Virtual Communication Access

Hybrid meeting with people around a conference table looking at a screen with remote participants. Image by freepik.

Virtual communication through digital platforms, rather than face-to-face interactions, has changed the landscape of communication access. Everyone should be able to communicate and be communicated with fully and equally in order to benefit from these digital interactions. 

Now that telehealth, online school, and virtual workplaces are common, the Virtual Communication Access group explores what constitutes an accessible communication experience in virtual contexts. And, what makes or breaks access to that communication? 

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Group Content

Government documents

Justice Department and HHS Provide Guidance on Nondiscrimination in Telehealth

The Justice Department and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) partnered to publish guidance on the protections in federal nondiscrimination laws requiring that telehealth be accessible to people with disabilities and limited English proficient persons. Protections for people with disabilities include among other things effective communication. Providers must communicate effectively…

Webpages/Websites

#DidYouKnow: HHS provides information on improving access to telehealth at Telehealth.HHS.gov

Federal disability discrimination laws like the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (Section 504) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) prohibit discrimination against people with disabilities and call for equal access to health care services, whether in-person or via a telemedicine appointment. Equal access to telehealth can be achieved by modifying procedures and providing additional support to…

Articles/Blog posts

Achieving telehealth equity for people with hearing loss

In this article, authors Zina Jawadi, Stephen McInturff, and Alexander Chern make a case for providing captioning on telehealth platforms, noting: The Department of Health and Human Services recommends that health institutions select telehealth platforms with live captioning as a feature and provide closed captioning for pre-recorded patient video resources. Yet, automatic or real-time quality…

Government documents

#DidYouKnow: The FCC Requires Communication Access to Video Conferencing as of September 2024

On June 12, 2023, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released a Report and Order in response to reports that video conferencing services lack—or have inferior—captioning; ineffective display of sign language interpreters; inability of blind or low vision users to find and use volume controls; and insufficient user control of accessibility tools. Further, there is no easy way to use…