Microsoft has added a new feature to help those who are Deaf of Hard of Hearing (D/HH) have the same experience as others during a Teams meeting.
The feature, which is currently in Beta testing, will benefit those who use sign language and display interpreters’ and other signers’ video feeds in an area that’s big enough for sign language to be visible.
Enabling the sign language view is personal, which means enabling it won’t affect other meeting participants.
Here’s how what you need to know before you start using Microsoft’s new sign language view
First of all, there are two ways to activate the Sign Language View: during a meeting ‘on the go’ or as a permanent setting for all future calls.
When Sign Language View is activated, the spotlight remains on the designated signers as long as their video is on. It is possible to highlight or pin other meeting participants without drawing attention away from the signers.
By default, enabling Sign Language View is an individual preference that will not affect how other attendees are able to interact with or experience the meeting. What that means is, if I turn on Sign Language View, it won’t change or alter the settings of the meeting even if I’m the host.
The signer for the meeting doesn’t have to be a member of your organisation. Anyone can be made an interpreter whether or not he or she works for your company.
When someone shares content in the meeting, the prioritised signer’s video stays larger, more visible, and higher quality, but shifts to a different part of the stage.
How to set up Microsoft’s new sign language view
To enable Sign Language View across all your meetings by default, in Microsoft Teams, select (Settings and more) > Settings > Accessibility, and then turn on Sign Language.
If you work with the same sign language interpreters inside of your organization on a daily basis, you can list them in the Accessibility tab, so they always show up in the list of signers in Sign Language View. In the Accessibility tab, you can also turn on captions across all your meetings.
Setting these preferences before a meeting makes it easier to join calls more quickly, so you can catch those first few minutes of chitchat or dive right into a deeper conversation.
How to assign interpreters before a meeting
• Select (Settings and more) > Settings > Accessibility, and then turn on Sign Language.
• To add someone as an interpreter, select Manage preferred signers. Start typing the name of the interpreter, and then select the interpreter from the list of search results.
• To close the Add people as signers window, select (Close).
How to assign interpreters during a meeting
• Select More > Accessibility > Manage preferred signers.
• Start typing the name of the interpreter, and then select the interpreter from the list of search results.
• When ready, select Save.
You’ll find more ways to use Sign Language View in Microsoft Teams on the company’s support page.
Sign Language View is available in Microsoft Teams on Windows, Mac, and web. Microsoft says, both the Sign language view and the accessibility settings pane are currently available in Public Preview, and will be rolling out to GA for the Teams desktop and web clients for commercial and GCC customers in the coming weeks.
It is a handy feature that arrived just to measure up with Zoom’s Sign Language Interpretation for Meetings and Webinars.
Microsoft didn’t specify exactly how many signers or interpreters can be designated. Though the company mentioned that a signer can be designated for everyone.
Unlike for Zoom meetings where the Host can designate up to 20 users as sign language interpreters. Sign language interpreters are shown in dedicated video channels that are pinned and spotlighted, identifying the specific type of sign language they are interpreting.
