November 2019
Inspiration: Conference Calls
RantWoman has been inspired by Extremely Weighty Friends to meditate
about Quaker conference calls. RantWoman’s light comes from being part of calls
run by FCNL advocacy teams and from serving as Recording Clerk for Friends
Committee on WA Public Policy / now Quaker Voice, webinars run by
WesternFriend, as well as from conference calls related to blindness advocacy.
RantWoman has also participated in many webinars.
The comments here need editing but are a good start.
RantWoman tartly notes a recent clerking workshop with 52 people ateending.
RantWoman also tartly notes that the experience would have been richer if it
included actual Blind people in Meetings issues. That is only one reason
RantWoman is clear to post these comments and suggestions.
RantWoman recognizes that her deep appreciation for
conference calls is not necessarily shared by others, but here are a number of
accessibility and ecological reasons RantWoman really appreciates conference
calls.
1.
Conference calls are a godsend anytime travel is
difficult whether from rural distance or urban congestion. Conference calls save considerable travel time
and cut carbon footprint dramatically.
2.
Look for blind people. It’s all like conference
calls: everyone is on the same footing visually. This is not helpful for people
with severe hearing impairment, but RantWoman is happy to suggest options for
amplification or for automated speech to text captioning.
3.
There are currently a number of online options
to support conference calls by phone, or by smartphone, or by other device with
internet connection.. Accessibility, functionality with screen readers /
accessibility tools varies a little but these tools come with call management
options such as Muting so only one person can be heard at a time. People use
the raised hand key sequence or app button to ask to be recognized.
4.
Techniques that work in person also work on
conference calls. Callers can ask to be recognized by saying “Clerk please, this
is ….” Even if more than one person talks at once, this gives the Clerk a
chance to sort out voices and call on people.
5.
There is no substitute for technological tools
that let a moderator mute or unmute individuals, allow individuals to Raise
their hand to be recognized.
The process of the call:
1.
Choose a schedule and if needed set up the call
in advance with the tool of your choice. Some tools also allow for automated
audio archiving so people can listen to the call later.
2.
Prepare materials such as agendas and needed
documents in advance so people can consider matters before the call.
3.
Start with Silent worship. This will definitely
seem weird as callers join and say their name. Sometimes, what is wrong with
weird? The silence helps everyone center.
4.
Respect everyone’s time and allow for a few
minutes of closing worship.
The March of technology: conference call apps for Smartphones
This note from the past is one funky perspective about
accessibility
However, rereading this post, RantWoman realized that technology
has marched forward quite a bit and RantWoman regularly participates in webinars
on her Smartphone. The same techniques and recommendations as above apply.
Typically the app can be installed on either a computer or a smartphone.
Scheduling events generates both a link and a call-in audio-only option for
people who do not have a smartphone. Often, the call can proceed and participants
can follow along with any event Powerpoint.
RantWoman’s perspective: RantWoman has enough vision to
appreciate the Powerpoint if there is screen enlargement but RantWoman has
never tried any of the most common apps in screen reader only mode and cannot
comment.
RantWoman notes that Western Friend uses an Adobe product
for its webinars. For more detail check the Western Friend website.
RantWoman notes 3
teleconference apps usable on multiple platforms: Zoom, GoToMeeting, and
BlueJeans. RantWoman has not checked the websites for documentation of their
accessibility efforts, but RantWoman listed them in order of her experience
with her needs. Zoom has been developed jointly with blind team members and
currently is used by multiple blind consumer groups for their teleconference needs.
RantWoman has decent experience with GoToMeeting except that last time she used
it, the PC version kept shutting down automatically. RantWoman has less
positive experience with BlueJeans. RantWoman is cross about this because a
government entity uses Blue Jeans. RantWoman thinks whoever chose BlueJeans as
a tool should have done better due diligence checking about accessibility
issues. However, RantWoman sometimes when faced with accessibility issues, just
gets simple with the audio only options anyway.
Such is RantWoman’s
Light for the moment.
Faithfully,
RantWoman
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