Accessible Event Coordination
ADA-compliant conferences, meetings and public events — planned so that access is a line item in your budget instead of an emergency in your final week. Full event service, or a single access service dropped into the plan you already have.
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Certified GSA Schedule Holder - Materials delivered to Section 508 and WCAG 2.1 AA
- ADA-compliant events coordinated in all 50 states and the District of Columbia
- GSA Multiple Award Schedule 47QRAA18D00GT — category 541930
What makes an event ADA compliant?
An ADA-compliant event is one where a person with a disability gets the same access to the programme as everyone else: an accessible route from accessible parking to accessible seating, effective communication through auxiliary aids and services such as ASL interpreters, real-time captioning and assistive listening, materials in accessible formats, and no extra charge for any of it. Under Title II, the attendee's own choice of aid or service gets primary consideration.
Access requested three weeks out is a crisis. Access planned in month one is a budget line.
Almost nobody sets out to hold an inaccessible event. It happens because access decisions get made in the wrong order. The venue gets signed before anyone has walked the route from the accessible parking to the ballroom. The programme goes to print before anyone asks whether it needs large print or Braille. The registration form goes live without an accommodation request field, so the ASL request arrives by email nineteen days out — when qualified interpreters in your city for your dates are already booked. Then it is a scramble, an apology, and sometimes a complaint. The work does not get smaller by being left later. It just gets more expensive and more public.
We already do the hard part for a living
The scarce pieces of an accessible event are not the ramps — they are qualified people. ASL interpreters who can hold a technical session. CART writers who can keep up with a panel and a room full of acronyms. Braille and large-print production on a real deadline. Taika Translations has supplied exactly that since 2009 — 102,000+ projects, 300+ languages, 2,000+ vetted linguists, a 5.0★ Google rating, and accessibility work for agencies, districts and healthcare organizations. GSA's own description of the category we hold (541930) names sign language services, closed captioning, Braille transcription, TDD/TTY, deaf and tactile interpreting, cued English transliteration and Section 508 language services outright.
How we make an event accessible
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Audit before you sign
We assess the candidate venue against the 2010 ADA Standards — accessible route, parking counts and van spaces, entrances, restrooms, seating and sightlines, stage and podium access — and tell you what to fix, what to negotiate, or which venue to walk away from. This is the single highest-leverage hour in the whole project.
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Build the access plan into the event
Accommodation requests collected at registration, a named accessibility coordinator, assistive listening with the right receiver count for your room size, ASL and CART staffed to the subject matter, materials in the formats people asked for, and service-animal and personal-assistant handling settled in advance.
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Deliver it, on site, on the day
Interpreters and captioners in place with sightlines that work, equipment tested before doors, signage using the recognised access symbols, and someone whose whole job is access while you run your event. Recordings captioned afterwards.
What you get
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Effective communication, actually delivered
ASL and other sign systems, CART, assistive listening, Braille, large print and accessible digital materials — the auxiliary aids and services the ADA names, supplied by people who do this daily.
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Venue audits before the contract
Routes, parking, restrooms, seating and stage access checked against the 2010 ADA Standards while you can still change your mind about the venue.
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ASL interpreters and CART writers who can hold the room
Matched to the subject matter, not just the language pair. A technical panel and a community forum are not the same assignment.
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Materials in the format each attendee asked for
Programmes, agendas and handouts in Braille, large print and 508-conformant digital, plus captioned recordings after the event.
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Full service or single service
Take the whole event, or just the two interpreters and a captioner. Both are normal orders, and the scope says which you bought.
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Orderable on a public vehicle
GSA MAS 47QRAA18D00GT (category 541930) and NASPO ValuePoint 40-00000-24-00076AJ — much of this needs no new solicitation.
There is a moment in most event projects where accessibility stops being a value and becomes a problem. It is usually about nineteen days out, when a registrant asks for an ASL interpreter and somebody discovers that every qualified interpreter in the city is booked, the programme is already at the printer, and the accessible entrance is on the far side of the building from the accessible parking.
We coordinate events so that moment does not arrive. Taika Translations delivers ADA-compliant events in all 50 states and the District of Columbia — as a full event service, or as individual assistance slotted into a plan you are already running.
You do not need a finished accessibility spec to start
You do not need a finished accessibility spec to start. Most people who contact us know the dates, roughly the size, and that they want to get this right. That is enough. Send us the event details and we will come back with a written scope that names every access service, the venue conditions worth fixing, and what it costs.
The two obligations, plainly
Physical access. A single continuous accessible route — at least 36 inches wide, firm, stable and slip-resistant — running from accessible parking, through an accessible entrance, to accessible seating with companion seats and a clear sightline to the interpreter and the captions. Accessible parking at the count the standards require, with van-accessible spaces and level access aisles adjoining the route. Temporary ramps at no steeper than 1:12. Tents and staging checked so guy wires and support framework are not protruding hazards.
Effective communication. The auxiliary aids and services that let someone actually participate: ASL interpreters and CART, assistive listening systems, Braille and large print, accessible digital materials, and captioned recordings. Under Title II you must give primary consideration to what the attendee asks for. Under Title III you are encouraged to consult them. Either way, the practical answer is the same: ask at registration, then provide it.
The piece almost everyone skips
Designate an accessibility coordinator — one named person who owns access from planning through teardown. The ADA National Network recommends it, and it is the difference between an event where access was somebody’s job and an event where it was everybody’s assumption. If you do not have that person internally, that is a role we fill.
What we do not claim
We deliver the access services your obligations require, to the standards they name, and we document what we delivered. We are a delivery partner, not your legal counsel — we will not tell you an event is “ADA certified”, because no such certification exists, and we will not promise how a regulator or a court would view your event. What we will do is make sure the accessible route is real, the interpreters are qualified and booked, the receivers are counted, and the programme is readable by the people who asked for it in a different format.
Further reading, from the source
The ADA National Network — the federally funded network of regional ADA Centers — publishes the guidance we work from, and it is free:
- Learn about the ADA — the five titles and who each one covers
- A Planning Guide for Making Temporary Events Accessible to People with Disabilities — routes, parking, temporary structures and communication access, built on the 2010 ADA Standards
- ADA.gov on effective communication — auxiliary aids and services, primary consideration, and the qualified-interpreter standard
Accessible-event NAICS codes — the map nobody publishes
Accessible-event work does not live under one code, and that is exactly why buyers struggle to source it. Live CART sits with court reporting. Post-event captioning sits with post-production. ADA consulting sits with technical consulting. Here is the whole map, so you can recognise this scope whichever code your solicitation was written against.
| NAICS | Title | What it covers here |
|---|---|---|
| 541930 GSA contract | Translation and Interpretation Services | The primary code. Spoken-language interpretation, sign language, written translation and Braille conversion. The Census definition explicitly includes establishments primarily engaged in providing sign language services, and GSA's MAS category 541930 is broader still — it names ASL, captioning, Braille transcription, TDD/TTY and Section 508 language services outright. |
| 561492 | Court Reporting and Stenotype Services | Where Census parks live real-time captioning (CART) for meetings and conferences — not in 541930. Many CART solicitations land on this code even when the buyer believes they are purchasing language access. |
| 512191 | Teleproduction and Other Postproduction Services | Pre-produced and taped closed captioning, plus post-event video captioning of recorded sessions. |
| 561410 | Document Preparation Services | Transcription and document-preparation work — a Census cross-reference out of 541930. |
| 541690 | Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services | ADA and accessibility consulting: event access plans, self-evaluations and barrier surveys. Safety consulting is an illustrative example under this code. |
| 541310 | Architectural Services | Site selection and temporary-structure design where an event needs drawings rather than a walkthrough. |
| 541350 | Building Inspection Services | ADA facility inspections of a candidate venue before it is booked. |
| 624120 | Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities | Broader disability-support contracting — sometimes used when a buyer bundles access services into a social-services vehicle. |
A NAICS code describes the kind of work being purchased — it is not a contract vehicle. Taika's GSA Multiple Award Schedule contract (47QRAA18D00GT) is awarded under 541930; the other codes are listed so you can recognise this scope when your solicitation is written against one of them. Work outside 541930 is quoted directly.
- Trusted by State & Federal Agencies
- GSA Schedule Holder
- 5.0★ Google Rating
- 300+ Languages · 24/7 Support
What we cover
- Accessible route from accessible parking to the event space — minimum 36 inches wide, firm, stable and slip-resistant
- Accessible parking at the required count, including van-accessible spaces and level access aisles
- Assistive listening systems with receivers scaled to room capacity
- ASL interpreters, deaf interpreters, tactile interpreting and cued English transliteration
- Real-time captioning (CART) for live sessions, on screen or to a personal device
- Braille, large print and other alternative formats for programmes and handouts
- Section 508 / WCAG 2.1 AA conformant slides, agendas, PDFs and event microsites
- Accessible seating with companion seats and clear sightlines to interpreters and captions
- Temporary ramps, platforms and tents evaluated for slope, width and protruding hazards
- Service animal and personal-assistant policies settled before doors open
- Recognised access signage, including the symbols for assistive listening and sign language interpretation
- Post-event captioning and accessible transcripts of recorded sessions
Who this is for
- Government agencies — public hearings, advisory meetings and national conferences under ADA Title II
- Businesses & associations — conferences, trade shows and annual meetings under ADA Title III
- School districts & universities — board meetings, family nights, commencement, academic conferences
- Healthcare organizations — provider training, patient education events, community health fairs
- Nonprofits & foundations — grantee convenings, community forums, fundraising events
- Event planners & AV partners — access services subcontracted into an event you are already running
- Festivals & temporary outdoor events — routes, temporary structures and communication access
What we verify, and against what
- Venue assessed against the 2010 ADA Standards, using the barrier-identification approach the ADA National Network points planners to
- Assistive listening receiver counts set from room capacity rather than guessed
- Interpreter and captioner qualifications matched to the session's subject matter and format
- Accommodation requests logged, assigned and confirmed back to the requester before the event
- Materials checked against WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 before they are printed or posted
What clients say
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“[Taika] consistently exceeded our expectations... over the past six months.”
Shelley Bales · Belton Independent School District (BISD)
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“Truly exceptional communicators. A real pleasure to work with — everything is done right. AAA+”
Edward · longtime partner
Credentials & registrations
- Trusted by State & Federal Agencies
- GSA Schedule Holder
- NASPO ValuePoint
- Veteran-Owned (VOSB)
- SAM.gov Registered
- FERPA-Compliant
- HIPAA-Trained Staff
- 5.0★ Google Rating
- Serving the World Since 2009
Frequently Asked Questions
What does the ADA actually require at an event?
Two things, broadly. Physical access — an accessible route from accessible parking through the entrance to accessible seating, plus accessible restrooms — and effective communication, delivered through auxiliary aids and services. The Department of Justice describes those as including qualified sign language interpreters, real-time captioning, qualified readers, large print, Braille, audio recordings and written materials. Which title applies depends on who is holding the event: Title II for state and local government, Title III for private businesses and nonprofits open to the public.
Who decides which accommodation we provide?
This is the distinction most planners miss. Under Title II, a public entity is required to give primary consideration to the aid or service the person with a disability requests, and must honour that choice unless it can show an equally effective alternative or that the request would be an undue burden or a fundamental alteration. Under Title III, an entity is encouraged to consult the person, but the mandatory primary-consideration duty does not apply in the same way. In practice, asking the attendee what works and providing it is both the safer and the cheaper path.
Can we charge attendees for accommodations, or add an accessibility fee?
No. Charging a person with a disability extra for the aid or service they need to participate is exactly what the ADA prohibits. That is why we scope access services as part of the event budget from the start — so the cost is planned, not passed on.
What is the difference between CART and captioning?
CART is live, real-time captioning produced by a trained captioner while your session is happening — the right tool for a panel, a hearing or a keynote. Captioning in the post-production sense is applied to a recording afterwards. Most events need both: CART in the room, then captioned recordings for the people who watch later. Note that public buyers often purchase them under different NAICS codes, which is why we publish the code map further down this page.
How many assistive listening receivers do we need?
It scales with seating capacity rather than being a flat number — a room of 50 or fewer needs a small fixed count, and larger rooms add receivers on a per-seat ratio. We set the count from your room's actual capacity when we scope the event, so you are not renting a box of receivers you do not need or short by a dozen at doors.
Can you handle an accessible virtual or hybrid event?
Yes. Live captioning and ASL interpretation both work remotely, and we run remote simultaneous interpretation for multilingual hybrid sessions. The platform matters — some handle multiple language channels and pinned interpreter video well and some do not — so tell us which one you are using and we will tell you what it can and cannot do before you commit.
Do you do accessibility consulting without running the event?
Yes. An access plan, a venue audit, or a review of an event you are already running is a normal engagement. Some buyers purchase that as ADA consulting under NAICS 541690 rather than as language services — either route reaches the same team.
We are a state or local government. How does this relate to the web accessibility deadlines?
They are different obligations that arrive from the same direction. The DOJ's ADA Title II rule sets dates for bringing your web content and mobile apps to WCAG 2.1 AA; the event duties on this page apply now and always have. The overlap is your event materials — a conference programme posted as an untagged PDF is a web accessibility problem as well as an event one. Our post on the ADA Title II deadlines has the current dates, and Section 508 remediation covers the documents.
Event details & consultation
Talk to us about making your conference ADA compliant
Provide your event details and you get a written scope back — every access service named, the venue conditions worth fixing before you sign, and what it takes to deliver. Or book a meeting and talk it through with the team that would run it.
- We coordinate events in all 50 states and DC.
- Full event service, or a single access service dropped into your existing plan.
- Written scope back — no accessibility surcharge passed to your attendees.
Let's make your next event one nobody has to ask about
Send your event details for a written scope, or book a meeting and talk it through with the team that would deliver it.
Prefer to talk? Call +1 830-355-2205 or +1 865-258-7903, quotes returned same business day.
Reviewed by Margarita Ehlinger, Chief Project Manager — updated