Hello, My name is Shoshana Finkel and today I'm going to be speaking about how
moderators can create an accessible environment for everyone at APHA.
So I've broken down how you can promote accessibility as a moderator into three
basic categories. First is in preparation for the session as you are anticipating accessibility
needs that might be needed and planning ahead. Second is in your engagement with the presenters
during the presentation and while you might be giving them any follow-up questions. And
third is in your engagement with the audience in terms of providing accommodations and possibly
taking questions, if that's a part of your presentation. So what can you do before the
presentation? If you find out that any specific accommodations have been requested either by
audience members or presenters, make sure that you've gone through these and you understand
what those accommodations are and that you're coordinating with the proper people at APHA
to make sure that those needs are going to be met. Are the ASL interpreters or captioners lined up?
Have anyone requested specific printed materials like braille or large print? Are there any
mobility needs that you need to get a specific room? Make sure that all of that communication
has been done and those services are coordinated and then in coordinating with your presenters
have a game plan of what accessibility is going to look like for your team during the presentation.
Make sure that everyone is on the same page about inclusive language, providing image descriptions,
speaking into the mics, and speaking your names clearly before you begin speaking. If your team
has a conversation about this it will really help make sure that you are providing a fully
accessible experience during the presentation for everyone. It's show time, your session has
arrived. How are you interacting with your presenters? Are you all speaking
clearly into your mics and are you introducing yourselves when a new person begins speaking?
This last part is really helpful for captioners and anyone who might not be able to see you. Are
you accommodating ASL interpreters and captioners? This includes spelling out names and acronyms and
also giving time for ASL interpreters to tap out if you notice that they're switching. And are you
providing image descriptions and reading text on the screen, especially when you're having a
back and forth conversation while you're referring to images on the screen and not just saying, "this
chart" "that graph", but actually describing the charts and graphs that you're talking about to
the audience? Here are some tips if you will be taking audience questions at any point.
If you are calling people out from the audience, don't just use visual cues like pointing at them
but use specific language like the person on the front right, the person in the red shirt. Bring a
mic to anyone asking an in-person question. This really benefits everyone. Get the person's name.
This is especially helpful for the captioner. And have a presenter repeat their question for clarity
and also for everyone to hear in case it wasn't caught before. And clarify for everyone if that
person asking a question referred to something visual on the screen, what it was that they
referred to. When you're starting off a virtual session make sure to take time to orient everyone
to the zoom room. Explain how to unmute and turn off the video, where to find the chat box,
how to open closed captions, pin the interpreter, raise their hand, select speaker view. And when
you're explaining these things make sure that you're giving directional cues as well as visual
ones. So not just saying it's the picture of the camera or the picture of the microphone,
say that it's in the bottom left corner. And make sure to remind everyone to introduce themselves
by name when they begin speaking because not everyone can see them or their name on the screen.
How can you engage with the audience over zoom? If you're taking audience questions,
make sure to call out their name ask them to introduce themselves before asking their question.
Encourage attendees to type questions in the chat box during breaks. Have presenters repeat
the question once it's been asked and clarify for everyone. If they've referred to something visual
on screen, what it was that they referred to and provide another visual description.
Here are some key takeaways. As the moderator, you can help create an inclusive and accessible
environment both for presenters and audience members. Checking in with presenters and any
other coordinators just takes a few simple steps to make any session run smoothly for everyone and
being mindful of access needs during the session will help to keep everyone engaged and included.
Thank you for watching and learning. My contact info is on the screen
and if you yourself are a screen reader user or like a script of this video for any reason
please feel free to reach out and I'd be happy to provide you with one.