Zoom rolled out new customization features.
Angela Lang/CNET
Zoom on Wednesday launched new features designed to make the video chat platform easier to access for all users. Now, people can rearrange videos in Gallery View into whatever order they’d like by clicking, dragging and dropping. This can help someone with disabilities move an interpreter’s video closer to who’s sharing content in order to see them more easily, for instance.
Users can also pin multiple videos during meetings in order to keep the most important content in place. This can be helpful for some people with disabilities, who can now keep an interpreter and speaker in the same spot, no matter who’s talking. Hosts and co-hosts can give permission for up to nine people to pin multiple videos.
Zoom also launched multi-spotlight, which is similar to multi-pinning, except the spotlighted videos appear for everyone in a meeting. A host or co-host can spotlight up to nine videos for everyone to see. This feature can be helpful for big meetings where organizers want to highlight interpreters and speakers for everyone, Zoom says.
These features join a handful of other accessibility-focused tools on Zoom, including closed captioning and screen reader support. More tech companies are launching accessibility features as organizations and advocates point out the need for greater tech accessibility. The coronavirus pandemic has also highlighted the urgency of disability accommodations.
