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Hosting online meetings has accessibility and inclusion benefits for people who are not able to attend meetings in person, but they can be inaccessible to others if not done with accessibility in mind.
Follow the tips below to ensure your Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ) meetings are conducted accessibly and inclusively.
When you send out a meeting invite, tell attendees that you’re committed to hosting an accessible meeting and they are welcome to tell you if they have accessibility needs.
You can do this by:
This is an example of an accessibility statement to include at the end of your meeting invites. Make sure you update it so it accurately reflects what will happen at your meeting.
This meeting will have live automatic captions. Copies of the presentation will be sent out one day before the meeting. A captioned recording and accessible copies of presentations will be available [where] after the meeting.
If you have any access needs, please email [address].
Instructions for using accessibility features, including captions and keyboard accessibility, are available on the Microsoft website"
Send out your meeting materials ahead of time. At least one business day in advance is recommended. Before sending, check your materials are accessible:
Remind meeting presenters about accessibility. Some tips for accessible presenting:
Make your discussions accessible by allowing multiple ways to participate. Some people will find typing questions accessible; others may need the ability to unmute and speak.
If you are hosting a webinar with cameras and microphones disabled, it is possible for the meeting organizer to unmute participants when they raise their hand.
Give a clear explanation at the beginning of the meeting how you will facilitate discussions, for example “Today we will be using the Teams meeting chat function to ask questions. You can ask questions as you think of them, and we will answer them at the end. There will also be an opportunity at the end for you to raise your hand and we will unmute your microphone so you can ask a question.”
Wherever possible, use the in-built Teams functions for group interactions rather than third-party websites. It is more accessible for people to stay in one window on their computer during a meeting than try to manage multiple windows. Introducing new technology to people during a meeting can be a barrier to access if they must learn how to use it for the first time, or it is not compatible with their assistive technology.
Some examples of Teams functionality for facilitating discussions and feedback:
Where appropriate, providing a recording of the meeting can make the content more accessible to attendees. This gives people more time to review and process the information from the meeting.
Before circulating the recording, review the meeting captions to ensure they're accurate. You can correct captions while watching the video in Microsoft Stream.
Teams has a number of accessibility features designed to meet a broad range of accessibility needs, including:
Microsoft provides dedicated accessibility support through their Disability Answer Desk. You can get help with making your meetings accessible, browse for support by accessibility need, or access live chat or email support.
At DCJ, we commence our meetings and gatherings by paying our respects to the traditional custodians of the land. This can be done by performing an Acknowledgement of Country or arranging for an Aboriginal Elder to conduct a Welcome to Country. We do this to show respect for Traditional Owners and the continuing connection of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to country.
An Acknowledgement of Country can be a way of showing awareness of, and respect for, the Traditional Custodians of the land upon which a meeting or event is to take place, [MS1] commonly delivered by both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples.
An Acknowledgement of Country should be made at formal events, formal meetings, both internal and external. For more informal meetings it is suggested that you use your own judgement in relation to whether you wish to conduct an Acknowledgement. Beginning your meetings with an Acknowledgement shows respect and recognition for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander continuing connection, culture, land, heritage, and history.
“Always was, always will be, Aboriginal land”.
“I would like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands we all meet on today. I am on the lands of the (people) of the (nation). I would like to pay respect to elder’s past, present and emerging and any Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people here today.”
Note: Exclude the name of the people on whose land you are gathered if you don’t know or there are multiple Aboriginal peoples identified as Traditional Custodians.
An initial full Acknowledgement can be followed by abridged acknowledgements made by other attendees; for example, ‘hello, it’s, speaking from Gadigal land.’
Personalising Acknowledgement
An Acknowledgement of Country is also an opportunity to share what we’ve learned about the history and knowledge of the land and its traditional owners; for example, a brief personal reflection on what the acknowledgement means to you or what you’ve learned about the traditional owners of the land from which you’re speaking.
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