Speaker Resources

Thank you for your interest in speaking at Accessibility Talks (A11yTalks)! Before we add you to the schedule, we need to get more details and share our process to make this a successful event.

What We Need From You

We are excited to hear what accessibility, UX, or inclusion-based topic you want to share with our audience. Please send an email to team [at] a11ytalks [dot] com and provide the following details:

  • Your availability - Let us know what month, day, and time works best for you to present. Our events are typically mid-month, mid-week, and mid-day (Eastern Time) to cover more time zones, but we can certainly be flexible.
  • Your topic - We need a title and a short description (3-4 sentences) of your presentation. If you have presented the talk before and you have a link to that event, please send it as well. Please review our past topics prior to submitting your talk idea.
  • Your personal details - We need your full name, professional title, company, and any pronouns you wish to share. Provide social media (Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.), websites links, email, or other ways people can easily connect with you. Finally, we need a headshot or avatar image of yourself. Note that if there is more than one speaker, please provide all details for each person.
  • Agree to our Code of Conduct - We require all speakers and participants to adhere to our Code of Conduct. A11yTalks seeks to provide a friendly, safe, and accessible environment. The Code of Conduct applies to all community interactions and events. We make a conscious effort to include PwD, BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, women, and other marginalized groups in tech in our speaker line-up.
  • Fun fact - Lastly, please provide us with a "fun fact" or two that you'd like to share with our host for the event. The fun fact "breaks the ice" at the start of the talk and also allows our audience to get to know you a bit better.

Once you've gathered materials for your talk, please email it to team[at]a11ytalks[dot]com

Speaking Engagement Details

We are using Streamyard for our virtual meetings, which is streamed live on our YouTube channel. After the event, the live-stream is converted to a video with captions, and posted to our YouTube channel archives. We are using a Creative Commons license, so you always own your content, but you agree to let us host your content on your behalf.

Here is a typical format for an event

  • The speaker(s) is introduced by the event host who is a member of the A11yTalks team.
  • The presenter/panelist speaks for 45 minutes or less.
  • The host will present questions from the audience. We suggest leaving at least 10 minutes for Q&A.
  • Wrap-up and done!

We have held panels, demos, and interview events in the past as well - so the format is really up to you.

Before the Event

Before your event, we send you a link to your personalized Streamyard meeting and another link for the YouTube live-stream. Please share only the YouTube live-stream link with your network, as the Streamyard link is only for you and the host. We also send a Google Calendar invite so you can reserve the time to avoid scheduling conflicts.

Promotion

From the information you provide to us about your talk, we will create a flyer for advertising purposes. You can see an example of a flyer below. You will be shown the flyer before it is public and can suggest edits. Once approved, we post this flyer on various community channels, such as LinkedIn and Twitter. See an [example of an individual speaker flyer](/media/A11yTalks-Dec2021.png).

Preparation

We offer practice time to get used to the technology. This practice is optional, but at the very least, we do need you to report to the room 10-15 minutes before your talk to test the audio/video and fix any last-minute technical issues. You are not required to share your video.

Make sure to prepare your presentation space and consider the following tips:

  • Make sure you have a stable internet connection, plug your laptop in, and quit all unnecessary apps.
  • Be mindful of your environment. Your audience can have difficulty focusing if there are visual or audio distractions during your presentation.
  • Find a quiet space. Close windows. Keep pets at a distance to reduce distractions from your content. Inform co-workers or house guests that you are presenting to an audience.
  • Be aware of fidgeting with items on your desk or squeaky chairs.
  • Be aware of what is visible in your background.
  • Hard surfaces cause echo/reverb. A carpeted room with furniture and curtains can make a big difference in audio quality.
  • If you plan on using your camera, avoid shining any direct lighting into the camera. Reposition or switch off light sources as needed.

We have provided ASL (American Sign Language) interpreters for past events. Please let us know your needs so we can coordinate to provide accommodations. The earlier you can share your accommodations with us, the better chance we will have to meet your needs in time for the event.

During the Event

Questions from the audience are encouraged during our events. The host for the event captures, curates, and reviews all questions for you to discuss at the end of your presentation during the Q&A time. You also have the ability through StreamYard to answer questions as they arise throughout your presentation. For the Q&A at the end of your presentation, StreamYard allows us to visually display the questions asked, however, the host makes sure that all questions are read aloud, so all attendees know what you are answering. For any unanswered questions, we can share them via a Twitter thread to answer them later.

We offer AI-generated live-captions during the event and manually edit the YouTube captions for accuracy post-event. We highly encourage our speakers to describe any visuals used during their presentation and provide links to resources and slides for our visually-impaired audience. See more presentation suggestions below in the "Accessibility" section.

After the Event

After the event, the A11yTalks team manually edits the YouTube captions for accuracy. Our team re-promotes the event on our social channels, encouraging people that missed the original live-stream to watch. In the meantime, there may be follow-up questions or conversations happening on Twitter or LinkedIn. It would help if you monitor your social channels in the days following the event. Our goal is that your topic connects you with our audience, allows you to continue the conversation, and expands your network of like-minded accessibility professionals.

Accessibility

As you prepare your slides, please be mindful of accessibility. Below are tips to keep in mind:

  • Plan to describe images you use if they contain content relevant to the presentation for people who cannot see them.
  • New vocabulary/techie words are nice to have written on slides, especially for those in the audience who are not native English speakers.
  • Plan to share your slides ahead of time. This allows people to use screen readers or zoom in to view the text on their own devices.
  • Please let us know if you need assistance sharing, and we can help coordinate.
  • Keep in mind color contrast of text/background colors. For example, avoid light gray text on a white background.
  • High color contrast makes text and images easier to read and comprehend. The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 recommend a minimum ratio of 4.5:1 for large text and 7:1 for other text and images. To check contrast, use the WebAIM color contrast checker. For Web content, consider running your presentation through Google's Lighthouse tool.
  • AI-generated live-captions are provided during the event. After the event, we manually edit the YouTube captions for accuracy.
  • Captioning works best when there is a strong audio signal, and the microphone is focused on the primary person speaking.
  • Increased background noise confuses the audio signal and degrades the accuracy of the speech to text.
  • Make sure to place the microphone close to you as you speak for the best results.
  • The better the audio input, the better the captioning output.

You can read further about how to make your presentation accessible from the W3C website.

Questions?

Thank you so much for considering speaking to our group! Please let us know if you have any additional questions or need further accommodations.

  • Email: team [at] a11ytalks [dot] com
  • Twitter: @A11yTalks