{"id":10148,"date":"2026-02-23T23:28:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-24T04:28:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/?post_type=chapter&#038;p=10148"},"modified":"2026-05-01T10:43:32","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T14:43:32","slug":"ai-tools-to-enhance-accessibility","status":"web-only","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/chapter\/ai-tools-to-enhance-accessibility\/","title":{"raw":"Use AI to Enhance Accessibility","rendered":"Use AI to Enhance Accessibility"},"content":{"raw":"According to ChatGPT, artificial intelligence is an exciting development that <strong>has the potential to significantly improve digital accessibility for disabled people<\/strong> by describing visual content, automatically generating captions and transcripts, assisting writing, aiding understanding, and converting between formats. <strong>When designed thoughtfully and inclusively<\/strong>, AI tools can reduce barriers, increase independence, and expand equitable access to information, education, and communication in digital spaces (\"<a href=\"#positive\">Positive impact of AI<\/a>\").\r\n<blockquote style=\"background: #F8F8F8;padding-top: 1rem\">\u201cAI itself is expanding the concept of assistive technology, shifting from traditional tools to intelligent systems <strong>capable of learning and adapting to individual needs<\/strong>. This evolution represents a fundamental change in assistive technology, emphasizing <strong>dynamic, adaptive systems over static solutions<\/strong>.\u201d\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0;padding-bottom: 1rem;margin-right: 1rem\">(<a href=\"#giansanti\">Giansanti and Pirrera 599<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n<\/blockquote>\r\nLearning about AI is essential for everyone. Thinking critically about the (lack of) ethics, (devestating) environmental impacts, constant copyright infrignements, and (financial) sustainability of AI may be key to the survival of humanity. But, AI is not all bad, I promise.\r\n\r\n<hr \/>\r\n\r\nBeing here (wherever here is) is important. But, learning must lead to doing.\r\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"blockquoteside\" style=\"margin-top: 1rem\">\r\n\r\n\"you end up <strong>doing the document rather than doing the doing<\/strong>\u201d\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0\">(<a href=\"#ahmed\">Ahmed 599<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nWe know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ij-GLix2QUQ&amp;t=1250s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI is discriminatory against disabled people<\/a>. Generative AI and AI chatbots (AI) can be uniquely helpful in improving the accessibility of digital content. AI has shown significant promise with:\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Describing visual content<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Transcribing audio to text<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Assisting with writing<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Aiding understanding<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Converting digital content<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\nThere is no guarantee that AI will create accessible and inclusive content. However, harnessing AI to assist with accessible content creation and remediation can assist humans to create more inclusive content and experiences.\r\n<div class=\"blockquoteside\" style=\"margin-top: 1rem\">\r\n\r\n\u201cToo much <strong>action without reflection is mere activism<\/strong>; too much <strong>reflection without action is mere introspection<\/strong> and armchair discussion\u201d\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0\">(<a href=\"#beck\">Beck 134<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\nUnderstanding AI's limitations and capabilities is important. However, to make a tangible different, something must be done.\r\n\r\nIt's time for doing.\r\n<h2>Describing Visual Content<\/h2>\r\nAI has shown to be particularly adept at describing visual content. Consider tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/g\/g-XDGNEuWJ5-alt-text-assistant\">Alt Text Assistant<\/a> in ChatGPT, <a href=\"https:\/\/asuo-ai-labs.streamlit.app\/Image_Accessibility\">Image Accessibility Creator<\/a>, or use a <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/chapter\/ai-generated-alt-text\/#prompt\">detailed prompt<\/a> in most AI interfaces.\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_10206\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"823\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant.png\"><img class=\"wp-image-10206 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of ChatGPT Alt Text Assistant describing an uploaded image.\" width=\"823\" height=\"692\" \/><\/a> Screenshot of ChatGPT Alt Text Assistant describing an uploaded image.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript.png\"><img class=\"alignright wp-image-10213 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of descript providing a description of an uploaded video clip\" width=\"843\" height=\"856\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\nThe description may not be 100%, but using AI to start the process of writing alt text goes a long way to create accessible and inclusive digital experiences. After generating draft alt text with AI, verify the accuracy, edit hallucinated details, and ensure the description reflects the intent of the use of the image.\r\n\r\nAdditionally, consider the impact of apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bemyeyes.com\/bme-ai\/\">Be My AI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seeingai.com\/\">Seeing AI<\/a> that assist Blind and low vision users in real time to identify objects, read text, and engage with the environment.\r\n\r\nFor video, tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/dcmp.org\/learn\/717-dcmps-ai-scene-description-tool\">DCMP's AI Scene Description Tool<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.descript.com\/tools\/describe-video\">Descript's Describe Video tool<\/a> (pictured right) offer a glimpse into the promise of real-time frame-by-frame audio description of video content.\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">\r\n\r\nThey say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, let AI write some of those words for you.\r\nFind a complex image you aren't quite sure how to write alt text for and use one of the tools listed above. It might not be perfect, but AI can get you started.\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2>Transcribing Audio to Text<\/h2>\r\nThe massive expansion of large language models powering AI has led to significant improvements in the accuracy of automatic speech recognition (ASR). ASR is what generates automated captions such as those generated in Zoom and Teams meetings as well as by video hosting services such as <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6373554?hl=en\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/view-edit-and-manage-video-transcripts-and-captions-3cb9acb6-05b2-4f59-a50d-7df61123aa20#:~:text=You%20can%20view%20transcripts%20for%20videos%20in,and%20caption%20files%20*%20Replacing%20WebVTT%20files\">OneDrive<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/knowledge.kaltura.com\/help\/ordering-captions-video-portal\">Kaltura<\/a>. Factor in the rapid advancements in accuracy, while remaining aware that <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1nASCoMbVVJCb8t-joeNJx0oF0sLsSMwL\/view?_hsmi=370127998&amp;pli=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ASR does not yet meet the 99% accuracy<\/a> required for accessible closed captions.\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">Automatic captions will likely not be accurate enough to meet accessibility standards but will do a lot of the work for you. Use AI as it was intended, as a tool to make your life easier. With 85% of the work done for you, you can focus on finishing captions to 99% accuracy. Whatever platform you use, start leveraging automatically generated captions to improve access and inclusion.<\/div>\r\n<details><summary>Bonus<\/summary>Check out device-based automatic live captions for <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#windows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#android\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Android<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#ios\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iOS<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#macos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">macOS<\/a>.\r\n\r\n<\/details><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF.png\"><img class=\"alignright wp-image-10248 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Goblin tools converting overly complicated instructions into shorter, easier to understand text.\" width=\"483\" height=\"709\" \/><\/a>\r\n<h2>Writing Assistance<\/h2>\r\nIf you're an educator, you are likely extremely wary of AI's impact on academic integrity.\r\n\r\nI hear you. I see you. I understand you.\r\n\r\nBut let's not think about the worst-case scenario. Consider <a href=\"https:\/\/goblin.tools\/Formalizer\">goblin.tools Formalizer<\/a> which takes existing text and re-writes it to be more professional, less snarky, more to the point, and many other tones.\r\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">Consider taking some complex documents, such as policy or guidelines, and having AI produce a plain language version. Provide the brief plain language version along with a link to the full policy document. To model best practice, not that AI was used to rewrite or simplify the text to make it easier to understand.<\/div>\r\n<h2>Understanding Complex Text<\/h2>\r\n<a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge.png\"><img class=\"alignright wp-image-10253 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%;min-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of goblin tools Judge tool analyzing text for tone and offering an explanation of the author's potential intention and tone.\" width=\"483\" height=\"557\" \/><\/a>\r\n\r\nRegardless of access means or disability, it can often be difficult to determine the tone of written text, especially communications. Try out <a href=\"https:\/\/goblin.tools\/Judge\">goblin.tools The Judge<\/a> to get an explanation of what the tone and meaning of a message <em>might<\/em> be.\r\n\r\nFor easy-to-read versions of long, complicated text consider <a href=\"https:\/\/quillbot.com\/paraphrasing-tool\">QuilBot's Paraphrasing Tool<\/a>. Another useful tool is to prompt to AI to explain something to you like you are 10 years old.\r\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">The next time you receive a potentially thorny email or message, ask The Judge to give you an opinion on if the sender's meaning and tone is how you are interpreting it.<\/div>\r\n<h2>Converting file formats<\/h2>\r\nAI can take a text prompt and generate a slop image or short video. That's bad.\r\n\r\nAnother thing AI can do is convert images of text to machine readable text. This optical character recognition (OCR) process has been available in Adobe Acrobat or <a href=\"https:\/\/pdf.abbyy.com\/\">ABBYY FineReader<\/a> for a long time. But now, an uploaded document accompanied by a straightforward \"extract the text from this uploaded document\" prompt works with most AI chatbots (according to a colleague, CoPilot did a better job of extracting handwriting from a scan than Acrobat Pro). Keep in mind, automated OCR struggles with columns, tables, maths, figure captions, and decorative elements, so human review remains essential.\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">While not a replacement for human remediation of inaccessible documents, AI OCR can be used to extract text from inaccessible documents. Like other AI tools, let AI OCR help by doing the bulk of the work, leaving only minor edits and touchups for you.<\/div>\r\n\r\n<h2>What now?<\/h2>\r\n\r\nPick one tool and apply it to a project tomorrow. Or better yet, reach out to someone that might benefit from using one of theses and help them get started with it. What little thing can you do to improve the lives of your users?\r\n\r\nOk, do it.\r\n\r\nIs it that easy? No\r\nBut is it really that hard?\r\n<blockquote>\u201cthe principal concern of the modern American liberal is, at all times, <strong>not what one does or believes or supports or opposes, but what one is seen to be<\/strong>.\u201d<\/blockquote>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: -1rem\">(<a href=\"#akkad\">El Akkad 118<\/a>)<\/p>\r\n\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">\r\n\r\nIs there dissonance between your intentions today and your actions tomorrow?<br>\r\n<strong>dissonance, n.<\/strong>\r\n\"inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one's actions and one's beliefs\"\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nHas AI discriminated, stolen, excluded, wreaked havoc on the economy, and accelerated human extinction? Almost certainly.\r\n\r\nBut AI also offers real, immediate opportunities to easily reduce accessibility barriers and make\u00a0tangible, positive change in people's lives.\r\n\r\nBut we have to get to the doing.\r\n<h2 style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem\">Works Cited<\/h2>\r\n<div id=\"ahmed\" class=\"citation\">Ahmed, Sara. \u201c'<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/01419870701356015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You End Up Doing the Document Rather than Doing the Doing': Diversity, Race Equality and the Politics of Documentation<\/a>.\u201d Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 30, no. 4, 2007, pp. 590\u2013609.<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"beck\" class=\"citation\">Beck, D. \u201cCo-operative Inquiry.\u201d Rethinking Methods in Psychology, edited by J. Smith, R. Harr\u00e9, and L. V. Langenhove, Sage, 1995, pp. 122\u2013142.<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"akkad\" class=\"citation\">El Akkad, Omar. <em>One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been against This<\/em>. First edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 2025.<\/div>\r\n<div id=\"giansanti\" class=\"citation\">Giansanti, Daniele, and Antonia Pirrera. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.3390\/healthcare13050556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Integrating AI and Assistive Technologies in Healthcare: Insights from a Narrative Review of Reviews<\/a>.\u201d <em>Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)<em> vol. 13,5 556. 4 Mar. 2025.<\/em><\/em><\/div>\r\n<div id=\"positive\" class=\"citation\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/share\/699dffb1-5ab0-8009-a7f6-09b1311e7a36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Write me two sentences about how AI is an exciting development that will positively impact disabled people by making digital content more accessible<\/a>\u201d prompt. <em>ChatGPT<\/em>, model 5.2, OpenAI, 24 Feb. 2026.<\/div>","rendered":"<p>According to ChatGPT, artificial intelligence is an exciting development that <strong>has the potential to significantly improve digital accessibility for disabled people<\/strong> by describing visual content, automatically generating captions and transcripts, assisting writing, aiding understanding, and converting between formats. <strong>When designed thoughtfully and inclusively<\/strong>, AI tools can reduce barriers, increase independence, and expand equitable access to information, education, and communication in digital spaces (&#8220;<a href=\"#positive\">Positive impact of AI<\/a>&#8220;).<\/p>\n<blockquote style=\"background: #F8F8F8;padding-top: 1rem\"><p>\u201cAI itself is expanding the concept of assistive technology, shifting from traditional tools to intelligent systems <strong>capable of learning and adapting to individual needs<\/strong>. This evolution represents a fundamental change in assistive technology, emphasizing <strong>dynamic, adaptive systems over static solutions<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0;padding-bottom: 1rem;margin-right: 1rem\">(<a href=\"#giansanti\">Giansanti and Pirrera 599<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Learning about AI is essential for everyone. Thinking critically about the (lack of) ethics, (devestating) environmental impacts, constant copyright infrignements, and (financial) sustainability of AI may be key to the survival of humanity. But, AI is not all bad, I promise.<\/p>\n<hr \/>\n<p>Being here (wherever here is) is important. But, learning must lead to doing.<\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"blockquoteside\" style=\"margin-top: 1rem\">\n<p>&#8220;you end up <strong>doing the document rather than doing the doing<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0\">(<a href=\"#ahmed\">Ahmed 599<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>We know <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=Ij-GLix2QUQ&amp;t=1250s\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">AI is discriminatory against disabled people<\/a>. Generative AI and AI chatbots (AI) can be uniquely helpful in improving the accessibility of digital content. AI has shown significant promise with:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Describing visual content<\/li>\n<li>Transcribing audio to text<\/li>\n<li>Assisting with writing<\/li>\n<li>Aiding understanding<\/li>\n<li>Converting digital content<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>There is no guarantee that AI will create accessible and inclusive content. However, harnessing AI to assist with accessible content creation and remediation can assist humans to create more inclusive content and experiences.<\/p>\n<div class=\"blockquoteside\" style=\"margin-top: 1rem\">\n<p>\u201cToo much <strong>action without reflection is mere activism<\/strong>; too much <strong>reflection without action is mere introspection<\/strong> and armchair discussion\u201d<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: 0\">(<a href=\"#beck\">Beck 134<\/a>)<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Understanding AI&#8217;s limitations and capabilities is important. However, to make a tangible different, something must be done.<\/p>\n<p>It&#8217;s time for doing.<\/p>\n<h2>Describing Visual Content<\/h2>\n<p>AI has shown to be particularly adept at describing visual content. Consider tools such as <a href=\"https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/g\/g-XDGNEuWJ5-alt-text-assistant\">Alt Text Assistant<\/a> in ChatGPT, <a href=\"https:\/\/asuo-ai-labs.streamlit.app\/Image_Accessibility\">Image Accessibility Creator<\/a>, or use a <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/chapter\/ai-generated-alt-text\/#prompt\">detailed prompt<\/a> in most AI interfaces.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_10206\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-10206\" style=\"width: 823px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-10206 size-full\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of ChatGPT Alt Text Assistant describing an uploaded image.\" width=\"823\" height=\"692\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant.png 823w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant-300x252.png 300w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant-768x646.png 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant-65x55.png 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant-225x189.png 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/AltTextAssistant-350x294.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 823px) 100vw, 823px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-10206\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Screenshot of ChatGPT Alt Text Assistant describing an uploaded image.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10213 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of descript providing a description of an uploaded video clip\" width=\"843\" height=\"856\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript.png 843w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript-295x300.png 295w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript-768x780.png 768w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript-65x66.png 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript-225x228.png 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/Descript-350x355.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 843px) 100vw, 843px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The description may not be 100%, but using AI to start the process of writing alt text goes a long way to create accessible and inclusive digital experiences. After generating draft alt text with AI, verify the accuracy, edit hallucinated details, and ensure the description reflects the intent of the use of the image.<\/p>\n<p>Additionally, consider the impact of apps like <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bemyeyes.com\/bme-ai\/\">Be My AI<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.seeingai.com\/\">Seeing AI<\/a> that assist Blind and low vision users in real time to identify objects, read text, and engage with the environment.<\/p>\n<p>For video, tools like <a href=\"https:\/\/dcmp.org\/learn\/717-dcmps-ai-scene-description-tool\">DCMP&#8217;s AI Scene Description Tool<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.descript.com\/tools\/describe-video\">Descript&#8217;s Describe Video tool<\/a> (pictured right) offer a glimpse into the promise of real-time frame-by-frame audio description of video content.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">\n<p>They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, let AI write some of those words for you.<br \/>\nFind a complex image you aren&#8217;t quite sure how to write alt text for and use one of the tools listed above. It might not be perfect, but AI can get you started.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h2>Transcribing Audio to Text<\/h2>\n<p>The massive expansion of large language models powering AI has led to significant improvements in the accuracy of automatic speech recognition (ASR). ASR is what generates automated captions such as those generated in Zoom and Teams meetings as well as by video hosting services such as <a href=\"https:\/\/support.google.com\/youtube\/answer\/6373554?hl=en\">YouTube<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/support.microsoft.com\/en-us\/office\/view-edit-and-manage-video-transcripts-and-captions-3cb9acb6-05b2-4f59-a50d-7df61123aa20#:~:text=You%20can%20view%20transcripts%20for%20videos%20in,and%20caption%20files%20*%20Replacing%20WebVTT%20files\">OneDrive<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/knowledge.kaltura.com\/help\/ordering-captions-video-portal\">Kaltura<\/a>. Factor in the rapid advancements in accuracy, while remaining aware that <a href=\"https:\/\/drive.google.com\/file\/d\/1nASCoMbVVJCb8t-joeNJx0oF0sLsSMwL\/view?_hsmi=370127998&amp;pli=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">ASR does not yet meet the 99% accuracy<\/a> required for accessible closed captions.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">Automatic captions will likely not be accurate enough to meet accessibility standards but will do a lot of the work for you. Use AI as it was intended, as a tool to make your life easier. With 85% of the work done for you, you can focus on finishing captions to 99% accuracy. Whatever platform you use, start leveraging automatically generated captions to improve access and inclusion.<\/div>\n<details>\n<summary>Bonus<\/summary>\n<p>Check out device-based automatic live captions for <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#windows\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Windows<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#android\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Android<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#ios\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">iOS<\/a>, and <a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/atuserguides\/chapter\/closed-captions\/#macos\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">macOS<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/details>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10248 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of Goblin tools converting overly complicated instructions into shorter, easier to understand text.\" width=\"483\" height=\"709\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF.png 483w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF-204x300.png 204w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF-65x95.png 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF-225x330.png 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/msedge_RO46SNHkmF-350x514.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<h2>Writing Assistance<\/h2>\n<p>If you&#8217;re an educator, you are likely extremely wary of AI&#8217;s impact on academic integrity.<\/p>\n<p>I hear you. I see you. I understand you.<\/p>\n<p>But let&#8217;s not think about the worst-case scenario. Consider <a href=\"https:\/\/goblin.tools\/Formalizer\">goblin.tools Formalizer<\/a> which takes existing text and re-writes it to be more professional, less snarky, more to the point, and many other tones.<\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">Consider taking some complex documents, such as policy or guidelines, and having AI produce a plain language version. Provide the brief plain language version along with a link to the full policy document. To model best practice, not that AI was used to rewrite or simplify the text to make it easier to understand.<\/div>\n<h2>Understanding Complex Text<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright wp-image-10253 size-full\" style=\"max-width: 33%;min-width: 33%\" src=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge.png\" alt=\"Screenshot of goblin tools Judge tool analyzing text for tone and offering an explanation of the author's potential intention and tone.\" width=\"483\" height=\"557\" srcset=\"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge.png 483w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge-260x300.png 260w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge-65x75.png 65w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge-225x259.png 225w, https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1155\/2026\/02\/goblinJudge-350x404.png 350w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 483px) 100vw, 483px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Regardless of access means or disability, it can often be difficult to determine the tone of written text, especially communications. Try out <a href=\"https:\/\/goblin.tools\/Judge\">goblin.tools The Judge<\/a> to get an explanation of what the tone and meaning of a message <em>might<\/em> be.<\/p>\n<p>For easy-to-read versions of long, complicated text consider <a href=\"https:\/\/quillbot.com\/paraphrasing-tool\">QuilBot&#8217;s Paraphrasing Tool<\/a>. Another useful tool is to prompt to AI to explain something to you like you are 10 years old.<\/p>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">The next time you receive a potentially thorny email or message, ask The Judge to give you an opinion on if the sender&#8217;s meaning and tone is how you are interpreting it.<\/div>\n<h2>Converting file formats<\/h2>\n<p>AI can take a text prompt and generate a slop image or short video. That&#8217;s bad.<\/p>\n<p>Another thing AI can do is convert images of text to machine readable text. This optical character recognition (OCR) process has been available in Adobe Acrobat or <a href=\"https:\/\/pdf.abbyy.com\/\">ABBYY FineReader<\/a> for a long time. But now, an uploaded document accompanied by a straightforward &#8220;extract the text from this uploaded document&#8221; prompt works with most AI chatbots (according to a colleague, CoPilot did a better job of extracting handwriting from a scan than Acrobat Pro). Keep in mind, automated OCR struggles with columns, tables, maths, figure captions, and decorative elements, so human review remains essential.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">While not a replacement for human remediation of inaccessible documents, AI OCR can be used to extract text from inaccessible documents. Like other AI tools, let AI OCR help by doing the bulk of the work, leaving only minor edits and touchups for you.<\/div>\n<h2>What now?<\/h2>\n<p>Pick one tool and apply it to a project tomorrow. Or better yet, reach out to someone that might benefit from using one of theses and help them get started with it. What little thing can you do to improve the lives of your users?<\/p>\n<p>Ok, do it.<\/p>\n<p>Is it that easy? No<br \/>\nBut is it really that hard?<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cthe principal concern of the modern American liberal is, at all times, <strong>not what one does or believes or supports or opposes, but what one is seen to be<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: right;margin-top: -1rem\">(<a href=\"#akkad\">El Akkad 118<\/a>)<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--cta\">\n<p>Is there dissonance between your intentions today and your actions tomorrow?<br \/>\n<strong>dissonance, n.<\/strong><br \/>\n&#8220;inconsistency between the beliefs one holds or between one&#8217;s actions and one&#8217;s beliefs&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Has AI discriminated, stolen, excluded, wreaked havoc on the economy, and accelerated human extinction? Almost certainly.<\/p>\n<p>But AI also offers real, immediate opportunities to easily reduce accessibility barriers and make\u00a0tangible, positive change in people&#8217;s lives.<\/p>\n<p>But we have to get to the doing.<\/p>\n<h2 style=\"margin-bottom: 1rem\">Works Cited<\/h2>\n<div id=\"ahmed\" class=\"citation\">Ahmed, Sara. \u201c&#8217;<a href=\"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1080\/01419870701356015\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">You End Up Doing the Document Rather than Doing the Doing&#8217;: Diversity, Race Equality and the Politics of Documentation<\/a>.\u201d Ethnic and Racial Studies, vol. 30, no. 4, 2007, pp. 590\u2013609.<\/div>\n<div id=\"beck\" class=\"citation\">Beck, D. \u201cCo-operative Inquiry.\u201d Rethinking Methods in Psychology, edited by J. Smith, R. Harr\u00e9, and L. V. Langenhove, Sage, 1995, pp. 122\u2013142.<\/div>\n<div id=\"akkad\" class=\"citation\">El Akkad, Omar. <em>One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been against This<\/em>. First edition, Alfred A. Knopf, 2025.<\/div>\n<div id=\"giansanti\" class=\"citation\">Giansanti, Daniele, and Antonia Pirrera. \u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/doi:10.3390\/healthcare13050556\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Integrating AI and Assistive Technologies in Healthcare: Insights from a Narrative Review of Reviews<\/a>.\u201d <em>Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland)<em> vol. 13,5 556. 4 Mar. 2025.<\/em><\/em><\/div>\n<div id=\"positive\" class=\"citation\">\u201c<a href=\"https:\/\/chatgpt.com\/share\/699dffb1-5ab0-8009-a7f6-09b1311e7a36\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Write me two sentences about how AI is an exciting development that will positively impact disabled people by making digital content more accessible<\/a>\u201d prompt. <em>ChatGPT<\/em>, model 5.2, OpenAI, 24 Feb. 2026.<\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1655,"menu_order":1,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"class_list":["post-10148","chapter","type-chapter","status-web-only","hentry"],"part":62,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/10148","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1655"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/10148\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10532,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/10148\/revisions\/10532"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/62"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/10148\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10148"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=10148"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=10148"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.bccampus.ca\/accessibilityhandbook\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=10148"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}