Introducing Autoable — Automatic Accessibility for Your Documents

The Problem

Over 1.3 billion people worldwide live with some form of disability. Many rely on assistive technology — screen readers, magnifiers, alternative input devices — to access digital content. And the documents most of us create every day — slide decks, reports, handouts — are usually inaccessible to them.

The numbers are striking: 89% of PowerPoint files we’ve checked are missing alt text on at least one image. 67% fail color contrast requirements. 54% are missing slide titles entirely.

This isn’t because people don’t care. It’s because fixing accessibility manually is tedious, confusing, and time-consuming. You have to know what WCAG 2.1 AA means, understand how screen readers interpret PowerPoint’s reading order, and write meaningful alt text for every image — one at a time.

Most people give up. The documents stay broken.

What Autoable Does

Autoable makes document accessibility automatic. Upload a PowerPoint (.pptx) or PDF (.pdf) file, and Autoable will:

1. Scan your file against WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards — checking alt text, color contrast, reading order, slide titles, document language, link text, and more
2. Report every issue found, with severity levels, WCAG criteria references, and exact locations in your file
3. Generate fixes using AI — including context-aware alt text descriptions that actually describe what your images show, not just “image of chart”
4. Let you review and edit every suggested fix before applying — you stay in control
5. Download your corrected, WCAG-compliant file instantly

The whole process takes seconds, not hours. No software to install. No account needed. No accessibility expertise required.

Why We Built This

Accessibility compliance is becoming a legal requirement, not just a best practice. The DOJ’s ADA Title II update requires all public universities and government entities to make their digital content accessible by April 24, 2026. Section 508 already requires it for federal agencies. The EU Accessibility Act takes effect in June 2025.

But here’s the gap: the people creating documents — faculty, trainers, communications teams, HR departments — aren’t accessibility experts. And most organizations have only 1-2 accessibility staff for thousands of document creators.

Existing tools either require expensive licenses, specialized training, or both. We wanted to build something that anyone could use — upload a file, review the suggestions, download the fix. That simple.

What We Check

Autoable’s rule engine covers the most common — and most impactful — accessibility failures:

• Image alt text — Detects images without alternative text. AI generates context-aware descriptions you can review and edit.
• Color contrast — Checks every text element against WCAG AA thresholds (4.5:1 for normal text, 3:1 for large text).
• Reading order — Verifies slide elements follow a logical sequence for screen readers. Flags and fixes ordering problems.
• Slide titles — Ensures every slide has a unique title for heading-based navigation. Detects duplicates and missing titles.
• Document language — Checks that the language is set correctly so screen readers use the right pronunciation.
• Link text — Flags vague link text like “click here” and suggests descriptive alternatives.

The engine is modular and designed to expand — we’re adding new rules regularly, with WCAG 2.2 support on the roadmap.

AI-Powered Alt Text — The Hardest Part, Automated

Writing good alt text is the single hardest part of document accessibility. It requires understanding what the image shows, why it’s there, and what information a screen reader user needs.

Autoable uses AI to generate descriptions that go beyond “image” or “photo.” For a bar chart, it might generate: “Bar chart showing Q3 revenue increased 23% year-over-year, from $4.2M to $5.1M.” For a team photo: “Five team members standing in the company lobby, smiling at the camera.”

Every generated description is presented for your review. Edit it, accept it, or write your own — you always have the final say.

Your Files Are Safe

We know documents can contain sensitive information. That’s why:

• Files are processed in memory and deleted immediately after download
• We never store your files on disk permanently
• All transfers are HTTPS encrypted
• We don’t log file contents

For alt text generation, images are sent to an AI service for processing. If your files contain highly sensitive data, we recommend using test or anonymized files.

Who It’s For

• Universities and colleges facing the April 2026 ADA Title II deadline — faculty can check and fix their own course materials in seconds
• Government agencies that need Section 508 compliance for every document they publish
• Corporate communications teams making investor decks, training materials, and internal docs accessible
• Agencies and consultants who want to offer accessibility remediation as a service
• Anyone who creates PowerPoint or PDF files and wants them to work for everyone

Free During Beta

Autoable is currently in beta, and all checks, fixes, and downloads are completely free. No account needed. No credit card. No catch.

We’re using this period to refine the tool based on real usage. Try it, break it, tell us what you think. Your feedback directly shapes what we build next.