In a monthly staff meeting scenario where the speaker is soft-spoken and your team member does nothing, what is the best course of action?

In a monthly staff meeting scenario where the speaker is soft-spoken and your team member does nothing, what is the best course of action?

• A. Ask the Deaf person if they want you to ask the speaker to repeat what was said
• B. Ignore and continue
• C. Confront the team member
• D. End the session

Answer: (A)

Ensuring access to information in a meeting means actively supporting the Deaf participant to understand what's being said, while giving them control over how they want that access provided. If the speaker is soft-spoken and parts of the discussion are unclear, the best course is to check with the Deaf participant and offer to have the speaker repeat the critical points. This approach respects the person’s autonomy: they can decide whether they want a repetition, a paraphrase, or a different method (like a written summary or visual notes). It also preserves the meeting flow without putting you in the middle of a potential conflict or abruptly ending the session. Choosing this option keeps the focus on the participant’s needs and maintains a supportive, professional environment. It’s better than ignoring the issue, confronting a teammate, or ending the session, which don’t actively improve access for the Deaf participant. If needed, you can coordinate with the interpreter or use clarifying strategies after the request to ensure everyone stays on the same page.

Ensuring access to information in a meeting means actively supporting the Deaf participant to understand what's being said, while giving them control over how they want that access provided. If the speaker is soft-spoken and parts of the discussion are unclear, the best course is to check with the Deaf participant and offer to have the speaker repeat the critical points. This approach respects the person’s autonomy: they can decide whether they want a repetition, a paraphrase, or a different method (like a written summary or visual notes). It also preserves the meeting flow without putting you in the middle of a potential conflict or abruptly ending the session.

Choosing this option keeps the focus on the participant’s needs and maintains a supportive, professional environment. It’s better than ignoring the issue, confronting a teammate, or ending the session, which don’t actively improve access for the Deaf participant. If needed, you can coordinate with the interpreter or use clarifying strategies after the request to ensure everyone stays on the same page.