Guide
Recording video lectures for visually impaired students
How to describe video lectures for audience member who are blind or that have low vision to ensure that all important details are included in the video.
As part of my asynchronous online classes, I often have to watch video lectures and presentations recorded by my instructors and take notes on key concepts. This can be challenging if I have trouble reading text in the video due to poor color contrast, small font sizes or if the display is visually cluttered or complex with a ton of information, since it’s hard for me to know where I should be reading. Here are my favorite strategies and tips on recording video lectures for visually impaired students, inclusive of blind and low vision audiences.
Use simple backgrounds for videos and content
When putting together presentations for video lectures, use high contrast colors and simple backgrounds to avoid unnecessary visual complexity, which can make content harder to read. This also applies to virtual backgrounds for speakers, as the automatic blur backgrounds or virtual backgrounds can be disorienting to look at or make it more difficult for the viewer to focus on the person who is speaking, especially if they have a background with text on it or super bright colors that draw the eye away from the speaker.
Related links
- Choosing The Best Custom Video Backgrounds For Low Vision Audiences
- Choosing Device Wallpapers and Backgrounds With Low Vision
Block out ambient/distracting noise
Many students with visual impairments experience sensory integration or sensory processing difficulties. These can make it difficult to concentrate in spaces with a lot of noise, or cause them to involuntarily fixate on this background noise and have trouble understanding what the speaker is saying. This is where having a transcript of the information can also be useful, since students can read the information at their own pace – I mention more about transcripts in a later section.
Minimize the appearance of multi-column layouts
Having two or more columns of text or images on the screen can be challenging to read with low vision, as having text in multiple locations can make it difficult for students to know what they should be looking at. Sometimes, I will use a double-column layout for a slide with a single image and a few lines of text, but having two columns of text or bullet points without line dividers can make it challenging for students to track lines or focus on a single line of text.
Related links
- Adapting Page Layouts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- A to Z of Assistive Technology for Reading Digital Text
If possible, write on a digital whiteboard board
Filming a physical whiteboard or dry-erase board on a wall can be challenging to read due to glare from overhead lights, having the camera positioned at a distance or poor contrast markers. Using a screen capture tool to record a digital whiteboard is a better option for video lectures as the digital markers can be configured in high contrast colors and spoken audio can be recorded simultaneously.
For digital whiteboards, I have had instructors use Microsoft Whiteboard, iDroo and SMART Recorder.
Related links
- How I Use Microsoft Whiteboard With Low Vision
- iDroo home page
- How To Make Things On The Board Easier To See
- Writing Aids For Low Vision: My Personal Superlatives
Run an accessibility checker before sharing content
Accessibility checker tools are helpful for identifying potential accessibility issues in presentations, such as insufficient color contrast, locating images with missing alt text, and applying appropriate text formatting.
Microsoft offers a built-in Accessibility Checker for PowerPoint and other Office applications, which is located on the Review tab or by opening File > Info > Check for Issues > Check for Accessibility.
For Google Slides, one tool I have used is the Grackle Slides add-on extension, which can be downloaded for free from Google Workspace. I don’t use the PDF export option as I find it easier to read text from slides.
Related links
Provide copies of materials used in the presentation
One of the most helpful strategies for making video lectures accessible to visually impaired students/audiences is to provide copies of materials that students can view on their own devices. When possible, it is best to include these in responsive file types that students can sideload into another program or access with assistive technology such as magnification, screen readers, or enlarged font sizes.
Providing copies of materials can include (but is not limited to):
- Slide decks, slideshows, PowerPoint presentations (.ppt or .pptx)
- Code snippets
- Documents or text content (.doc, .docx, or .txt)
- High resolution copies of images (.png)
- Data for graphs or charts (.csv)
- External videos (links or files)
- Website hyperlinks
- Digital whiteboard link
Providing the original files is easier than trying to enlarge a screenshot or paused video, and provides students with increased flexibility on how they access information. In college, my instructors will post this content alongside the video lectures so anyone can access it. In high school, my instructors would share a copy of presentations or notes either on a USB flash drive or in a shared folder for materials hosted on Dropbox.
Related links
- Implementing Shared Folders For Accessible Materials
- How To Create High Resolution Images For Low Vision
- File Formats For Low Vision and Print Disabilities
- Adapting Accessible Charts: Math Problems and Low Vision
- Free Digital Bookmarking Tools For Low Vision
Configure the slide reading order
The reading order of a slide determines when a screen reader reads information from a slide out loud, or the order in which information is presented when the slide is navigated with a keyboard. This is important for copies of materials, as it helps audience members keep track of how information is presented. The typical reading order is left-to-right, top-to-bottom.
To configure the slide reading order with PowerPoint:
View current reading order for PowerPoint
- From the Review ribbon, select Check Accessibility
- Select the Check Reading Order category
- From the drop-down arrow next to a slide, select Verify Object Order
- The current reading order of the slide will appear in an ordered list with numbers indicating how the slide will be read
Edit reading order for PowerPoint
- Select one or more items and drag them up/down (or use Ctrl+ arrow keys) to move them to another location in the list
- To hide a slide element that is decorative or doesn’t need to be read out loud, uncheck the box next to it
- To group items that are meant to be read together, use Ctrl + Click to select all of the items for a group, On the … Format tab at the right end of the ribbon, select Group > Group (or Arrange > Group > Group). Select the group and enter a description for the group of items. Note that animations may not be preserved once items are grouped.
To configure the slide reading order with Google Slides:
View current reading order for Google Slides
- Navigate to the filmstrip layout on the left side of the screen
- Select the thumbnail of the desired slide
- Press the Tab key to view the current reading order of the slide. A bright blue box outline should appear around the element when it is selected by the Tab key
Edit reading order for Google Slides
- Right-click on an element in the slide to move it in front of another element
- From the call-out menu, select Order
- To move the item ahead in the reading order, select Bring Forward (Ctrl + up arrow). To move the item so it is the first item recognized in the slide, select Send To Back (Ctrl + Shift + down arrow)
- To move the item behind in the reading order, select Send Backward (Ctrl + down arrow). To move the item so it is the last item recognized in the slide, select Send To Front (Ctrl + Shift + up arrow)
Avoid terms like “over here” or “right there”
Vague location terms like “over here”, “right there” and “like this” are confusing for me as a student with low vision, as I don’t know where “here” and “there” are unless someone tells me. Examples of more helpful and specific terms to use include:
- Landmark location for where the information is on the slide, such as “third bullet point”
- Verbally narrating content that is typed or drawn on-screen
- Reading code output verbatim
- Announcing slide numbers if moving back/forward more than one slide in any direction
- Describing information in terms of clock directions or quadrants. For example, is this information in the top left corner, or at 3 o’clock
Highlight key visual features of images and graphs
When presenting images in a video lecture, share key visual features that the audience or student should know about, such as trends in data, arrows that link a sequence of images or descriptions of graphics that students are expected to include in their notes or that they will need to know about. Including alt text and/or image descriptions is another helpful tool when sharing copies of materials alongside video lectures, as these can be read out loud by a screen reader or “exposed” as a caption so the viewer can receive additional context about an image.
Related links
- How To Write Alt Text and Image Descriptions for the Visually Impaired
- How To Make Historical Documents Accessible For Low Vision
Include a transcript of spoken content
Captions are a helpful tool for following along with spoken content, but large print captions may block out essential content for presentations or make it difficult for students to follow along. This is especially true for auto-generated captions that may have significant errors, and aren’t ideal for audiences learning about a new topic. A more useful option for students with visual impairments is to include a transcript in a Word or plain text file, which can be read in large print, read out loud with a screen reader or used with a refreshable braille display. For best results, format transcripts with headings that correspond to the slide names and add bulleted lists/numbered lists when appropriate.
Related links
- Designing Accessible Documents With Microsoft Word
- Tips For Using VDWrite In The Classroom With Low Vision
Supplement with audio narrated images
Audio narrated images combine audio tracks with narration alongside images to provide additional descriptions or information, which are beneficial for students with visual impairments. These can be shared as separate videos that go into detail about how to solve a particular problem, describing details of an image, or narrating screenshots of text to provide additional clarification. This shortform content can also be useful for providing students with excerpts of lectures that they can reference more easily than playing an entire video again.
Related links
- How To Create Accessible Videos and Narrated Images With Clips
- Creating Audio Narrated Images For Low Vision
More tips on creating accessible video lectures for visually impaired students
- Want to know how I watch video lectures? Read How I Take Notes During Video Lectures With Low Vision
I find it easier to view content on my computer or tablet compared to viewing information on the board, because I can position it under the lined bifocal in my glasses. Learn more in How To Make Things On The Board Easier To See and How To Make Classroom Videos Easier To See - For students that are sensitive to bright, strobe, or flashing lights, make sure to check content for flashing animations. Learn more in How To Check Videos For Flashing Lights and How I Talk To Professors About Photosensitivity
- Planning on screen sharing? Read Tips For Screensharing With Low Vision
By Veronica Lewis/Veronica With Four Eyes, www.veroniiiica.com
Updated September 2024; original post published January 2022.
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