Planning Accessible Events

Departments sponsoring lectures, talks, conference, symposia, and/or conferences that are open to the campus/community-at-large should plan proactively to ensure that any attendee has equal opportunity to fully participate in events held at the University of Rochester.

For information specific to online events, please download our Online Accessibility Tip Sheet (Word).

Event Accommodations

Any events should include information on how to request accommodations. Sample statement:

“The University of Rochester is committed to providing inclusive experiences and equal access to programs and services. If you anticipate needing any type of accommodation, please contact (name and contact info of event organizer). In all situations, a good faith effort (up until the time of the event) will be made to provide accommodations.”

Listed below are common accommodation requests you might receive for events along with resources for fulfilling those requests. Please note that any accommodations requests should be treated in a time-sensitive manner, as vendors often need lead time of up to a week or more to make arrangements.

ASL Interpreting

Event organizers need to contact an interpreting agency and hire an interpreter for the event. Please note that requests to agencies should be made as far in advance as possible.

Zoom Webinars

The easiest approach for a wide audience is to use the Webinar format and invite the interpreters to join as co-hosts or panelists so that they will be visible to everyone for the entirety of the event, and will be captured in the Zoom recording.

Zoom Meetings

For Zoom meetings, the interpreter can be added as a participant. The host should instruct the interpreters to change their names in Zoom to "Interpreter—NAME" so they can be easily found. The requesting attendees can pin the interpreter's window in Zoom so they can continuously view the ASL interpreter on screen. A new feature allows the host to give specific permission to a limited number of participants to pin multiple videos. Up-to-date Zoom software is required.

To let consumers know there are interpreters, announce via your presentation, or in the Chat Box, that interpreters are available to "pin" if they click on the three dots in the interpreter window and select "pin."

The host can also "spotlight" the interpreters so they appear as the primary active speaker for all participants in a Zoom meeting.

Note that the host's view of the interpreters will determine what is captured in the meeting recording, so the host should spotlight the interpreters if the meeting is recorded.

Vendors

For ASL Interpreting Requests at UR River Campus (AS&E/Simon/Warner) and Eastman School:

Contact Interpretek
Interpretek Website
Email: roc.office@interpretek.com
Phone: (585) 235-7500

For ASL Interpreting Requests at URMC SMD and School of Nursing:

Contact URMC Interpreter Services
Email: deafprofessional_interpreterservices@urmc.rochester.edu
Phone: (585) 275-4778

Real-Time Captioning or CART

Accurate real-time captioning needs to be coordinated through a 3rd party vendor. Requests to vendors should be made as far in advance as possible.

For online events, captioning can be integrated into a Zoom meeting by following these instructions provided by Zoom.

Vendors

Real-Time Captioning CART Request:

White Coat Captioning
White Coat Website
Email: admin@whitecoatcaptioning.com
Phone: (802) 233-3747

Real-Time Captioning CART requests:

Caption Sync
Caption Sync Website
Email: info@automaticsync.com
Phone: (877) 278-7962

Real Time Captioning:

Caption Connection
Contact: Colleen Grabenstetter
Email: Captionconnection@gmail.com
Phone: (585) 889-8887

Auto Captions

Zoom has an auto-transcription/captioning feature built in using artificial intelligence. Download our tip sheet (Word).

Web Captioner is a free tool that can be used with Zoom to provide computer-generated real-time captions. Download our tip sheet (Word).

Please note that according to the US Dept. of Justice, computer-generated captions are not accurate enough to provide equal access for compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Therefore, free services such as these, though they may be useful in many situations, are not always sufficient or appropriate as a substitute for providing accurate real-time captioning using a third-party vendor if class participants have been formally approved captioned media as an accommodation through the UR Office of Disability Resources. Defer to any stated preferences from the student who has been approved this accommodation, and/or contact the Office of Disability Resources with any questions regarding the kind of captioning required for your class/event.

Other Accommodation Requests

If you are unsure how to provide a requested accommodation, please contact the Office of Disability Resources at disability@rochester.edu for assistance.

Event Materials

Videos/Recordings

Videos shown during a live public event or an event with a requesting Deaf/HH participant, and/or recordings that are later posted online or distributed for those events must be accurately captioned.

Resources for Captioning

Fee-based Services:

Free options using automatic speech recognition: (Please note that these captions alone are not accurate enough to provide access. They must be edited manually. Instructions are included in the links below.)

Handouts and Print Materials

Have handouts and other print materials available in electronic (accessible Word or PDF) formats. For presentations, have printed copies of the presentation available or send electronic versions to attendees in advance, if possible. Please read through our Accessible Materials page for more information to ensure that these materials can be accessed by all attendees.

Physical Access

For in-person events, consider the physical accessibility of the room(s) or space in which you are hosting your event. As much as possible, select rooms accessible to wheelchair or other device users. If you know you have a wheelchair user attending the event in a room that is not accessible you should find an alternate venue. Identify the closest accessible parking and accessible restrooms. Within the room, consider navigation routes and ease of access for all individuals.

Use of Microphone

Encourage speakers and the audience to use a microphone at all times to ensure that all attendees are able to hear and participate.

Food

Clearly indicate allergens and gluten-free options.

Event and Classroom Management Support

Lastly, we recommend speaking with our colleagues at Event and Classroom Management (ECM) who will be able to assist in all aspects of planning a successful collegial event.

Additional Resources for Online Events

Please note: The department or sponsoring entity of an event is responsible for ensuring equal access and opportunity to participate in events convened at the University of Rochester. Departments are responsible for any costs associated with providing equal access for events that they host.