Media Accessibility Consulting

Accessibility requirements are clear. Knowing what to do next is harder.

CairnWise helps complex organizations—higher education, healthcare, research institutions, and nonprofits—turn accessibility obligations into practical decisions. When to caption, what needs audio description, where the backlog risk actually lives. I help teams see it clearly and act with confidence.

Practical, not theoretical

Helping teams decide what to do next

Most organizations know they have accessibility obligations. Fewer have a clear picture of where their risk actually lives, what to tackle first, or how to build processes that hold up over time. That's the work CairnWise does — turning requirements into decisions, and decisions into plans.

CairnWise helps institutional teams turn accessibility obligations into clear decisions, repeatable workflows, and implementation plans people can actually use.

Services

Focused support for media and accessibility decisions

Media Accessibility Consulting

Assessment of captioning, audio description, video libraries, and remediation practices.

Explore media accessibility

Audio Description Consulting

Practical decision-making support for when, where, and how to provide audio description.

Explore audio description

Accessibility Training Workshops

Clear, implementation-focused sessions for communications, education, and media teams.

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Policy & Workflow Development

Scalable processes that help accessibility requirements move from policy into practice.

Explore policy and workflow

Why CairnWise

Practical strategy for real operating environments

Real-world accessibility experience

Grounded in academic medical center and higher education environments where accessibility decisions affect real workflows, real budgets, and real people.

Strategy and implementation focus

Not just what the requirements say — but what to do Monday morning. Planning, prioritization, and sustainable practices.

Decision-making guidance

Clear thinking on the hard calls: what to remediate first, when audio description is required, and where limited resources will have the most impact.

Why work with me

Experience That Goes Beyond Compliance

I bring more than 30 years of video production experience and over 16 years supporting accessibility initiatives in complex academic and healthcare environments.

My work focuses on helping organizations move beyond accessibility requirements to practical implementation—developing strategies for accessible media, prioritizing resources, and building sustainable processes that work within real-world operational constraints.

  • A trusted resource for accessibility requirements, operational questions, and real-world decision-making
  • Guidance on audio description strategy and accessible media implementation
  • Practical approaches that account for budgets, staffing, and organizational priorities
  • Strategy for prioritization, workflow development, and sustainable accessibility practices

Engagements

Simple ways to start

Strategy Consultation

Focused working session with findings, recommendations, and a prioritized action plan.

Media Accessibility Review

Review of captioning practices, audio description needs, risk, and workflow gaps.

Workshop or Training

Practical training for teams who need to make better accessibility decisions quickly.

Resources

Whitepapers, guides, and media

A growing library for practical accessibility decision-making.

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Guide

UCSF Audio Description for Video Content

A plain-language guide to audio description requirements, archive/backlog decisions, and workflow considerations for video content.

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White Paper

Media Accessibility Principles for Complex Institutions

Foundational principles for universities, health systems, research organizations, and nonprofits building sustainable media accessibility programs.

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Guide

Practical Guide to Media Accessibility Decision-Making

Captions, audio description, prioritization, budget considerations, and risk management.

Open guide

Testimonials

What partners say

Representative feedback from teams working through accessibility strategy, media accessibility, and implementation decisions.

“CairnWise helped us turn broad accessibility requirements into practical decisions our team could act on.”
Higher education accessibility leader
“The guidance was clear, realistic, and grounded in how media work actually happens inside large organizations.”
Healthcare communications stakeholder
“We left with a stronger plan for prioritizing accessibility work and building repeatable workflows.”
Research program administrator

Contact

Let's talk about what's next

Share a little context about your organization, your media accessibility challenge, or the workshop you have in mind.