeping up with the multiple threads by sound
alone?
Suggested solutions?

14. On the day – deaf people
Issues:
What is presenter saying - content?
What is presenter saying – instructions – eg press
voting button, annotate whiteboard?
Making sense of text dense info?
Keeping up with the multiple threads when
working in second language?
Suggested solutions?

15. On the day – dyslexic
people
Issues:
Making sense of text dense info?
Fear of poor spelling?
Keeping up with the multiple threads –
speed of reading? articulacy of written responses?
Suggested solutions?

16. On the day – motor
impaired people.
Issues:
Keyboard only access to all functions?
Speed of writing and disjointed contributions to
multiple threads ?
Suggested solutions?

17. VI – TechDis suggestions
• Personality and privacy check – do they want others to know
and if so what is their preferred explanation.
• Test intended feature use in advance with delegate if possible.
• Advise on whether to focus on presentation/discussion or
timeliness of either. Silencing screenreader may be required.
• Describe key content of all slides.
• Build in staging points for facilitator to aurally summarise key
threads and invite other contributions.
• A VI person could be given permanent “open mike” to request
clarification at any time.
• Facilitator uses periodic private communication (instant
message or phone) to check all is OK.

18. Hearing – TechDis
suggestions
• Personality and privacy check – do they want others to know
and if so what is their preferred explanation?
• Depending on the context, presenter can work from a script sent
to the delegate beforehand. Deviations from the script can be
flagged the chat by facilitator.
• Activity instructions can be added to text chat by facilitator or
added to an ‘instruction’ slide.
• Use relevant images to support slide text.
• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key threads in
text pane and/or invite questions or comments.
• Pause regularly if delivering via a sign language interpreter.
• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check all is OK

19. Dyslexia / literacy
suggestions
• Personality and privacy check – do they want others to know and
if so what is their preferred explanation.
• Pre-empt spelling issues by clarifying value of contribution over
the value of literary flair.
• Depending on the context the presenter can send any text dense
resources to delegate beforehand.
• Use relevant images to support slide text.
• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key threads
aurally and invite other contributions.
• Give option of open mike for questions or comments.
• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check all is OK

20. Dexterity – TechDis
suggestions
• Personality and privacy check – do they want others
to know and if so what is their preferred explanation.
• Depending on the context the presenter can send
any resources to delegate beforehand so they can
prepare their responses/questions.
• Build in staging points for facilitator to summarise key
threads aurally (navigation may be trickier without a
mouse).
• Give option of open mike.
• Facilitator uses periodic private messaging to check
all is OK

21. Conclusions
• Try to consider the needs of all delegates.
• Accommodations for disabled people may be
welcomed by many others and usually look and
feel like good practice.
• If an accommodation is likely to have a detrimental
effect on others it is the wrong accommodation.
• Any disabled delegate should be given the option
of submitting a question/comment immediately
after the event for inclusion in the post event notes.
People with disabilities can find it difficult to
respond quickly to the chaos of text chat.

22. More Information
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http://moodle.rsc-wales.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=292