Stephen Turner
Akash Kumar
Jordan Lee
Taylor Scott
Make meetings accessible: captions, transcripts and follow-up
An accessible meeting lets every attendee follow and take part, including people who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind or have low vision. Most of the work happens before and after the call: ask about needs in the invitation, choose captions or a human captioner, and share materials and transcripts in formats people can use.
Before the meeting: ask, don't guess
Section508.gov, the US government's accessibility guidance, recommends that every meeting invitation include a way to request accommodations. That holds even when nobody has disclosed a disability.
Send the invitation as an email or web page rather than an attached document. Say what format the meeting takes, what materials people need and how to join.
- Offer real-time captioning by a person (CART) and sign language interpretation as options to request.
- Share slides and documents in an accessible format before the meeting.
- Check that registration and any polls work with a keyboard and a screen reader.
Automatic captions or a human captioner?
Section508.gov says real-time captions can be automatically generated or provided through CART. The ADA describes CART as a service where a transcriber types what is said and the words appear on a screen.
Ask the person who needs the access what works for them. US state and local governments must give primary consideration to the aid or service the person requests.
| Option | How it works | How to arrange it |
|---|---|---|
| Automatic captions | Speech recognition in the meeting software turns speech into text | Turn it on in the meeting software |
| CART | A trained transcriber types what is said, on site or remotely | Book a provider ahead, especially when someone requests it |
| Sign language interpreter | An interpreter signs the conversation and stays visible throughout | Book ahead when an attendee requests it |
During the meeting: habits that help everyone
These habits from Section508.gov help captioners, interpreters and transcription software as much as attendees:
- Introduce yourself before speaking, so people know who is talking.
- Avoid talking over each other and cut background noise.
- Say which slide or page you're on, and describe what's shown visually.
- Read chat questions aloud before answering them.
- Keep interpreters visible, and pause when interpreters switch.
After the meeting: share a usable record
Send accessible copies of anything you showed. If you publish a recording, follow the guidance for accessible prerecorded video.
A transcript helps people who missed something or who prefer reading. Check speaker names and key decisions before you share it, because an error in who said what can change an action item.
Live transcripts and follow-up in Bridge
When you host on Bridge, participants and guests can open the Conversation panel to follow the live transcript, if you as host enable it. Bridge's live transcript is AI-generated, so it doesn't replace CART when someone requests it.
After the call, you get a speaker-labeled transcript and notes. Export the transcript as PDF, Word or Markdown, or share the notes with attendees.
What this page doesn't cover
Legal duties depend on who you are and where you operate. Federal agencies follow Section 508, and the ADA covers many other organizations. Ask your accessibility or legal team which rules apply to your meetings.
Sources & further reading
Keep readingWhat is speaker diarization? →