Scheduled at 2:30pm in Denver 1-3 on Monday, November 16.
#43183Speaker(s)
- Christine Foushi, Principal Consultant, OneStep Beyond
- Darrin Evans, Director of the Virtual Learning Community Professional Development Center, Wake Technical Community College
Session Details
- Length of Session: 3-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: Pre-conference
Summary
Explore "Fido," a new tool from DAISY Labs, that utilizes AI to automate the heavy lifting of accessibility remediation. This session demonstrates how AI can drastically reduce the time needed to convert PDFs, describe complex images, and detect document languages while maintaining essential human oversight and responsible AI practices.
Abstract
Making publications truly accessible—specifically remediating complex PDFs and writing image descriptions—remains a time-consuming bottleneck for higher education disability service providers. While artificial intelligence is often touted as a universal solution, the reality is that AI is most effective when used as a specialized tool within a human-led workflow. Attendees will explore how Fido acts as a shortcut in the production and remediation process by integrating diverse AI cloud services, such as Gemini, Claude, and ChatGPT-4, directly into standard document environments like Microsoft Word and EPUB. We will demonstrate PDF conversion that goes beyond simple OCR to extract structured headings, lists, tables, and even complex math content. The presentation will also showcase Fido’s ability to leverage more than 100 image classifications to generate tailored alt text and extended descriptions, as well as its linguistic analysis features that automatically mark up multi-language phrases to improve screen reader performance. We will discuss the responsibility of human review to verify AI outputs for accuracy, as well as the practicalities of managing API keys and navigating the privacy implications of cloud-based AI. Participants will leave with a clear understanding of how these emerging tools have allowed partner organizations to shift remediation tasks that previously took days into workflows that now take only hours, ultimately getting accessible books into the hands of students faster.
Keypoints
- Identify four key tasks (conversion, description, language, and structure) where Fido cuts production time.
- Evaluate human-led workflows to verify AI outputs for accuracy and WCAG compliance.
- Demonstrate how to configure custom prompts and API integrations for specific institutional needs.
Disability Areas
All Areas
Topic Areas
Alternate Format, Artificial Intelligence, Assistive Technology, Faculty Development & Support, Uncategorized, Web/Media/App Access
Speaker Bio(s)
Christine Foushi
Christine Foushi, a self-proclaimed publishing nerd, is a journalist by trade, has worked within the higher education technology and publishing industry for the last 20 years, and is an advocate for accessibility. Ensuring accessibility and inclusion for all is her passion not only in her career, but within her community and personal life. She's the Principal Consultant of OneStep Beyond, an organization intended to empower individuals and organizations to navigate the digital landscape through innovative technology solutions while maintaining a commitment to accessibility.
Darrin Evans
Darrin Evans is an Accessibility Technologist and the Director of the North Carolina Virtual Learning Communities Professional Development Center. Darrin has a Master’s in Instructional Technology Darrin has over 15 years of experience in eLearning and accessibility of digital content. The Virtual Learning Community is a partnership between the 58 community colleges of the North Carolina Community College System and Wake Technical Community College. Darrin enjoys technology and is always looking for ways to make digital content more accessible to all learners. In his spare time he is a very slow marathon swimmer.