Do you prefer to use the Webex video conferencing platform for your remote meetings? Do you have to speak with people who are deaf or hard of hearing? If you answered “yes” to both questions, then you must learn how to add sign language interpreters on your Webex conference meetings.
Webex makes it easy for disabled people to have advanced accessibility on the platform. There are specific features designed for participants who are hearing impaired. It makes their virtual meeting experience just as valuable because they can watch a sign language interpreter’s video in real-time. That way, the participants will still know what is said without hearing anything.
Below are the five steps on how to add sign language interpreters on Webex conference meetings.
1) Send the Invite
Webex is integrated with Microsoft Outlook. Your first priority is to schedule the meetup and send a calendar invite to the interpreters attending your video conference. Once they receive the invite, they need to open it up in their email software platform and click on the link entitled “Attendee Link.”
If you don’t want to use the invite feature when you create your meeting, you can still send an attendee link to an interpreter’s email address directly. Some people might prefer this option if they don’t use Microsoft Outlook or any Microsoft associated email address. An attendee link is always generated after the meeting is created. You can copy and paste the link into your email and pass it around to the other participants.
2) The Interpreter Joins the Event
After the interpreter clicks on the “Attendee Link,” they will have to fill out the “Join Event” form on the new page. The form only requires them to enter their First Name, Last Name, and Email Address before submitting their information. They have to click on “Run a temporary application” and then click the “Run” button on the popup near the page’s bottom.
3) Pin the Interpreter
Webex will automatically display the video feed of the person currently speaking at the meeting. Once somebody else talks, the video feed will switch over to that person. The problem here is that sign language interpreters do not speak, so it is difficult for deaf people to keep their video open.
As the video meeting host, you will need to “pin” the interpreter to keep their video feed on the screen. Near the top of the interpreter’s video window, you should see a little “pin” icon. Click on that icon to pin the video in place, so it doesn’t go away when someone else speaks.
4) Lock Video View
The lock video view feature comes up after you click the pin icon. It gives you the power to lock the interpreter’s video window for yourself only or everyone at the meeting. You can also search for a specific participant and lock the interpreter’s video feed for them. Obviously, this participant will be the deaf person who needs to see the interpreter signing to them.
5) Extra Features
The sign language interpretations do not have to go away after the video meeting ends. Hosts have the power to record the meeting and play it back afterwards for future reference. We recommend you record the interpreter’s video window and re-watch it just in case you missed something. There is a record button on the window for recording the video. It should be self-explanatory.
Closed captions are another neat feature to assist hard of hearing participants. It creates a media viewer window to connect to third-party captioning services. There is no automatic captioner here, so, someone else needs to transcribe the meeting’s spoken words to the participants.