As a leader and teacher, I have always been passionate about creating inclusive and accessible experiences for those I work with. In this blog post, I want to share some of the practices that I have learned over time from my professional training and from working with great colleagues who also care about these ideas. These are not meant to be exhaustive or definitive, but rather some suggestions that you can try and adapt to your own context and needs.
Leading/Teaching Asynchronously Asynchronous leading and teaching refer to delivering content and activities that your constituents can access at their own pace and time, without the need for real-time interaction with the instructor or peers. This mode of learning can offer flexibility and convenience, but it also poses some challenges for inclusion and accessibility. These ideas also apply to static information such as websites. Here are some of the practices that I use to address these challenges:
- Use diverse names and examples in your content. Instead of sticking to the same old Mary and Joe, try to include names from different cultures and backgrounds, such as Jose and Maria, Aamadu and Zendaya. This can help people feel more represented and engaged in your content, as well as expose them to different perspectives and experiences.
- Choose fonts that are easy to read for the visually impaired. Some fonts are more legible than others, especially for people who have low vision or dyslexia. Fonts like Arial and Helvetica are generally recommended for their simplicity and clarity. You can also adjust the font size, color, contrast, and spacing to make your text more readable.
- Provide captions and alt text for your graphics. Graphics can enhance your content by adding visual appeal, illustrating concepts, or providing data. However, they can also create barriers for people who cannot see them or interpret them. To make your graphics more accessible, you should always provide captions that describe what they are and why they are relevant, as well as alt text that summarizes their content in a concise way. Alt text is especially important for screen readers, which are software programs that read aloud the text on the screen for the visually impaired.
- Provide transcripts for your videos. Videos can be a great way to deliver content in an engaging and dynamic way, but they can also exclude some people who cannot hear them or see them. To make your videos more accessible, you should always provide transcripts that capture the audio content of the videos in a written form. Transcripts can help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as people who have difficulty following spoken language or prefer to read along. Or people who are visually impaired and use a screen reader. You can either create transcripts yourself or use professional services or built-in software (such as Microsoft Teams or PowerPoint) to generate them automatically.
- Address people by their names in every communication. When you communicate with others asynchronously, such as through email or discussion forums, you should always address them by their names so that they know that you recognize them as individuals. This can help build rapport and trust with your constituents, as well as make them feel more valued and respected. This is especially important when you have never met the other person face-to-face or when you have many people in your course or program or are leading.
- Avoid idioms and slang in your language. Idioms and slang are expressions that have meanings that are not literal or obvious from the words themselves, such as “pop the question” or “break a leg”. While they can add flavor and personality to your language, they can also confuse or alienate people who are not familiar with them or who speak a different language or dialect than you. Instead of using idioms and slang, try to use clear and simple language that conveys your message directly and accurately.
Leading/Teaching Live Live leading and teaching refer to delivering content and activities that require real-time interaction with the instructor or peers, such as through video conferencing or webinars. This mode of content sharing can offer immediacy and engagement, but it also poses some challenges for inclusion and accessibility. Here are some of the practices that I use to address these challenges:
- Encourage people to turn on their cameras if possible. Seeing people’s faces can help you establish eye contact and nonverbal communication with them, which can enhance your connection and feedback. It can also help you monitor their attention and participation, as well as their emotions and reactions. To make eye contact more natural, try to position your camera as close to your eye level as possible.
- Engage every person by calling them by name in the conversation. When you teach or train live, you should try to involve every person in the conversation by calling them by name and asking them questions, soliciting their opinions, or acknowledging their contributions. This can help people feel more included and motivated in your session, as well as give them opportunities to practice and demonstrate their learning. You can also use tools like polls, quizzes, or breakout rooms to increase constituent interaction and collaboration.
- Record your session with permission and share it with people who could not attend. Not all people may be able to attend your live session due to various reasons, such as time zone differences, technical issues, or personal commitments. To make your session more accessible, you should always ask for permission from your constituents and record your session so that you can share it with those who missed it or who want to review it later. You can also provide a summary or a list of key points from your session to help people catch up or reinforce their learning.
- Use captions when the technology allows it. Captions are text versions of the audio content of your session that appear on the screen as you speak. Captions can help people who are deaf or hard of hearing, as well as people who have difficulty following spoken language or prefer to read along. Some platforms, such as PowerPoint, have built-in features that allow you to generate captions automatically. You can also use external services or software to provide captions for your session.
- Get a transcript of the conversation when the technology allows it. A transcript is a written record of the audio content of your session that you can access after the session is over. A transcript can help people who want to review or revisit the content of your session in more detail, as well as people who want to search for specific information or keywords. Some platforms, such as Teams, have built-in features that allow you to get a transcript automatically. You can also use external services or software to create a transcript for your session.
- Again, avoid idioms and slang in your language. As mentioned before, idioms and slang can confuse or alienate people who are not familiar with them or who speak a different language or dialect than you. Instead of using idioms and slang, try to use clear and simple language that conveys your message directly and accurately.
- Adapt as needed when someone brings an issue to your attention (including yourself). Despite your best efforts, you may still encounter situations where your session is not as inclusive or accessible as you intended. For example, you may forget to turn on captions, or you may slip into an idiom or slang without realizing it. When this happens, you should be open and responsive to feedback from your participants or yourself and adapt as needed. For example, you can turn on captions as soon as possible, or explain the meaning of the idiom or slang that you used.
I hope these practices can help you create more inclusive and accessible learning experiences for your people, whether you teach or lead asynchronously or live. Remember that inclusion and accessibility are not one-time actions, but ongoing processes that require constant reflection and improvement. This is something that I am passionate about as a leader. As such, I would love to hear from you if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions on this topic.