Synchronous Virtual Meetings
From the Quick Access series
April 24, 2026 marks the federal deadline for digital accessibility under ADA Title II. At UC Davis, our commitment to accessibility will honor both the mandate and our Principles of Community as we remove barriers for all learners. Part of a series continuing from fall 2025, Quick Access this quarter will focus on improving accessibility in specific teaching and learning contexts. Find all the posts in this series by clicking the yellow Quick Access label at the end of the post.
For more on campus compliance with this law, see UC Davis Digital Accessibility Program Manager Brad Starkey-Owens’ conversation on digital accessibility with Dr. Andy Jones and check the campus Digital Accessibility site. Join the Digital Accessibility Program Manager for Digital Accessibility Q&A Wednesdays at 10:00 AM.
Synchronous virtual meetings can be wonderfully connective and quietly exclusionary at the same time. A few small choices make your meeting much more accessible.
Start with captions and transcripts. In Zoom, enable captions once in your Account settings. After that, they’re always available within meetings you host. Let participants know they can use them by selecting Show Captions. Consider sharing the transcript or recording after the meeting so people can review at their own pace.
Be mindful of links in the chat. In most documents and webpages, the best practice is to use descriptive link text. In Zoom chat, however, links are stripped when the meeting ends and the chat is saved. If you expect people to revisit a resource, paste the full URL in the chat with a short description and include it in a follow-up email or document (for example, “Google: www.google.com”).
As you present, describe visuals aloud so participants who cannot see the screen can follow along. When possible, share slides or materials in advance, or at the start of the meeting, so participants can follow along in ways that work best for them.
Consider asking participants to state their names before speaking. This orients blind participants, people watching an ASL interpreter, and anyone in a large meeting who may not immediately recognize who is talking. Also, repeat questions and comments from the chat aloud so everyone hears the same information, including those who are not following the chat closely.
Pro tip: If you are “popcorning” around the Zoom room, ask everyone to start by raising their hands virtually (click the “Reactions” button in the meeting toolbar and select the “Raise Hand” icon) and then lowering them once they’ve spoken. That will make it easier for you and other participants to determine who hasn’t yet spoken.