Create Accessible Meetings

In recent years, how agencies gather, collaborate, discuss, share, and learn has changed from largely in-person meetings and conference calls to virtual meetings where the audience participates remotely through voice and video from their homes. Now, meetings are often virtual, or a hybrid of in-person and remote participants. For this reason, accessibility can and should be seamlessly integrated into your meeting.

But what types of meetings need to be accessible? How can you make your presentation materials accessible to all meeting attendees? Use this guide to make your next meeting accessible to attendees with disabilities in compliance with Section 508 and other disability rights laws.

When do Section 508 Standards apply?

General Guidelines

In general, it is best practice to make all of your meetings as accessible as possible. When you apply accessibility standards from the beginning, you make the meeting easier for anyone to access and participate. Not only does this help meeting attendees with undisclosed disabilities, but you also benefit those with limited English proficiency, those who are accessing the meeting via phone, or anyone with barriers to accessing the meeting.

Following Section 508 standards in advance also ensures that if and when the standards become applicable to your meetings, you are able to avoid costly rework or remediation to retroactively incorporate digital accessibility into your plan.

Public-Facing Meetings and Seminars

If a federal agency hosts a meeting available to the public, the meeting must meet all applicable Section 508 standards. This includes meetings, seminars, live classes, town halls, or any other type of public meeting.

Internal Meetings

If a meeting is internal, meaning it is not public-facing, then Section 508 applies if the meeting is Agency Official Communication. For example, if the purpose of your meeting is to introduce a new policy or train employees on a new procedure, the meeting must meet all accessibility requirements.

For other meetings, you may still be required to provide accessibility accommodations to specific employees according to Section 504 requirements. Meeting invitations should always include a means to request accommodations.

To determine if Section 504 applies, contact your agency’s Disability Employment Program Manager.

In-Person Meetings

The same standards that apply to virtual meetings may also apply to in-person meetings if you are using ICT (Information and Communication Technology). Hybrid meetings, where some participate virtually and others participate in-person, must also meet these standards.

Examples of ICT that you may use for an in-person or hybrid meeting include:

Projectors
Videos, presentations, and other digital files
Real-time captioning services
Handouts, workbooks, and other physical documents

Other standards related to accessible spaces may also apply. For questions about requirements for physical accessibility, contact your agency’s Section 508 Program Manager.

Meetings with No Known Disabilities

Perhaps you have a meeting with a few team members, none of whom have a disclosed disability, and the meeting is not an Agency Official Communication. In this scenario, Section 508 requirements do not apply, and Section 504 requirements are unlikely to apply.

However, your meeting invitation should still include a way for attendees to request accessibility accommodations, and accessibility best practices are still encouraged.

When you take steps to make your meeting accessible, even when you feel confident it’s not required, you will often find unexpected benefits. You may have an employee that wasn’t comfortable disclosing that they are colorblind, but they inform you of it once they see that your meeting and meeting materials account for color blindness. You may have an attendee who is distracted, but your meeting was organized, had captions they can review, and was easy to follow, making it easier for them to participate.

Start early with good accessibility habits so that your agency is more prepared if and when accessibility is required.

What meeting software should I use?

The General Services Administration does not endorse or promote any one specific meeting software. When deciding which software to use, follow the Section 508 procurement guidelines to identify and obtain the most accessible option for your agency.

In general, you should have meeting software that meets the following requirements:

The interface is usable with keyboard navigation
The software is compatible with screen readers
The software is able to auto-generate captions or integrate live captions
The software allows users or the host to spotlight or pin sign language interpreters

No meeting software is perfect, so research what additional plug-ins may be needed, such as an external chat software.

Accessible Meeting Elements

Follow these guidelines to ensure your meetings meet all Section 508 requirements.

Announcements and Invitations

When you send out an announcement or invitation to a meeting, follow these guidelines:

Deliver the invitation in an accessible format, ideally as an email or web page, and not as a separate attached document.
In the invitation, describe the format of the meeting, required meeting materials, and how to join the meeting.
If attendees need to register, the registration process must be fully accessible.
Include a means to request specific accessibility accommodations, such real-time, two-way captioning (commonly referred to as Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) or an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter.

Audio Content

“Audio content” refers to the voices of all speakers and participants, audio clips, music, and other sounds. When your meeting includes audio communication, follow these requirements:

Avoid overlapping voices or loud background noises.
Ensure that all speakers speak slowly and clearly for accurate interpretation and transcription.
Speakers should introduce themselves before talking so that audience members, captioners, and interpreters know who is talking.
If you are using ASL interpreters, ensure the interpreters are visible at all times for deaf attendees. Provide a pause in audio when interpreters switch signing responsibilities.
If you add captions to the meeting, use real-time captions, either automatically generated or via CART.

Video and Visual Content

Visual content refers to anything visually presented in a meeting, such as a presenter’s face, slideshows, videos, animations, or meeting notes.

Follow these guidelines for making your visual content accessible:

Provide attendees with an accessible copy of any documents shown, including slideshows, spreadsheets, or other files.
Announce what slide or page you are presenting so attendees can follow along.
Provide audio descriptions of content presented visually.
Minimize screen sharing since this is generally not accessible to attendees with vision disabilities.
When referring to chat content, read the question or chat response out loud so that all participants are aware of context.

Interactive Elements

An interactive element is a chat box, survey, questionnaire, or other aspect of the meeting that attendees interact with. Always ensure that these elements are navigable via keyboard or alternative input devices, are readable by screen readers, and are usable by users with vision disabilities (high color contrast, resizable text, and so on). Do not use interactive elements that are not accessible to all participants.

Meeting Materials

If you share a web page or document on your screen, you must share it with your users so they can access it. Ensure all web pages shared meet all Section 508 requirements, and provide all documents in an accessible format and in an accessible location.

Learn more with our guides on creating accessible digital products.

In-Person Meeting Venues

If you have an in-person meeting with some attendees joining virtually, follow all of the same guidelines shown previously on making virtual meetings accessible.

In addition, you will likely need to work carefully with your space to ensure all attendees, presenters, and participants can navigate the entirety of the space, access all information presented visually, and access all of the speech and audio of the meeting.

For further guidance on making in-person spaces accessible, visit the U.S. Access Board website.

Running Accessible Meetings

Before Your Meeting

Good accessibility starts at the beginning of your planning process. When planning and preparing for a meeting, follow these guidelines:

Select the optimal venue and communications platform to meet your guests needs.
Secure support staff, technology and services necessary to accommodate your guests' needs, such as real-time transcription.
Ensure all speakers and presenters are aware of their role in complying with accessibility standards for the meeting so they can prepare appropriately.
Prepare all shared documents, files, and websites to make sure all content is in an accessible format.
Send meeting invitations in an accessible format. Don't forget to include a means for attendees to submit a request for an individual accommodation.
Provide a copy of presentations, handouts, and other materials to attendees in advance in an accessible format.
If necessary, conduct a dry-run or practice meeting to help hosts, moderators, and presenters understand how to:
- Access and operate the controls and interactive features of the communications platform selected for use in the meetings
- Control and manage accommodations such as captioning, ASL interpreting, and audio descriptions
- Provide support for on-site activities and amenities

During Your Meeting

While hosting your meeting, follow all accessibility guidelines for audio, visual, and interactive content. Monitor the meeting to ensure all attendees have equivalent access to all information and activities.

Meeting hosts should be familiar with the controls, features and functionality for the platform being used for the meeting. Having a practical understanding of the platform controls mitigates technical interruptions that can wreak havoc on attendee attention and participation.

Tech Check

When you join a virtual meeting, follow these guidelines:

Fine tune your audio
Use a headset whenever possible
Prevent echoing - only use one audio connection method (telephone or computer, not both)
Mute when not speaking
Fine tune your video
Frame your shot
Consider an external webcam
In larger meetings, consider turning off your video when not speaking

For Hosts and Presenters

As a host or presenter, follow these guidelines to support accessibility throughout the meeting:

Establish communication with support team.
Turn your camera on, whenever possible, to enable lip reading.
Ensure proper microphone positioning, and enable noise reduction.
Prepare a quiet meeting space free of extraneous noises and sounds.
Wear high contrast clothing.
Ensure adequate lighting.
Welcome guests and establish (and enforce) meeting rules.
Inform attendees when meeting is being recorded, allowing sufficient time for individuals to turn off their camera and microphone, or disconnect from the meeting.
Ask that attendees ensure that their full name is displayed for reference.
Ask participants who join by telephone to identify themselves by their number. (Note: Captioners typically call in to meetings by telephone.)
Ask whether all attendees have what they need for effective communication.
Describe what's on the screen (this also helps people who are participating by telephone/audio only).
Use plain language, and avoid jargon.
Ensure speech is clear and well paced.
Read the submitter name and question before answering written questions.
Remind participants to identify themselves before they begin to speak.

For Participants

All virtual and hybrid meeting participants can follow these guidelines to support accessibility:

Confirm access to the meeting platform and features.
Familiarize yourself with platform controls like volume, mute, and reduced noise.
Arrive on-time, if not a little early.
Ensure that your full name is spelled correctly for other participants to reference.
Understand and follow participation rules.
Remain muted when not speaking, and when speaking ensure that your meeting space is free of extraneous noises and sounds.
Participate using speech, chat, polls, Q&A, and "raise hand" (or other interactive features).

After Your Meeting

Gather feedback from attendees on the accessibility of the meeting. Debrief with participants and presenters to discuss what went well and what could be improved for next time.

If you publish a recording of the meeting, follow all of the guidelines for creating accessible pre-recorded videos.

Conclusion

If you are unsure about any part of the process of hosting Section 508 conformant meetings, do the following:

Review the Section 508 Standards
Explore other informational resources on this website, Section508.gov
Reach out to your agency's Section 508 Program Manager

By making your meetings accessible, you are contributing to the ongoing effort to have agencies that are inclusive and open to all.

Additional Resources

Reviewed/Updated: November 2024

*Disclaimer: Reference in this site to any specific commercial product, process, or service, or the use of any trade, firm or corporation name is for the information and convenience of the public, and does not constitute endorsement, recommendation, or favoring by GSA. GSA does not guarantee that outside websites or products comply with Section 508 (accessibility requirements) of the Rehabilitation Act.