Planning events everyone can attend

This guide is for anyone at a small charity planning an event: a fundraiser, a community meeting, a training day or a webinar. People with disabilities are part of every community you serve, and most of what makes an event work for them costs little if you plan it from the start. After reading, you'll know the basic rules from the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), what to check at a venue, how to handle interpreters, captions and service animals, and what to ask when people register.

For a session's slides and materials, see running a useful workshop or webinar and making documents everyone can read.

Does the ADA apply to your charity?

The ADA is the federal civil rights law that protects people with disabilities. Title III of the ADA covers "businesses and nonprofits serving the public," according to ADA.gov. If your charity runs events open to the public, plan as if the ADA applies.

There are exceptions. ADA.gov notes that religious organizations are exempt from Title III. State and local governments are covered by Title II instead, with their own rules. Many states and cities also have disability rights laws that can go further than the ADA, so check yours. And whatever the law requires, an event people can't get into isn't doing its job.

Choosing a venue

Most small charities rent or borrow a space. Under the ADA rules (28 CFR 36.201), both the landlord who owns the building and the tenant who runs the activity are responsible; between them, a lease or other contract can say who does what. So ask the venue, and get the answers in writing.

The rules ask existing places to remove barriers when it's "readily achievable," meaning easy to do without much difficulty or expense (28 CFR 36.304). The examples in the rule include ramps, rearranging tables and chairs, accessible door hardware, grab bars, and accessible parking spaces. You can do several of these yourself on the day.

Visit before you book, or ask someone who uses a wheelchair or other mobility aid to visit with you. Check:

• Getting there: accessible parking, a drop-off point near the door, and a step-free route from the sidewalk or transit stop.
• The entrance: no steps, or a working ramp or lift; doors that are wide enough and not too heavy; the accessible entrance open and signed.
• Inside: step-free routes to every room you'll use, including the stage if speakers will be on it; space between tables for a wheelchair.
• Restrooms: an accessible restroom on the same floor, not locked or used for storage.
• Seating: a few seats with arms and some without, space for wheelchairs spread through the room, not only at the back, and seats near the front for people who lip-read or have low vision.
• Sound and light: a working microphone and, if possible, an assistive listening system; good light on the speaker's face; a quieter space nearby where someone can take a break.

Communication access

The ADA requires covered organizations to communicate with people with disabilities as effectively as with everyone else. ADA.gov calls the tools for this auxiliary aids and services. The federal rule (28 CFR 36.303) lists examples, including:

• qualified sign language interpreters, in person or by video remote interpreting;
• real-time captioning, where a captioner types what's said onto a screen;
• assistive listening devices and systems;
• written materials, large print, Braille and accessible electronic files.

A few rules from ADA.gov and the regulation are worth knowing:

• Ask what works. ADA.gov says businesses and nonprofits are encouraged to consult the person about which aid they need. They know best.
• Don't ask people to bring their own interpreter. ADA.gov says you can't require a person to bring someone to interpret for them.
• Don't charge for it. The rule (28 CFR 36.301) says you can't add a surcharge on a person with a disability to cover the cost of aids, barrier removal or policy changes the law requires.
• Undue burden. You don't have to provide an aid that would be an "undue burden," which means significant difficulty or expense. If one aid is too much, you still have to provide another effective one if you can.

Book interpreters and captioners early. Qualified ones can be hard to find at short notice.

Captions and online events

Online events are easier for many people to join, but only if the platform and the content work for them. ADA.gov's web guidance lists common barriers, including videos without captions, poor color contrast, images without text descriptions (alt text) and pages that only work with a mouse.

• Turn on captions for every live session, and check them before you start. Automatic captions make mistakes, especially with names and local words. For a large or important event, or when someone asks, book a human captioner.
• Caption recordings before you share them, and correct the automatic captions.
• Send the link and materials early, in accessible formats, so people using screen readers can prepare.
• Describe what's on screen. Say what a slide or video shows for people who can't see it.
• Use the chat with care. Read important chat messages aloud, since not everyone can follow it.
• Let people join by phone if your platform allows it.

For a hybrid event, check that both rooms, the one in person and the online one, can hear every speaker and every question.

Service animals

ADA.gov defines service animals as "dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities." A service animal can come to your event wherever the public can go.

• Two questions only. When it isn't obvious what the dog does, staff may ask only whether the dog is a service animal needed because of a disability, and what work or task it has been trained to do.
• What you can't ask. You can't ask about the person's disability, ask for medical papers, ask for an ID card or training certificate for the dog, or ask the dog to show its task.
• When a dog can be asked to leave. Only if it's out of control and the handler doesn't take effective action to control it, or it isn't housebroken. Then you must offer the person a way to take part without the animal.
• Emotional support animals. ADA.gov says dogs whose only job is to give comfort or emotional support don't count as service animals under the ADA. Some state and local laws are broader, so check yours.

ADA.gov also says covered organizations must allow miniature horses where reasonable, judged on things like the horse's size and whether the space can take it.

Brief volunteers at the door on these rules. A volunteer who demands "papers" for a guide dog can turn a good evening into a complaint.

Registration questions

Registration is your best chance to learn what people need. Ask about needs, not about disabilities.

Good questions:

• "Is there anything we can do to help you take part fully?" (open text)
• "Would any of these help you?" with checkboxes such as: a sign language interpreter; live captions; materials in advance; large print; a seat near the front; step-free access; a quiet space; a reserved parking space; something else.
• "Do you have any dietary needs?"
• "How should we contact you about your request?"

Avoid:

• asking for a diagnosis or the name of a condition;
• asking for proof of disability;
• making the question required, or putting it where the whole group can see the answers.

Give a deadline that leaves you time to book an interpreter or captioner, but don't turn people away who ask later; do what you can. Keep the answers private and share them only with the people who need to act on them. Our data privacy basics guide covers how to store personal information safely.

On the day

• Put up clear signs for the accessible entrance, restrooms and quiet space.
• Brief every volunteer: where the accessible routes are, the service animal rules, and who to call if someone needs help.
• Ask speakers to use the microphone, every time, and to repeat questions from the floor.
• Keep the routes clear of cables, boxes and bags.
• Afterward, ask attendees what worked and what didn't, and write it down for next time.

Accessible event checklist

• Every invitation says how to ask for what someone needs, and by when
• We visited the venue, or had it checked, for step-free access and an accessible restroom
• The venue's answers about access are in writing
• Interpreters or captioners are booked for every request we received
• Live captions are on for online sessions, and recordings are captioned before sharing
• Materials go out early in accessible formats
• Volunteers know the two service animal questions
• Registration asks about needs, not diagnoses, and the answers are kept private
• We asked attendees for feedback on access after the event