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AI Accessibility at Harmonize

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Overview

Harmonize is built with accessibility in mind. All users benefit from powerful tools like automatic captions, video transcripts, and flexible options for adding alt text and audio descriptions.

With AI Accessibility enabled, Harmonize takes the next step: using AI to help instructors create more inclusive learning experiences while dramatically reducing the time and effort required to support accessible multimedia. Instead of writing descriptions from scratch or managing accessibility tasks manually, instructors can rely on AI-generated support that is fast, consistent, and available across the platform.

AI Accessibility helps you spend less time transcribing visuals and more time teaching, while still ensuring students can engage fully with your course content.

This page provides a high-level overview of what’s included in AI Accessibility and where to learn more.

 

Interactive Demo

Coming soon!

 

AI-Generated Audio Descriptions

Video can be one of the most powerful teaching tools, but it can also create barriers for students who rely on audio descriptions to fully access visual information.

Audio descriptions provide narrated explanations of key visual elements in a video, such as gestures, on-screen text, or scene changes. This ensures that students can fully access video content even if they cannot see the visuals.

With AI Accessibility enabled, Harmonize can automatically generate audio descriptions for videos recorded in or uploaded to Harmonize. This helps instructors provide richer, more inclusive video experiences without needing to create descriptions from scratch.

Our audio descriptions are Extended Audio Descriptions (EAD). EADs pause a video’s audio and action to insert detailed descriptions of visual elements. Unlike standard descriptions that fit within natural gaps, EAD can be used even when there is too much visual information or not enough pauses in dialogue.

With AI-generated audio descriptions, instructors can:

  • Publish videos with audio descriptions generated automatically
  • Reduce the time required to manually describe visual content
  • Support students who benefit from narrated visual context
  • Provide more equitable access to engaging multimedia learning

Audio descriptions are generated automatically for instructor-published videos when your school opts in to AI Accessibility.

To learn more, see View and Use Transcripts, Closed Captions, and Audio Descriptions.

 

AI-Generated Alt Text

Alt text is a brief description added to an image or visual media. It allows screen readers to communicate the content and purpose of the image to students who use assistive technology.

Alt text is essential for making images and visual media accessible to students using screen readers. Writing strong alt text, however, can be time-consuming, especially in media-rich courses.

With AI Accessibility enabled, Harmonize automatically generates suggested alt text across the platform, helping instructors and students create accessible content more efficiently.

AI-generated alt text is available for media uploaded throughout Harmonize, including in:

Instructors can review and edit AI-generated alt text to ensure it accurately reflects the learning context and purpose of the media.

To learn more, see Alt Text and Media Captions.

 

Harmonize Pages

Harmonize Pages are a flexible, page-style space for organizing accessible instructional content, but without student submissions. Students can interact only through polls (which show that a student has responded, not what they selected).

Pages offer instructors a way to share media-rich course materials with the benefits of AI Accessibility, but in a more traditional LMS “content page” format.

With Pages, instructors can:

Pages are especially helpful when instructors want to provide accessible learning materials without creating an assignment or requiring students to post or reply.

To learn more, see Create a Harmonize Page.

 

Accessibility Is Built Into Harmonize for Everyone

Even without AI Accessibility, Harmonize includes strong accessibility support for all users. All customers can:

  • Generate automatic captions for video content
  • View transcripts for instructor and student videos
  • Add alt text and audio descriptions manually when needed
  • Use smart headers that adjust the heading level automatically (no more mixing up H2 and H3!)
  • Receive automatic color contrast correction in assignment instructions
  • Build equations with LaTeX that automatically generate alt text
  • Use automatic descriptive text to make links more usable for users on screen readers
  • Create inclusive multimedia learning experiences with instructor control

AI Accessibility is designed to enhance these existing tools by reducing manual workload and by expanding automatic support where available.

 

How Can I Get AI Accessibility at My School?

AI Accessibility is available to faculty when their schools opt in. If you’re interested in exploring AI Accessibility for your courses, we recommend reaching out to campus partners, such as your:

  • Accessibility Office
  • Teaching and Learning Center
  • Office of Online Education
  • Educational Technology Leadership
  • Instructional Design Team
  • Dean or Academic Affairs leadership

They can help coordinate next steps with Harmonize.

 

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FAQ

How do I know if AI Accessibility is enabled for my school?

If you’re unsure whether these features are available in your course, contact your campus teaching and learning team or your Harmonize administrator.

Do I still get captions and transcripts without AI Accessibility?

Yes. Automatic captions and transcripts are available in Harmonize for all customers.

Can I edit AI-generated alt text or audio descriptions?

Yes. Instructors remain in control and can review or revise accessibility content as needed.

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