Topic 4.4

Accessibility Feels Like Busywork. So You Do the Minimum.

AI handles the tedious parts in minutes. No more excuses.

⏱️ 12 minutes 📋 Prompt Templates ✓ Quality Checklist

The Accessibility Problem

150 images. Each needs descriptive alt text.
45 minutes of video. Each needs captions and a transcript.
Technical content at grade 14 reading level. Guidelines say grade 8.
3 days until launch. Accessibility compliance takes 8 hours you don't have.

So you write "image of chart" for alt text. Skip the transcript. Leave the complex language. Ship it incomplete.

💡 The shift

AI generates descriptive alt text in seconds. Creates accurate captions from audio. Rewrites complex text in plain language. What took 8 hours now takes 90 minutes.

Why Accessibility Gets Skipped

🚧 Five barriers to accessibility compliance ▼
Barrier Reality
Time Alt text for 150 images = hours of tedious work
Expertise Don't know what makes "good" vs. "bad" alt text
Visibility Can't see the problem if you're not using a screen reader
Priority Stakeholders don't ask, so it falls off the list
Testing No easy way to verify if it works

Result: Courses ship that exclude learners with disabilities. You're violating WCAG. You don't even know it.

What AI Can Generate

✓ Alt Text for Images

  • Descriptive text for screen readers
  • Context-appropriate descriptions
  • Functional descriptions (what the image does)

✓ Video Captions & Transcripts

  • Accurate timestamped captions
  • Speaker identification
  • Full text transcripts

✓ Plain Language Alternatives

  • Simplified complex sentences
  • Definitions for jargon
  • Grade-level appropriate rewrites

✓ Document Structure

  • Proper heading hierarchy
  • Reading order checks
  • Semantic markup suggestions

What AI doesn't do: Test with real assistive technology, understand legal compliance requirements, replace your judgment.

The Prompts

📋 Alt text prompt
Create alt text for this image. Image: [describe or paste image] Context: [where it appears in the course] Purpose: [decorative, informative, functional, or complex] Requirements: - Describe what's important for understanding - Keep under 150 characters if possible - Don't start with "image of" or "picture of"
📋 Captions prompt
Create captions for this audio/video. [Upload audio or paste transcript] Requirements: - Speaker identification if multiple speakers - Mark sound effects: [applause], [phone ringing] - Break into readable segments - Include timestamps for videos over 2 minutes
📋 Plain language prompt
Rewrite this at grade 8 reading level. Original: [paste complex text] Requirements: - Sentences 15-20 words max - Replace jargon with common terms - Use active voice - Keep meaning intact

What You Get

📊 Bad alt text → Good alt text examples ▼
Before After
"chart" "Bar chart: Q4 sales up 23% from Q3, West region leads at 45% growth"
"image of person" "Customer service rep using headset at call center workstation"
"diagram" "Flowchart showing 5-step complaint escalation process"
📊 Complex → Plain language example ▼
Before (Grade 14) After (Grade 8)
"The implementation of the new customer relationship management system necessitates comprehensive training for all personnel who interface with clients to ensure optimal utilization of the platform's functionality." "All employees who work with customers must complete training on the new CRM system. This training will help them use the system effectively."

What AI Does Well vs. What It Gets Wrong

✓ AI Strengths

  • Generate descriptive alt text quickly
  • Transcribe audio to text accurately
  • Simplify complex sentences
  • Identify jargon needing definitions
  • Suggest reading level improvements
  • Catch missing accessibility elements

✗ AI Limitations

  • May over-describe decorative images
  • Transcription errors with technical terms or accents
  • Plain language rewrites sometimes lose nuance
  • Doesn't know your organization's style guide
  • Can't test with actual screen readers

💡 The Division of Labor

AI generates accessible alternatives fast. You review for accuracy, test with assistive tech if possible, verify against WCAG.

Accessibility Task Types

📋 Five task types with time estimates ▼
Task AI generates You verify Time per item
Simple image alt text Descriptive text Accuracy, context fit 30 sec
Complex diagram alt text Detailed description Completeness, clarity 2 min
Video captions Full transcript Accuracy, speaker IDs 5 min/10 min video
Plain language Simplified version Meaning preserved 3 min/paragraph
Heading structure Hierarchy suggestions Logical flow 10 min/module

The Workflow

🔄 Three common workflows with time estimates ▼

Alt text (150 images):

  1. Export list of images needing alt text (10 min)
  2. Batch process with AI—10-20 images at a time (30 min)
  3. Review and refine AI suggestions (30 min)
  4. Add to course (15 min)

Total: 85 minutes vs. 4+ hours manual

Video captions (45 minutes of video):

  1. Upload video or audio to AI (5 min)
  2. AI generates transcript (10 min processing)
  3. Review and correct errors (20 min)
  4. Format as captions with timestamps (10 min)
  5. Upload to video player (5 min)

Total: 50 minutes vs. 3+ hours manual

Plain language (20-page module):

  1. Identify complex sections (10 min)
  2. AI generates grade 8 alternatives (15 min)
  3. Review for accuracy and tone (20 min)
  4. Replace in course (15 min)

Total: 60 minutes vs. 3+ hours manual

The Cost Math

💰 Time comparison: Making a 30-slide course accessible ▼
Task Manual AI-assisted Saved
Alt text (75 images) 2.5 hrs 45 min 1h 45m
Video captions (20 min) 2 hrs 30 min 1h 30m
Plain language (10 slides) 2 hrs 40 min 1h 20m
Heading structure 30 min 15 min 15m
TOTAL 7 hours 2 hours 5 hours

71% time reduction. Same quality. No excuses.

Key Takeaways

  1. Accessibility is now feasible. 7 hours → 2 hours makes compliance realistic, not aspirational.
  2. AI generates, you verify. Fast bulk creation + human review = accessible content at scale.
  3. Start with alt text. Easiest win, biggest impact—makes images accessible to screen readers.
  4. Test when possible. AI generates alternatives; real assistive tech testing validates them.

Try It Now

🎯 Your task:

Take 10 images from a current project. Generate alt text with AI. Review the results. How many would you accept as-is? How many need minor edits?

The test: Did AI save you at least 5 minutes per image?

📥 Download: Accessibility prompts and WCAG checklist (PDF)

Ready-to-use templates for alt text, captions, and plain language generation.

Download PDF