There are steps you can take to make online and offline meetings more accessible and inclusive for deaf people and those with hearing loss.
Before your meeting
Check if anyone needs communication support
Participants might need a British Sign Language (BSL) interpreter or a text alternative to speech.
Text alternatives to speech include:
- automated captions or transcripts for online meetings
- a speech-to-text reporter or a notetaker
Allow plenty of time to arrange communication support.
Test the technology
Make sure any technology you’re using is accessible by testing it with someone who is deaf or has hearing loss.
For an in-person meeting, this may include a hearing loop system. For an online meeting, this may include video conferencing apps.
Plan your meeting in advance
Send an agenda so everyone has clear reference points to follow.
Schedule breaks if the meeting is likely to last for more than an hour, and allow time for any BSL interpreters to swap over if they’re interpreting for a long time
For in-person meetings, choose a well-lit venue without lots of background noise or other distractions.
During your meeting
Find a quiet place
Background noise will be picked up by some microphones and hearing aids, making your voice less clear.
For people with hearing loss, good sound quality is really important in order to be able to clearly understand what is being said.
If you can’t find a quiet place for an online meeting, use any noise cancellation features offered by the software or device you’re using.
Use raised hands to speak one at a time
For in-person meetings, ask attendees to raise their hands before speaking, so people with hearing loss can see who will speak next.
For online meetings, ask attendees to use the ‘raise your hand’ function, and to mute themselves when not speaking.
If colleagues are speaking over each other during a meeting, take control and remind attendees to speak one at a time.
Make sure your face is visible
People who are lipreading need to be able to see lip patterns and facial expressions.
For online meetings, turn your camera on and stay close to the camera.
Do not cover your mouth, chew gum or eat while speaking.
Turn on captions, recordings and transcripts for online meetings
Automated captions are not 100% accurate. Hearing participants can support colleagues by turning captions on as well, so that they can quickly clarify any captioning errors.
Share the meeting recording and transcript after the meeting for reference.
Download our poster guides
These posters contain our top tips for running an accessible meeting, video call or telephone call.
Download our video calls poster (PDF, 1MB)
Download our how to make your meetings deaf aware poster (PDF, 1MB)
Download our deaf friendly phone call tips poster (PDF, 76KB)