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Online meetings as a deaf person: a thread.
These are my personal experiences of using different bits of software and a mixture of sessions with an interpreter, live captions, and nothing. My first language is English and I'm Level 3 in BSL. Now that's out of the way... /1
These are my personal experiences of using different bits of software and a mixture of sessions with an interpreter, live captions, and nothing. My first language is English and I'm Level 3 in BSL. Now that's out of the way... /1
Blackboard Collaborate
My experience has been limited. I've used it for a mixture of online lectures and BSL classes. It was most effective for me when only the lecturer was the 'presenter' and everyone else had their cameras off and used the chat function. When multiple /3
My experience has been limited. I've used it for a mixture of online lectures and BSL classes. It was most effective for me when only the lecturer was the 'presenter' and everyone else had their cameras off and used the chat function. When multiple /3
people had their cameras on, it felt clunky and awkward. I could hear the 'presenter' okay so long as I could see them on camera, or they were reading from a PowerPoint they were presenting from. I did struggle a bit otherwise and tired easily.
Rating: 6/10
/4
Rating: 6/10
/4
Microsoft Teams
I really enjoy Teams. I have a much smoother experience with it. I've used it for one-to-one meetings, which were easy to lipread from. The live captions are fantastic, which I didn't expect! However, live captions aren't enough for me and I definitely needed /5
I really enjoy Teams. I have a much smoother experience with it. I've used it for one-to-one meetings, which were easy to lipread from. The live captions are fantastic, which I didn't expect! However, live captions aren't enough for me and I definitely needed /5
an interpreter. For meetings with over nine participants: if you use MS Teams in conjunction with Zoom by having the terps on a Zoom call for the sign and in the Teams meeting with their cameras off, it works fantastically. Just a shame about the nine slots.
Rating: 8/10
/6
Rating: 8/10
/6
Zoom
This is brilliant for BSL. Gallery view is *chefs kiss*. You can pin the interpreter to your screen in big spoken English meetings and you don't need to have separate software open for a different call. Big win for me.
Rating 9/10.
/7
This is brilliant for BSL. Gallery view is *chefs kiss*. You can pin the interpreter to your screen in big spoken English meetings and you don't need to have separate software open for a different call. Big win for me.
Rating 9/10.
/7
Skype for Business
I had so much trouble with this. My interpreter did too. Apparently there's captioning, but I haven't used it before. Whenever I tried to 'pin' a speaker it wouldn't stay. It was clunky, had terrible audio and the video windows were far too small, so /8
I had so much trouble with this. My interpreter did too. Apparently there's captioning, but I haven't used it before. Whenever I tried to 'pin' a speaker it wouldn't stay. It was clunky, had terrible audio and the video windows were far too small, so /8
I couldn't even lipread. You wouldn't be able to see anyone sign at all. We had a separate Zoom call for interpreters. The chat function was weird and comments zoomed past.
Overall, it was just a bad experience.
Rating 2/10
/9
Overall, it was just a bad experience.
Rating 2/10
/9
Unrolled version: https://twitter.com/threadreaderapp/status/1266414520370712576?s=19
