Zoom Accessibility Best Practices

Use a high-quality microphone to ensure clear audio for all participants. This is crucial for individuals with hearing impairments and those working in noisy environments. 

To reduce background noise, enable the Mute All Participants When They Join a Meeting option in the Schedule a Meeting section. Since participants are muted upon entry, they will need to manually unmute their mics when they are ready to speak.

Use a simple, virtual background to minimize distractions. A cluttered background filled with personal items can divert participants' attention from your message. An uncluttered, clear background with high contrast not only helps maintain focus but also enhances visibility for individuals with visual impairments.

Encourage the use of video, but avoid making it mandatory. Participants may choose to keep their cameras off for various reasons, such as maintaining privacy about a medical condition, managing anxiety, or reducing distractions that could shift focus away from the speaker. Making video optional fosters inclusivity and ensures a more comfortable environment for everyone.

Host and Co-Host

Hosts and co-hosts retain the privilege of selecting who to spotlight during a Zoom meeting. Hosts can assign co-hosts to help manage "spotlighting;" this is particularly useful if the host is the main presenter and needs to focus on their presentation rather than meeting logistics. Zoom allows for an unlimited number of co-hosts, providing flexibility in managing the meeting experience.

Spotlight Speakers

Spotlighting a speaker ensures that all participants see the speaker's video. This is particularly helpful in meetings where there are too many participants to display on one screen. Hosts can spotlight up to nine individuals simultaneously. Additionally, individual participants have the option to pin specific videos to their own screen. Pinning these videos only affects the participant's view; it does not impact what others see.

As a presenter, it’s important to control the pace of your speech. Nervousness or excitement often causes people to speak more quickly than they intended. By slowing your speech down, you ensure all participants can follow your presentation. This is especially important for individuals who rely on closed captioning or lip reading, as they may need additional time to process and follow along. Speaking at a measured pace creates a more inclusive and equitable environment for everyone.

Use plain language when speaking or presenting. Avoid complex terms and technical jargon that may only be familiar to a subset of participants. This ensures that your message is clear and accessible to everyone.

For presentations or meetings lasting longer than an hour, provide regular breaks for participants. Breaks provide participants an opportunity to stretch, grab a snack, and rest their eyes. Taking time away from the screen helps improve participants' overall engagement and comprehension.

Presenters should verbalize all content displayed on the screen. This practice supports diverse learners who benefit from auditory input, as well as individuals with visual or cognitive impairments. Additionally, it ensures accessibility for participants who may have difficulty viewing the screen due to poor internet connections or those joining via phone.

All referenced or displayed materials should be shared with participants prior to the meeting. Providing materials in advance allows participants to review them ahead of time and ensures accessibility for those who might experience poor internet connections during the meeting or who need to join by phone. Always send these materials via email, as the chat feature may not be accessible to all users.

Zoom supports keyboard navigation for all major functions, enhancing accessibility for everyone. Share keyboard shortcuts with all participants alongside any referenced or displayed materials. By providing this information to everyone, you avoid singling out individuals with disabilities and acknowledge that disabilities, including invisible ones, may not always be apparent.

Manually Create Breakout Rooms

Breakout Rooms allow hosts to divide participants into smaller Zoom sessions, making them ideal for fostering small group collaboration and discussion. When using Breakout Rooms, consider manually assigning participants rather than relying on random allocation. This ensures participants who need to stay together, such as interpreters and their clients, remain connected. Manual assignment also helps reduce participant anxiety by creating intentional groupings.

Be Flexible

Not everyone may feel comfortable joining a small group, especially individuals with Social Anxiety Disorders. Be flexible and considerate if participants prefer not to join a breakout session. Instead, allow them to use this time for personal reflection. You could offer guided questions or prompts to help them engage with the material independently, ensuring they still benefit from the session in a way that feels comfortable for them.

Enable Recording

When participants move into Breakout Rooms, only the room where the host is present will be recorded by default. To ensure Breakout Room discussions are captured, enable the option for participants to record their breakout sessions.

Adjust Chat Display Size

Participants can customize the chat display size to suit their individual needs and preferences.

Save In-Meeting Chats

Chat logs can be saved locally or to the Zoom Cloud. Local saves capture all chats visible to you, including private messages. Cloud saves only store messages sent to everyone and those sent during cloud recording.

Send Resources Linked in Chat Via Email

While Chat is useful, links shared there may not work with assistive technologies. Send important links to participants before or after the session for better accessibility.

Limit Use of the Zoom Polling Feature

The Zoom polling tool has accessibility limitations that make it a challenge to both presenters and participants. with certain disabilities. While it can be accessed by those using assistive technology, it does not support participation from individuals who have joined the meeting by phone, limiting its inclusivity.

Reactions in Zoom allow participants to provide feedback and engage non-verbally, making them particularly useful for indicating actions like Yes, No, Slow Down, and Speed Up. While they are an effective tool for communication, they require time. Participants may experience delays in seeing others' reactions, especially if there is lag. Additionally, it might take time for some users to send reactions—particularly those using screen readers or other assistive technologies.