4 Tips for Creating an Accessible and Engaging Hybrid Graduation

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Graduation ceremonies are an opportunity for students to feel rewarded for their hard work by convening with their peers, crossing the stage, and receiving their diplomas. 

The COVID-19 pandemic forced millions of people to quarantine and social distance. It affected nearly every industry,

including education. Schools had to get creative and transition to remote learning and virtual graduations.

Though the world has mostly opened back up since 2020, remote and hybrid learning, work, and events continue to thrive. The global pandemic proved that we can host engaging events partially and completely online.

Many college graduation ceremonies are hybrid – meaning that some attendants are in person and some are online. With hybrid events, it’s crucial that the experience is cohesive and as accessible as possible for attendees in both settings.

Let’s get into the top tips for hosting an accessible hybrid graduation ceremony for students, families, and faculty.

1: Plan Ahead 

As Benjamin Franklin famously said, “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” 

You’ll want to start planning the ceremony by asking yourself some fundamental questions. The following are a few to keep in mind:

• How many people will be in attendance (both virtually and in person)? 
• What is the tech budget for the event?
• What streaming platform are you using?
• How will you ensure the graduation is accessible and inclusive to everyone? 
• Who will be speaking at the graduation? Will they be speaking remotely or in-person?
• How long will the graduation ceremony last?
• What tools will you need to use to ensure attendees are engaged? 
• What does a successful graduation look like for online and in-person attendees?

Before the pandemic, in-person only events were the norm. This quickly flipped to remote-only events being more common due to quarantine and isolation protocols. In the early days of the pandemic when everyone was still getting used to meeting remotely, there was a lot to learn. People were much more understanding about delays, glitches, and all of the adjustments that came with this shift. Now, the expectation is to have hybrid events where the in-person and remote components are seamlessly integrated. 

2: Keep Inclusion at the Forefront 

In addition to remote and hybrid events, COVID-19 led to an increase in the awareness and adoption of web accessibility.

Many people experienced loneliness and isolation during quarantine and relied on technology to remain connected to others. Because the virtual world has become such a significant part of our social lives, careers, education, and entertainment, online inclusion should never be overlooked.

The same way physical locations can be made accessible with automatic doors, wheelchair ramps, or crosswalk signals, online videos and events can be made accessible, too. 

A hybrid graduation requires a few different accessibility services to ensure that all attendants can enjoy the event. Let’s go over what you need and how accessibility can enhance your hybrid graduation.

Live captions

Captions are time-synchronized text that reflect an audio track and can be read while watching visual content. Live captioning is designed for live events and is performed in real-time. 

While captioning is an accommodation for D/deaf or hard of hearing viewers, it provides many additional benefits and is widely used by hearing people. A study that surveyed over 2,000 college students found that 98.6% of respondents find captions helpful for their learning, and the majority of that group uses captions because doing so improves their comprehension. Live captioning your graduation will improve the audience’s focus and retention. 

3Play Media’s live captioning service uses automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology and professional captioners, who receive access to the media at the same time as the viewer, to deliver highly accurate captions in real-time.

Our live captioning process includes the ability for customers to use a secondary stream as a backup live stream linked directly between the encoder and the end video player. In the unlikely event of an interruption to the primary stream, the live stream switches to the secondary stream; when the interruption resolves, the live stream reverts to the primary stream.

If there’s an overflow room for in-person guests who want or need to watch from a different room, the ceremony should be live captioned in those rooms, as well.

Providing live captions during your hybrid graduation, both on the streaming platform and onscreen in person, creates a more engaging and accessible experience for all attendants. If your graduation is being recorded, closed captions can also be added after the event.

Audio description

Audio description (AD) is an audio track that narrates the relevant visual information in media. AD assumes that the viewer cannot see, and therefore depicts the key visual elements that are necessary to understanding the content as an accommodation for blind and low vision viewers.

For those with visual impairments, audio description is key to revealing detailed information that sighted people consume without a thought.

Audio description should be used when there’s information being portrayed solely through visual means that is required for understanding. Things like change in speaker, a student walking across the stage, and stage layout all give context that audio description includes to create an accessible experience for blind and low vision viewers. 

Audio description can be added to the recording of a graduation ceremony after it takes place so that AD users can enjoy the event in its entirety.

ASL interpreters

Including an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter is a great way to make your event inclusive for D/deaf and hard of hearing attendees. Even if your event is live captioned, including an interpreter either in person or on the live stream provides an additional mode of communication that some may prefer.

ASL speakers deserve to have interpreters who know what they’re doing, so make sure you hire a qualified professional. 3Play Media works with interpreters from World In Sign.

Translation

Depending on the student population, it’s very likely that there are graduating students who speak English as a second language. Those students may even have family members who want to show support at the ceremony, but don’t speak English. When a transcript is provided, people who speak languages other than English will be able to enjoy and engage with your graduation ceremony. 

Physical accessibility

Because there will be in-person attendance at a hybrid ceremony, it’s important to consider physical accessibility in addition to web accessibility. Laws like the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act protect disabled individuals from any form of discrimination, so hosting a physically accessible event will also help you avoid litigation.

There are many things to consider when planning a physically accessible graduation ceremony. The following is a list of some measures you should take, though they’re just examples and not inclusive of the full range of possible accommodations:

• Accessible parking 
• Assistive listening devices that amplify sound directly into the user’s ear
• Large print programs for the low-vision community 
• A route to the graduation venue and the stage that’s accessible to wheelchair users

Ensuring an accessible graduation ceremony will create a seamless and memorable experience for in-person participants and attendees.

 The Top 5 Challenges to Accessibility in Higher Ed➡️ 

3: Invest in the Right Technology 

The COVID-19 pandemic showed us just how much technology can bridge gaps between people. When hosting a hybrid graduation, choosing the right technology can make or break your event. 

The first thing to consider is the video conferencing platform you’ll be using. Zoom is a popular streaming service because of its accessibility features and intuitive user experience. However, there are other options you can use, too. 

To provide an accessible experience for online audience members, you’ll want to use a platform that allows you to provide captions and translations. At 3Play Media, we streamline the captioning process for our customers’ live events by integrating with a number of streaming platforms.

Here are some other tech tips to keep in mind: 

• Ensure you have a strong internet connection 
• Provide mics for speakers to ensure high-quality audio 
• Minimize background noise 
• Repeat any relevant comments left in the chat by remote guests for the in-person audience
• Assigning a “point person” to ensure a clear line of communication between the remote and in-person setups. 

For more information about hybrid event technology, watch our webinar Hybrid Event Tech 101: A Higher-Ed Guide to Accessible Hybrid Events. 

4: Be Open to Feedback

Hybrid events have become much more customary since 2020. We’re accustomed to using streaming platforms and video conferencing to communicate, but graduation events use this technology on a much larger scale.

Even when you plan ahead, there may be a few hiccups on the day of the actual event. If there are any technical issues or internet connection problems, be transparent with the audience about what’s going on as you try to solve the problem. It will serve you well to use an accessibility service with great support and failover systems in place.

Universities should always provide a contact email and phone number for attendees to request additional accommodations that aren’t already provided. Additionally, be sure to give students, families, and faculty the opportunity to provide feedback after the ceremony. The feedback you get will inform the way future ceremonies are organized. 

Even though most COVD-19 protocols are no longer in place, hybrid events are here to stay. Preparing in advance for your hybrid graduation ceremony and considering the wide range of guests that will be in attendance will set you up for a successful and accessible event.

This blog was originally published on March 26, 2021 by Samantha Salud and has since been updated for accuracy, clarity, and freshness.