Accessible Virtual Classrooms, Events, and Meetings

Event Description

Much has been done and said about accessible webpages and documents, and the pandemic has caused us all to leap forward regarding both remote and distance learning … and yet virtual education and work remain a challenge, and more urgently than ever. The challenges impact the presenter interface, and the audience experience, as well as the Powerpoint and other material being presented by the presenter. Effective distance platforms are technologically challenging for everyone, and often even more so for those with disabilities.

Good news though: the accessible virtual space is fully possible, and that includes preparation, pre-event communications, registration, LMS, collaborative tools… as well as post-event evaluation, sharing and reporting. We can accommodate (and delight) everyone. And we’d love to show you how.

David and his experts will de-mystify for you how you can delight your entire virtual audience while conforming to regulations regarding accessibility for people with disabilities. He’ll even surprise you by showing you how, by doing so, we can often reduce our total cost and effort while creating better experiences for all.

Not only will you comply with the standards (AODA, WCAG, Revised Section 508,…): you’ll be broadening the audience for your content while enriching the experience of all learners. Now covering WCAG 2.0 and 2.1!

“Inspiring, engaging … techniques I can use.”

– Liv Stenersen, Government Administration Services, Oslo (Norway)

You’ll experience techniques you can use right away, as well as gain a whole new attitude towards how making virtual events accessible can also drive down Zoom fatigue. We’ll equip you with a thorough understanding of the best strategies to approach regarding what needs to be done and how.

“Excellent… knowledge I can use.”

– Sandra Clark, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Oslo (Norway)

“Focused and easy to follow.”

-Jason Hollett, gordongroup

“Great. He kept me listening and understanding.”

– Matthew Brunetti, Lixar IT

Each full-day participant leaves with a comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every relevant accessibility success criterion.

“Inspiring!”

– Morten Budeng, King Design

“Excellent.”

– Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern, Affairs Canada

What’s Wrong

Online engagement has moved from optional to mandatory. COVID-19 permanently changed how we work, how we meet, how we present, even how we relate to each other. But the platforms and procedures have not yet caught up in a way that truly includes everyone.

Although many professional presenters now create their events with an awareness of technical design issues, they are still experiencing difficulties with emerging accessibility standards and inadequate classroom tools. Many online events continue to be designed based on assumptions that don’t address the specific needs of people living with disabilities and difficulties and thus fail to deliver the promise of distance work and remote learning for all.

“Very good speaker – good sense of humour.”

– Johan Fong, House of Commons

“Entertaining.”

– Sjur Kristiansen, Telenor Telecommunications Group

“Eye-opening. Love your method of teaching.”

– Jean Descrochers, National Research Council

“I enjoyed it all.”

– Robert Hallat, Public Service Commission

“Right on target.”

– Marius Monsen, Reaktor ID

What Makes This Course Unique

Our course author, David Berman has worked on training in this topic for the Canada School of Public Service, Carleton University, and the Internet Institute. He has worked on the development of an accessible experience for over half a dozen distance platforms. He has completed online accessibility projects for many large organizations including Statistics Canada, the National Research Council, and IBM. He has been the project manager of numerous accessible online products, has developed strategy and design for CFIA, CRA, CMHC, Health Canada, Canadian Heritage, Industry Canada, and the International Space Station … as well as many private sector and non-profit organizations.

What You Will Learn

You will learn how to make your current sites more accessible by complying with current standards and guidelines. Specifically, you will learn:

• why distance accessibility matters to every live participant’s success, not just those with disabilities and difficulties
• assistive technologies we can typically use to mitigate these issues
• discovering which laws and regulations and exemptions (ACA, ADA, Revised Section 508, AODA, EN 301 549,…) apply to live events
• W3C WCAG 2 guidelines and which ones apply to live events
• platform-specific accessibility (and accessible workarounds) for the platforms of your choice (Zoom Meetings, Zoom Webinar, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Webex, GoToMeeting, GoToWebinar, InSpace…)
• pre-event and post-event communications (surveys, ground rules, asking for accommodations)
• presenting multimedia accessibly during live events
  • captions, captioning files, transcriptions (AI and professional transcription), during and post-event
  • audio description
  • integrated described video
  • flashing content
• language interpretation
• accommodating sign language and interpreters
• accommodating participants with every kind of disability and challenge (e.g., participants who are blind, participants who are low vision, Deaf participants, participants who are deafened,
• specific technologies and design techniques used to create accessible live events and the presentations within them (e.g., PowerPoint, Google Slides)
• how to avoid tradeoffs for the typical audience members
• how to create accessible activities that remain intriguing and accessible for all
• what to look for when procuring your platform, LMS, and event management ecosystem
• Q&A until we run out of Qs

“Very good: made me think…”

– Bente Mollevik, Norwegian Savings Bank Association

“Great: very comprehensive. Touching on all aspects of accessibility.”

– Marc Iafelice, CFIA

“David really knows his topics. Very well done: got the point across in a way that can be applied to everyone.”

– Sean Strasbourg, CFIA

Goals

At the end of this event, you will:

• know many techniques you can apply right away to make your events more accessible
• have a comprehensive understanding of current W3C WCAG and current laws and regulations and how to meet them
• be able to make informed decisions as to what degree to comply with accessibility standards
• understand better the experience of those with disabilities participating or presenting in live events
• know you’re doing the “right thing” by creating events that are accessible for all

“Excellent.”

– Steinar Sandum, Adax, Svelvik (Norway)

“Interesting content, really well delivered. Visual and engaging. Gives us a common language and approach.”

– Chris Cook, CFIA

What You Get

When David Berman Communications publicly hosts this course*, regular ticket holders receive:

• a complimentary, comprehensive 160+ page learning guide, detailing every major accessibility guideline (also available separately for $97 with optional 1-on-1 distance coaching)
• a thirty-minute one-on-one personal coaching tele-session with David within a month
• the option to attend this course again in the future, as a refresher, at no additional cost
• the option to attend the first half on one date and the second half at a future date
• a money-back guarantee: if, after coaching and refresher, you don’t think you’ve got your money’s worth, we’ll refund your entire registration fee

(*If you are attending one of our courses hosted by another organization, confirm which of these items apply.)
Register or call 1-613-728-6777… or bring this event to your site: for a keynote, half-day, or full-day event, customized for your group.

Choose your date and register now

Prerequisites: None

– Steve Doody, Justice Canada

“This will make us better communicators.”

– Luc Bergeron, SSHRC

“Perfect.”

– Jean Leclair, Environment Canada

“Excellent: very engaging speaker.”

– Jean-Marc Mondoux, Elections Canada

About the Course Author

David Berman is the principal of David Berman Communications. He has over 25 years of experience in graphic design and strategic communications.

David was appointed a high-level advisor to the United Nations on how universal design and accessible IT can help fulfill the Millennium Development Goals more rapidly.

In 2013, The World Wide Web Foundation had David personally audit the accessibility of benchmark Web sites from over 40 countries for their global report on the state of the Web.

He is a member of the ISO standards committee on accessible PDF documents.

His book (Do Good Design, Pearson/Peachpit, 2009) about how design can be used to create a more just world speaks about universal design and accessibility, and is now available in 4 languages, as well as braille.

He has worked extensively in adapting the printed word for electronic distribution, including software interface development.

He has much experience as a senior consultant in applying accessibility and standards to government Web sites, as well as to private sector clients such as IBM and the Bank of Montreal, both as a strategist and compliance testing/coaching leader. He regularly teaches accessibility principles as part of his professional development workshops, and developed custom workshops for the National Research Council and Ontario’s largest school board. His plain writing, design, and accessibility work include award-winning projects for the City of Ottawa, the Ontario government, and Canada’s federal government. Clients include Justice Canada, Canada Revenue Agency, Health Canada, the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food, the Region of Ottawa-Carleton and the Ontario Literacy Coalition.

David’s opinions have been featured in the Financial Post, the Globe And Mail, the Ottawa Citizen, the Montreal Gazette, Marketing, Applied Arts, HOW, and Communication Arts magazines, as well as ABC and CBS.

David ranks #1 on speakerwiki.org on this topic for a reason. His arc as an internationally-celebrated expert speaker has brought him to over 30 countries. He is a National Professional Member of the Canadian Association of Professional Speakers (CAPS) and the Global Speakers Federation (GSF).

David is currently Ethics Chair of the Society of Graphic Designers of Canada, was named a Fellow (the highest professional honour for graphic designers in Canada) in 1999, and has served as a director and sustainability chair of Icograda, the world body for graphic and communications design.

Who Should Attend

• administrators
• writers, content owners and editors of course material
• graphic and instructional designers who work on eleaning products
• software developers who construct distance event applications
• quality control team members
• managers who need to get their events compliant with current and future regulations

Language:

English or French available on-site.

Duration:

One-day course, half-day course, or keynote presentation (we provide this course tailored or customized on-site for your organization).

To be notified via e-mail of when we schedule new instances of this topic, subscribe to our e–news.

“Wonderful handout! The way extra information, like links and explanations, is included works beautifully.”

– Elizabeth Strand, Making Waves, Oslo (Norway)

“Very understandable and fun.”

– Liz Breines, Ministry of Trade and Industry, Oslo (Norway)

“Highly valuable.”

– Maureen Quirouet, Parliament of Canada

“Excellent.”

– Sylvie Nyman, Indian and Northern Affairs Canada

“Excellent storytelling. Thanks!”

– Sarah Rosenbaum, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for Health Services

“Makes you feel you are part of the course.”

– Arup Ghosh, BMO Financial Group (Bank of Montreal)

“Excellent, eye-opening, and not preachy!”

– Carrie Walker-Boyd, Canadian Food Inspection Agency

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Reviewed October 24, 2013