“If I’m supposed to be the facilitator, I should be the host”: Understanding the Accessibility of Videoconferencing for Blind and Low Vision Meeting Facilitators

Abstract

With remote work becoming a prevalent practice, the use of videoconferencing tools has significantly increased. While the accessibility of these tools in remote work has been studied previously, there is a lack of understanding of how professionals with disabilities conduct meetings using them and what accessibility means in this context. To fill this gap, we investigated the experience and accessibility practices of 18 blind and low vision (BLV) meeting facilitators who regularly use videoconferencing tools. Our findings reveal that BLV professionals undertake several steps to facilitate meetings effectively, including preparing materials in advance, ensuring the security of the meetings, maintaining awareness of attendees’ activity, coordinating with co-hosts to overcome accessibility obstacles, maintaining professionalism, and advocating for accessible meeting practices and technology. We discuss how our findings reveal barriers to career advancement for BLV professionals, help understand the interdependent activity of meeting facilitators and co-hosts, and provide recommendations for making videoconferencing more accessible.