Collective Access as a Presenter

What do I need to prepare for my session?

The minimum requirements to meet the AAA’s standards for accessible materials this year are:

1. List of terms

2. Outline

3. Visual Descriptions

4. Accessible slides, poster and/or PDF (depending on session type)

5. Slower pace of speaking

6. Introductions of speakers

Recommended Speaker Tasks Benchmarks

AAA/CASCA understands that some of these tasks may be new to Annual Meeting Speakers. To help AAA/CASCA Annual Meeting Speakers complete their speaker tasks, the AAA Meetings Team has developed recommended speaker tasks benchmarks. These benchmarks provide an outline that breaks down the time that speakers and organizers have into weeks and days, from the moment when you receive your presentation/session acceptance notices to the presentation materials due date on Wednesday, September 13, 2023. We hope that these benchmarks may be a helpful tool to you and your co-panelists as you develop a planned workflow that supports the inclusion of accessibility into the preparation of your AAA/CASCA Annual Meeting session!

You may view these benchmarks in numbered-bullet point Word document and Excel sheet formats.

The Word document has an interactive table of contents that allows you to navigate to the session type you are preparing for, whether as a speaker or organizer, and the Excel sheet provides a breakdown on two sheets based on whether you are presenting in a Group Session or as an Individual.

You may also view and add the tasks to your Outlook and/or Google calendars, based on your session type, using the links below:

Which session types are considered live group sessions?

1. Oral Presentation Sessions (including those made of individually volunteered papers) (In-Person AND Virtual)
   • Session Length: 105 minutes for entire panel
   • Maximum Time per Presenter: 15 minutes per paper presentation or discussant
2. Roundtables/Town Halls (In-Person AND Virtual)
   • Session Length: 105 minutes for entire panel
3. Conversations or Debates (In-Person AND Virtual)
   • Session Length: 105 minutes for entire conversation/debate
4. Interviews (In-Person AND Virtual)
   • Session Length:105 minutes for entire interview

Materials for Live Group Sessions

1. List of Terms– feel free to use these templates:

1. Template standard print

2. Template large print

3. Or, you can create your own following these guidelines: accessible Word document.

4. Why? A list of terms helps allows CART captioners, ASL interpreters, and others to do their jobs, and helps anyone who may need support with language.

2. Session Outline- feel free to use these templates:
1. Template standard print
2. Template large print
3. • Why? An outline of your session allows CART captioners, ASL interpreters, and others to do their jobs, and helps anyone else who may need support with processing content.
3. Accessible introductions of all speakers
   • Why? An accessible introduction helps support blind and low-vision attendees, as well as others whose processing requires additional auditory information of visuals and provides visual access to each speaker.
4. Avoid speed talking/reading
   • Why? Speed talking/reading makes it difficult for a variety of people to follow a presentation and understand the most critical information you want them to leave with.
5. Announcement of each speaker prior to speaking (i.e. “This is Ed.” “Nate speaking.”)
   • Why? Announcements prior to speaking helps people who are D/deaf, hard-of-hearing, blind, low-vision, or have an auditory processing disorder more easily follow the conversation.
6. Visual description of relevant visual moments
   • What are “relevant visual moments”? Relevant visual moments are moments in which the visual during the presentation changes.
     • This may be something such as you as the speaker lifting up a model of an artifact and describing the artifact (e.g. “I am now holding up to the camera a model of a skull of an Australopithecus afarensis. The skull is narrow and includes a smaller neurocranium, or braincase. There are also large canines visible and the jaw juts out forward. The parts of the model which indicate having been found are in a rough texture, whereas the rest of the model is a smooth plastic.”)
     • Alternatively, this may also include a complete change in scenery. (e.g. “I am now walking outside, wearing a mask, on a beautiful sunny day, and the green lawns of the university campus surround me on either side of the walkway. Three people may be seen walking in a group at a distance wearing masks.” or “A scene pans to the front podium of an otherwise empty classroom. The black chalkboard includes in writing “2019 Words of the Year” underlined, followed by a list: (my) pronouns, they, quid pro quo, ok boomer, and I oop-, nobody, people of means, im [drawing of a peach].”
   • Why? Visual descriptions helps support blind and low-vision attendees, as well as others whose processing requires additional auditory information of visuals, gain access to the visuals of the video.
7. If slides are used: Accessible slides provided in advance in PPT and/or PDF format
   • Here is the template for an accessible Power Point Presentation
   • or, you can create your own following the Accessible slides guidelines
   • Alternatively or in addition to the accessible slides, you can include an accessible PDF version of your presentation.
   • Note: PPT can be checked for accessibility using the “Accessibility Checker” feature. PDF must be confirmed for accessibility using Acrobat Pro.
   • Why? Developing accessible slides helps people who use screen reader; are blind, low-vision, or colorblind; and who need visuals that are not overwhelming and easy to follow.

Which session types are considered individual in-person sessions?

1. Flash Presentation Sessions (In-Person)
   • Maximum Time per Presenter: 5 minutes
   • Session Length: 105 minutes
2. In-Person Posters (In-Person)
   • Session Length: 105 minutes, presenters can engage with attendees at their posters throughout this time

Materials for Individual In-Person Sessions

1. Visual descriptions practices when referencing and discussing visuals on your slides or the poster
   • Why? Describing visuals, such as graphs, maps, pictures, cartoons, etc., and reading text on your slides or poster helps support people who are blind or low-vision, who have a visual processing disorder, or who better process information through verbal explanations of visuals gain access to the visuals of the poster.
2. Accessible slides/poster and PDF (PDF must be confirmed for accessibility using Acrobat Pro) – these will be shared on the virtual platform
   • Template for accessible slides
   • Poster Guidelines
   • Why? Developing accessible slides/posters helps people who use screen readers; are blind, low-vision, or colorblind; and who need visuals that are not overwhelming and easy to follow.

Recommended Tip:

1. A QR code or short link to direct people to a digital access copy of your slides or poster
   • Why? Providing a QR code or short link can help guide people who use a screen reader to a version they can engage with outside of the physical presentation space.

Which session types are considered view-on-demand sessions?

1. Podcasts (Virtual)
   • Maximum Recording Time: 40 minutes
2. Virtual Posters (Virtual)
   • Maximum Recording Time: 10 minutes
3. Talks (Virtual)
   • Maximum Recording Time: 20 minutes

Needed Features for View-on-Demand Sessions

1. Transcript
   • This doesn’t have to be exactly what you say, but should cover your main talking points, similar to an outline. Here is a template.
   • Why? A transcript ensures that people who are D/deaf, hard-of-hearing, DeafBlind, or have an auditory processing disorder are able to engage with the audio of your recording.
2. Avoid speed talking/reading
   • Why? Speed talking/reading makes it difficult for a variety of people to follow a presentation and understand the most critical information you want them to leave with. So remember to take a breath and speak clearly and at a medium pace.
3. If slides are used:
   1. Accessible slide(s) and PDF (PDF must be confirmed for accessibility using Acrobat Pro.)
      • Feel free to use this Slides template, or create your own following our guidelines
      • Why? Developing accessible slides helps people who use screen reader; are blind, low-vision, or colorblind; and who need visuals that are not overwhelming and easy to follow.
   2. Visual description practices when referencing and discussing visuals on your slides or poster
      • Why? Describing visuals, such as graphs, maps, pictures, cartoons, etc., and reading text on the slide helps support people who are blind or low-vision, who have a visual processing disorder, or who better process information through verbal explanations of visuals gain access to the visuals of the poster.
4. If video (of the speaker or surroundings) is used:
   1. Accessible introduction
      • Why? An accessible introduction helps support blind and low-vision attendees, as well as others whose processing requires additional auditory information of visuals and provides visual access to each speaker.
   2. Visual description of relevant visual moments
      • What are “relevant visual moments”? Relevant visual moments are moments in which the visual during the video changes.
        • This may be something such as you as the speaker lifting up a model of an artifact and describing the artifact (e.g. “I am now holding up to the camera a model of a skull of an Australopithecus afarensis. The skull is narrow and includes a smaller neurocranium, or braincase. There are also large canines visible and the jaw juts out forward. The parts of the model which indicate having been found are in a rough texture, whereas the rest of the model is a smooth plastic.”)
        • Alternatively, this may also include a complete change in scenery. (e.g. “I am now walking outside, wearing a mask, on a beautiful sunny day, and the green lawns of the university campus surround me on either side of the walkway. Three people may be seen walking in a group at a distance wearing masks.” or “A scene pans to the front podium of an otherwise empty classroom. The black chalkboard includes in writing “2019 Words of the Year” underlined, followed by a list: (my) pronouns, they, quid pro quo, ok boomer, and I oop-, nobody, people of means, im [drawing of a peach].”
      • Why? Visual descriptions helps support blind and low-vision attendees, as well as others whose processing requires additional auditory information of visuals, gain access to the visuals of the video.

Recommended Features for View-on-Demand Sessions

1. A reminder for the audience to find digital access copies on the 2023 AAA/CASCA Annual Meeting virtual platform
   • Why? People who need additional time to review content or who use a screen reader can then access your presentation materials in their own time and engage with it at their own pace.