By Carolyn Odio, Roster Manager, LWV of Thurston County
DEI's emphasis on diversity, equity, and inclusion is super important and this article addresses the “I” in DEI: inclusion. The following are some free resources that can support inclusion in your League activities for the hearing impaired and those with low vision.
Resources for the Hearing Impaired for Zoom Meetings
- Captions are necessary with Zoom meetings. Automatic electronic captions are available in Zoom at no charge for both free Zoom accounts and paid subscriptions. (Make sure you’re using the latest version of Zoom.) To learn how to install Zoom captions, watch this six-minute video.
- Washington state provides, free of charge, remote conference captioning, which is a person to caption Zoom meetings—this really improves the accuracy of the captions. For more information and to take advantage of this captioning enhanced service, visit the Washington Relay website and fill out the Scheduling Request Form.
- Video of the speaker is absolutely necessary in Zoom meetings. For lip readers it is imperative to see the speaker on the screen. This is necessary even when captions are included. So make sure the video of your presenter is turned on.
Resources for Those With Low Vision
The Braille Institute has created an award-winning low-vision font called Atkinson Hyperlegible. It is free to download.
Why not make Atkinson Hyperlegible the default font for your publications and newsletters? If you use Club Express as your League website host, why not use this font for your website? This font is available through the Club Express Control Panel, under Fonts.
In closing, let's include our low-vision and hearing-impaired members. If you have deaf members, or members with other limitations, reach out to them and ask what they need to participate fully in League activities. This is where we can make a difference and where “the rubber meets the road,” by going this extra mile and making it happen.
Note: This article uses Atkinson Hyperlegible.
