This article is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice.
Video may carry some of a nonprofit’s most important information: how to receive services, attend an event, donate, volunteer, or understand a program. An accessibility plan helps make that information available to people who cannot fully hear or see the video. It also gives a small communications team a repeatable process instead of a last-minute repair.
Start by treating captions, transcripts, and audio description as related but distinct deliverables. Each solves a different access problem, and one does not automatically replace the others.
Know what each format does
Captions are synchronized text displayed while a video plays. They communicate spoken words and meaningful audio, including speaker identification when it matters and relevant sounds such as music or sound effects. For a viewer who cannot hear the video, captions make its audio content available during playback. W3C identifies captions for prerecorded synchronized media as a Level A WCAG 2.2 criterion and captions for live synchronized media as a Level AA criterion. WCAG 2.2 is a practical framework for planning this work.
A transcript is a readable text version placed close to the video, so people can find it and read at their own pace. A useful transcript identifies speakers and includes meaningful sounds. If it is meant to provide access to information that appears only visually, it also needs descriptions of those essential visuals. W3C treats captions plus a transcript as a best practice; a transcript alone does not generally take the place of synchronized captions for a standard prerecorded video. W3C’s preliminary review guidance offers a useful check for both.
Audio description communicates visual information that a viewer needs in order to understand the message. That might include a statistic on a slide, a demonstrated task, a relevant reaction, a location change, or text that appears only on screen. It is not a demand to describe every visual detail. A straightforward talking-head video may not need description if the visuals add nothing beyond what is already said aloud. W3C’s guidance on visual description focuses on information that is necessary for understanding.
Build access into the production plan
The easiest description is often information built into the original script. During an interview, presentation, or tutorial, ask speakers to say what matters rather than point, gesture, rely on color, or say that viewers can see the answer on screen. A presenter using a chart can state the relevant figures and the conclusion. A trainer demonstrating a process can name the object and describe the action as it happens.
This approach is often called integrated description. It can reduce the need for a separate described version because the essential visuals are already part of the audio. W3C recommends planning this language before recording, when a team can adjust a script or storyboard more easily than it can retrofit finished footage. Its audio and video content guidance explains how verbalizing important visual information supports access.
For every video, use two simple tests. First, could someone understand the facts, instructions, story, and call to action without hearing it? If not, the video needs accurate captions. Next, could someone understand those same elements without seeing it? If not, include the visual information in the spoken content, offer audio description, or provide a descriptive transcript appropriate to the video and where it is published.
Use a lightweight publishing workflow
Begin with an inventory of everywhere your organization publishes video, including its website, donation and event pages, learning materials, campaign landing pages, and social posts. Classify each item as prerecorded, live, audio-only, or video-only. This prevents a team from applying the same solution to formats with different needs.
Make caption review a publishing step. Automatically generated captions can be a starting draft, but W3C cautions that they are not sufficient on their own because accuracy can be inadequate. Before publication, check timing, names, acronyms, specialized terms, punctuation when it affects meaning, speaker changes, and meaningful sounds. Then view the version that audiences will actually receive, rather than reviewing only an editing file.
Post a clearly labeled transcript near the video. Confirm that essential visual information has been spoken, separately described, or included in a descriptive transcript. This final check is especially useful for videos with service instructions, eligibility information, volunteer training, beneficiary stories, or fundraising calls to action, where missing information can change what a viewer understands.
Plan differently for live video
Livestreams, webinars, virtual fundraisers, and live events with synchronized audio need their own plan. WCAG 2.2 places live captions at Level AA. Arrange for live captioning before the event, rather than waiting until the program starts. If the recording will remain available afterward, review it as a prerecorded asset: correct captions as needed, add a nearby transcript, and assess whether essential visual information needs description. WCAG 2.2’s media criteria distinguish these live and prerecorded needs.
Understand the legal context without assuming one rule fits all
Accessibility duties depend on the organization and the work involved. The Department of Justice says ADA Title III applies to businesses that serve the public, including nonprofits, and requires equal access and effective communication. It also says it has not issued a detailed Title III web-accessibility regulation that supplies one technical rule for every private nonprofit website. Religious organizations and qualifying private clubs have important Title III exceptions. See DOJ’s web accessibility guidance and its explanation of public-facing businesses.
Different rules can apply to state and local governments. DOJ’s Title II web rule uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA and covers web content provided through contractual arrangements as well as content a government provides directly. A government that contracts with a nonprofit to provide public services must ensure the contractor follows Title II requirements for that work. The stated compliance dates are April 26, 2027, for covered entities serving populations of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028, for smaller entities and special district governments. DOJ’s Title II fact sheet explains the scope and timetable.
Recipients of HHS financial assistance also have a separate Section 504 rule with a WCAG 2.1 Level AA technical benchmark. Its current compliance dates are May 11, 2027, for recipients with 15 or more employees and May 10, 2028, for recipients with fewer than 15 employees. This rule concerns HHS assistance, not federal funding generally. The Federal Register notice provides the current dates.
For that reason, identify whether your nonprofit is an ordinary private organization, a public-facing Title III entity, a government contractor, a state or local public entity, or an HHS funding recipient. Seek organization-specific legal guidance when needed. In day-to-day communications, the practical starting point remains clear: plan accessible language, review captions, publish transcripts, and describe visuals that carry the message.
Sources / References
W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2
W3C: Understanding Captions (Prerecorded)
W3C: Audio Content and Video Content
W3C: Description of Visual Information
W3C: Easy Checks – A First Review of Web Accessibility
ADA.gov: Guidance on Web Accessibility and the ADA
ADA.gov: Businesses That Are Open to the Public