Welcome back to Ability Central’s “Accessibility 101” series, where our team identifies and offers solutions to the most common accessibility challenges people face in the workplace.
An accessible video presentation follows accessibility best practices at every opportunity. We’ve shared our best tips for prepping and hosting accessible video presentations, but what happens after? What was the goal of your presentation? Did your attendees understand what you were trying to say?
After a presentation wraps up, it’s tempting to call it a day, assume every attendee got what they needed out of the presentation, and head out for happy hour. However, follow-up after a video presentation is just as important as the preparations you take before and the processes you follow during the presentation.
In our previous articles, we talked about accessibility best practices for video presentations: what accessibility concerns to consider while planning your event, and how to improve and maintain accessibility during the event.
In this article, we discuss the steps you should take after the presentation wraps. We cover best practices for sending email follow-ups, sharing resources, and sourcing feedback for accessibility in your next video presentation.
General Accessibility Follow-up Steps to Take After a Video Presentation
Disability needs vary from person to person, and no two people will experience a disability the same way. To that end, there is no “one size fits all” approach to accessibility, but there are general best practices you can follow to ensure your audience has everything it needs after your video presentation.
Ensure accessibility for all attendees after your event with the following best practices:
Send a thank-you email with more information.** A follow-up email is a polite way to keep the conversation going after your video presentation. It’s also a great opportunity to send out materials, double check comprehension, and clarify anything you feel needs more attention after the session.
Share a recording of the session.** If your video meeting happened online, you can record meetings through services like Zoom, Google Meet, or Teams. For in-person events, consider recording speakers with an on-site camera. Just make sure to collect video/multimedia consent forms before you make any of this footage public!
Send a transcript of any prerecorded audio, as well as a transcript from speakers.** This is helpful for people with hearing or processing disabilities, among others.
Review your transcript for clarity and accuracy.** Many free or low-cost transcription services end up full of errors and inconsistencies. Particularly if you know a Deaf colleague needs specific information from your presentation, make sure the transcription or captioning service got that information correct.
Share video materials, if any.** For example, if the video presentation included images like graphs or charts, share these in a larger file format with a caption for each.
Send meeting notes in a succinct summary.** Especially helpful for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities, a short summary of the meeting can help people retain the central ideas you hoped to convey in your video presentation.
Share contact info from speakers (with their permission).** Allow people to follow up with speakers separately to ask for clarification or discuss next steps.
Send follow-up questions to ensure clarity.** Keep the conversation going with follow-up questions for attendees to consider. If attendees are expected to complete tasks after the presentation—for example, new employees completing an online exam after watching a training video—make sure to include these tasks in your meeting summary as “next steps.”
If possible, include a short survey or a similar option about accessibility.** This lets your attendees give critical feedback on the accessibility of your event, speakers, materials, and more. Were the provided accommodations helpful or an unnecessary expense? Would something different work better in the future? Armed with info from this survey, you can improve accessibility for future presentations.
Further Resources
For more information on video presentations, view the other articles in this Accessibility 101 series:
Accessibility 101: Making Video Presentations Accessible BEFORE the Session
Accessibility 101: Making Video Presentations Accessible DURING the Session
Read the Full Series
To view the other articles in our Accessibility 101 series, see:
Accessibility 101: How to Make Virtual Meetings Accessible with Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet
Accessibility 101: How to Make In-Person Meetings Accessible
Accessibility 101: How to Make Video Presentations Accessible
Additional Information
The content provided in this article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for legal, medical, or other professional advice. While we strive to provide accurate and up-to-date resources, some information may become outdated or incomplete. Always consult with your provider about personal medical concerns.
