The Solidarity Circle for Disability has helped to produce the following guidelines outlining good inclusive practice to ensure communication is accessible when we are speaking to others, in person, online or via video. They are not exhaustive.
For any particular event within the life of the Church, it is important to complete an Equality Impact Assessment Equality Impact Assessment to consider what will be the most appropriate thing to do in each situation in order to be inclusive, reasonable and transparent in our decision-making.
Spoken communication (general)
- Make sure you have people’s attention before starting to speak
- Wherever possible find a quiet place to talk that has good lighting. Keep your face turned towards those to whom you are speaking, so they can easily see your lip movements
- Speak clearly, not too slowly, and use normal lip movements and facial expressions
- Use plain language and try to be concise with what you’re saying. Check what you are saying is being understood and, if not, try saying it in a different way
- Do not raise your voice to someone who is using a hearing aid
- Focus equally on those to whom you are speaking e.g. if you are speaking to one person with hearing loss and one without, focus on them both
- Don’t eat while speaking
- Avoid covering your face, e.g. with your hand, while speaking
- If you have to stand or sit side-on, and know you are speaking to someone who is hearing impaired, ask if they have a preferred side
Spoken communication (in a group setting)
- Avoid speaking over one another – one voice at a time
- Try to use venues with a hearing loop and ensure this is used correctly
- Use a microphone and ensure that it is working and is used correctly
- Ensure those speaking into a microphone are also facing the group
- Make sure the microphone is not covering the speaker’s mouth. Be mindful of looking down, for example when saying prayers. This can affect lip-reading and microphone volume
- Any comments made by those without a microphone should be repeated by someone with a microphone
- Write people’s comments on a screen or a flip chart, especially if new language or unfamiliar words are being used
- Present the key information the speaker is saying on a screen or flip chart, as well as giving audible instructions
- Ensure that anyone who is taking notes is also able to participate fully in the meeting e.g. someone who is hearing impaired may need to focus on lip-reading
- Try to keep background noise to a minimum, and be mindful of how noise like rustling papers will be picked up by someone using a hearing aid
- Consider how procedures, such as evacuation plans, are communicated so that those who are hearing impaired are aware of procedures, including for events with overnight stays.
- Don’t assume everyone will be able to recognise the direction of a sound (e.g. asking people to follow someone’s voice during an evacuation)
Online spoken communication
- Activate closed captions through the software you are using, if available
- Designate a hearing person to follow the captions so they can clarify any errors to those who are relying on them
- Use rooms that are well lit and speakers are not sitting with a window behind them
- Ensure the camera angle enables people to see your whole face, so participants can lip-read and see facial expressions
- Mute yourself when not speaking and ensure there is no background noise when you are speaking
- Turn on your camera when speaking, to allow for lip-reading
- Let people know who will be speaking, to give people an opportunity to ‘pin’ the speaker, which helps with lip-reading
- Use visual clues before speaking, such as raising a hand
- If sharing slides:
- make sure the speaker is also visible
- ensure slides are shared in advance, in an editable format, and are accessible How to create accessible resources
- Where possible, avoid virtual backgrounds as these can cause ‘comet trails’ when a person moves, leading to increased visual stress
- Speakers should avoid wearing dark and white stripes or distracting patterns, as these can shimmer or strobe on screen which can cause issues for some.
Videos
- If you are using background music in a film or resource consider offering a version without background music
- Include captions on the video, utilising closed captions on the platform, or open captions if closed captions are not available
- Use sans serif fonts for captioning (e.g. Arial, Antonio, Calibri)
- Ensure captions do not cover important details, or a speaker’s face
- Ensure the camera angle enables people to see your whole face, so participants can lip-read and see facial expressions
- Have speakers clearly facing the camera so their lip movements can be seen, and not sideways on or looking down
- Use locations that are well lit. Try to avoid lighting that comes from the side and creates shadow. Ideally, have lighting at 45° to a speaker's face
- Consider mentioning verbally any text that appears on the screen during the video, including names introducing speakers
- Leave gaps in speech so that people can include an audio description of what is on screen, for those who are visually impaired
- Include a media description as the first comment posted online under videos
- Speakers should avoid wearing dark and white stripes or distracting patterns, as these can cause issues for those with a range of different conditions
- For text that appears on screen during a video:
- Avoid text that reads diagonally or vertically
- Backgrounds behind black or dark text should be pastel-coloured or grey
- Text on dark backgrounds should be white or light pastel-coloured
- Avoid using white text on black background or black text on white background
When using British Sign Language (BSL) interpreters
- Avoid speech or captions that are too fast
- Where feasible, contact BSL interpreters in advance to inform them of any technical language that may be used and send them copies of materials or documents that will be used (e.g. agendas and minutes of meetings, presentation slides, prayers, sermons or Bible readings, etc.)
- For online events:
- ensure BSL interpreters and those using them are given permission to ‘multi pin’ so they can see one another throughout
- manually assign breakout rooms so that BSL interpreters are in the group with the people for whom they are interpreting
Further resources
Guidance on accessibility for those who are hard of hearing can be found from the Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) rndi.org.uk
RNID have also published more detailed guidance on how to make video conferencing more accessible, using Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Zoom, at How to use accessibility features on video conferencing apps - RNID
Guidance on accessibility for those who are visually impaired can be found from the Torch Trust, especially the resources at Torch Trust | SLFC Benefits
Further guidance for making videos accessible for those who are visually impaired can be found from the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) at Making TV ads accessible for people with sight loss | RNIB
Detailed guidance on accessible communication is available from the UK Association for Accessible formats Home - UK Association for Accessible formats