The world’s favorite video conferencing app Zoom has begun rolling out several new accessibility features. The purpose of each is to make Zoom appeal more to individual ASL interpreters or American sign language interpreters and sign language interpreting services.

Accessibility Features for Sign Language Interpreting Services

Available of Wednesday 23rd of September, Zoom’s new accessibility features make it easier for deaf people to isolate deaf interpreters or deaf translator and keep them on-screen. The only question is, do improvements really make Zoom more user-friendly for deaf users?

New Zoom Accessibility Features in Brief

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Zoom has risen to become the world’s favorite video conferencing platform. However, until now, people have criticized Zoom for not being as accessible as it could be for deaf users.

The problem with Zoom largely rests with scaling. As Zoom automatically shrinks video screens as people finish speaking, it can be difficult for deaf users to read ASL interpreter signs and follow conversations. However, in response to deaf user feedback, Zoom now allows users to manually pin and spotlight specific video screens.

• Zoom’s new accessibility features for deaf people follow standards outlined by the A11Y Project which promotes digital accessibility.

• When using Zoom sign language interpreting services, deaf users can now pin and spotlight up to nine different video windows. This makes it possible to easily see a Zoom ASL interpreter or American Sign Language Interpreters as they are signing.

• During presentations, zoom users can also pin specific video screens where a Zoom ASL interpreter or American Sign Language Interpreter might be present, alongside presentation media.

Given recent user improvements, will more sign language interpreting services now start making use of Zoom? As it stands, while some might, others would be wise to think carefully before doing so.

Should More Sign Language Interpreting Services Start Making Use of Zoom?

Because Zoom is so popular, it might now seem to make sense for more sign language interpreting services to make use of the platform. However, deaf interpreters or deaf translator and agencies should still exercise caution.

Throughout 2020, several cybersecurity groups have criticized Zoom for exposing platform users to critical security dangers. In some cases, third-party Zoom users were able to gatecrash supposedly secure Zoom meetings. In others, Zoom has been accused of sacrificing user privacy in favor of mass data harvesting.

Does Zoom Record Your Calls?

Earlier this year, Zoom was criticized for not allowing users to encrypt video calls made via its platform. In response, Zoom has now added 265 GCM transport encryption to all video and voice calls. This might sound secure. However, 265 GCM transport encryption only ensures that data sent between user devices and Zoom servers is encrypted — Zoom itself can still see everything you say and send when using its platform.

What are the Best Zoom Alternatives for Sign Language Interpreting?

Are you looking to hire an ASL interpreter or American Sign Language Interpreter and not sure about zoom language interpretation cost and worried about data privacy and security? If so, your best option at present is still to use services like Languagers.

At Languagers, we allow users to make use of our own HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996) certified video conferencing tools. This ensures that your privacy is always protected. Best of all, we can connect you to an ASL interpreter or American Sign Language Interpreter via our platform in a matter of minutes.

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