Online meetings and engagement
People with disability should have equal access and be able to participate in online meetings, events and webinars. This means people speak, are visible and sometimes show things on screen. Below are some tips to make your meetings, events and webinars more accessible.
Top tips when speaking in online meetings
- Introduce yourself.
- Provide a short description of yourself.
- Speak loudly and clearly.
- Use short sentences.
- Repeat key messages during your presentation.
- Describe and read out any slides you present.
Top tips for slides
- Font size is important. Use a minimum 24 points for text, 1.5 line spacing, text aligned to the left.
- Maximum six lines of text per slide.
- Use sentence case.
- Try not to use italics or underline.
- Include alt text for images, icons, shapes, text boxes and objects.
- Use bullet points.
- Colour contrast is important – avoid using text over images or multi-coloured backgrounds.
Top tips for invitations
- Make it clear on the invitations how people can ask for access requirements.
- Use inclusive language—let people know they are welcome.
- Think about how you invite people—the words you use (simple, respectful), the format you use (paper, online) and channels (social media, newsletters, radio).
- List the access options for the event and venue.
- Make sure invitations are easy to read. Consider font size, layout, colour contrast and images.
- Make sure your invitation can be read by screen readers.
- Include alt-text for images.
- Include the name and contact information of someone that can answer questions about accessibility before and during the event.
Top tips for additional materials
- Make sure the agenda and notes are accessible.
- Ask participants to record the meeting and let them know if you plan on sharing or publishing the video.
- Record and transcribe your meeting. You can do this using Microsoft 365. For full instructions visit transcribe your recordings.
Check: you can check the accessibility of your PowerPoint presentation with the Office 365 Accessibility Checker.
Find out more
- Hosting accessible and inclusive meetings fact sheet (PDF, 226 KB)
- Inclusion Australia’s tips for inclusive meetings
Engagement and consultation
Engagement and consultation mean that people with disability and their families have the chance to have their say about public policy and community life.
Top tips for engagement and consultation
- The most important thing to remember is to do things with people with disability—not to them or for them.
- Plan for people with disability to be involved in consultation by having alternative formats ready (e.g. easy read, Easy English, large print).
- Think about accessibility early and ask everyone you invite to be involved in how you can make the activity accessible.
- Tell people what you can and can’t do to make consultation accessible.
- Be accountable if you can’t meet an accessibility request.
- Consider how people with disability from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds can be included in your engagement and consultation through the use of translators and interpreters.
Things to consider
When planning engagement and consultation activities, it’s important to consider how disability may impact participation. Some factors that can affect engagement include:
- The pace of activities and whether participants have enough time to process information.
- Confusing tasks or unclear instructions
- Loud or overstimulating environments, especially during group activities or breaks.
- Challenges with executive functioning, intrusive thoughts, or time blindness.