Manual Remediation vs. Aelira: The ROI Analysis
Should you hire staff to manually fix accessibility issues, or automate with Aelira?
The Reality of Manual Remediation
⏰ April 2026 Deadline: You Don't Have Time for Manual Fixes
Until April 24, 2026 WCAG 2.2 deadline
To manually fix 10 courses (50 hrs each)
For departments with 50+ courses
The math doesn't work. You need automation to meet the deadline.
Manual Remediation
Reality: Hiring staff or faculty to manually fix accessibility issues
- Full control over every fix
- Works for small-scale projects (1-5 courses)
- 40-80 hours per course
- AU$4,500-$9,000 per course
- Inconsistent quality (depends on skill level)
- LaTeX conversion nearly impossible manually
- Faculty burnout (no compensation for extra work)
Aelira (Automated)
Reality: AI-powered bulk processing with working code fixes
- Minutes per course (not 40-80 hours)
- AU$1,499/mo unlimited files
- Bulk processing (1,000+ files at once)
- Consistent quality (AI doesn't get tired)
- LaTeX/MathML conversion (automated)
- Saves faculty time (focus on teaching)
- Scalable to entire departments
Time Breakdown: Manual vs. Automated
| Feature | Manual Time | Manual Cost | Aelira Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| PDF Remediation (50 pages) OCR, alt text, heading structure, contrast fixes | 10-15 hours Per document | AU$1,125-$1,688 | 2-5 minutes Automated |
| PowerPoint Alt Text (100 images) Write contextual descriptions for each image | 8-12 hours Per presentation | AU$900-$1,350 | 5-10 minutes AI-generated |
| LaTeX MathML Conversion (50 equations) Convert math equations to accessible format | 15-20 hours Extremely tedious | AU$1,688-$2,250 | 1-2 minutes Automated parsing |
| Video Caption Cleanup (10 videos, 1hr each) Fix auto-caption errors, technical terms | 10-15 hours Tedious work | AU$1,125-$1,688 | 10-15 minutes AI cleanup |
| TOTAL (Average Course) | |||
43-62 hours | AU$4,838-$6,976 | 18-32 minutes ~99% time savings | |
The Scale Problem: Why Manual Doesn't Work
Small Department
10 courses to remediate
Manual: 430-620 hours (AU$48K-$70K)
Aelira: 3-5 hours (AU$1,499/mo)
Savings: AU$47K-$69K
Medium Department
50 courses to remediate
Manual: 2,150-3,100 hours (AU$242K-$349K)
Aelira: 15-27 hours (AU$1,499/mo)
Savings: AU$240K-$348K
Large Department
200 courses to remediate
Manual: 8,600-12,400 hours (AU$968K-$1.4M)
Aelira: 60-107 hours (AU$1,499/mo)
Savings: AU$967K-$1.4M
⏰ Reality Check: The April 2026 Timeline
There are ~5 months until the April 24, 2026 WCAG 2.2 deadline.
If you have 50 courses to remediate manually (2,150-3,100 hours), you would need:
- 11-16 full-time staff working exclusively on remediation for 5 months
- Or all 50 faculty members spending 43-62 hours each (1-1.5 weeks full-time)
- With zero time for teaching, research, or service
The manual approach is mathematically impossible at scale.
The LaTeX Problem: Nearly Impossible Manually
Why LaTeX Conversion Is So Hard
- Complex syntax - Nested commands, macros, custom packages
- No visual editor - MathML must be hand-coded
- Thousands of equations - Physics course = 200+ equations
- Error-prone - One typo breaks the entire equation
LaTeX: \int_0^\infty e^{-x^2} dx = \frac{\sqrt{\pi}}{2}
↓ Manual MathML conversion (30+ lines of XML)
How Aelira Solves It
- Automated parsing - Handles amsmath, physics packages
- Bulk processing - Convert 200+ equations in minutes
- ARIA labels - Auto-generated semantic descriptions
- Validation - Catches syntax errors automatically
Time Savings (per STEM course)
Manual: 15-20 hours × AU$112/hr = AU$1,688-$2,250
Aelira: 1-2 minutes = Included in AU$1,499/mo
"I have 300+ LaTeX equations in my quantum mechanics course. Converting them to accessible MathML manually would take me weeks. I'm a physicist, not a web developer. I need a tool that just works."
— Physics Professor, r/Professors
When Manual Remediation Makes Sense
When to Go Manual
- Very small scale (1-5 courses only)
- High-touch content (complex graphics requiring expert review)
- Legal review required (medical, legal fields)
- One-off projects (single PDF, not ongoing)
- Learning exercise (training staff on accessibility)
When Manual Fails
- Departments with 10+ courses (scale problem)
- STEM content with LaTeX (nearly impossible)
- Tight deadlines (April 2026 = 5 months away)
- Limited budget (manual = AU$4.5K-$9K per course)
- Faculty without compensation (burnout risk)
Best of Both Worlds: Hybrid Approach
Use Aelira for bulk processing (PDFs, PowerPoints, LaTeX, videos), then manual review for high-touch content (complex diagrams, specialized graphics).
This gives you 90% automation + 10% expert review = best quality at scale.
ROI Summary: The Numbers Don't Lie
50-Course Department (Typical)
Speed
Process 50 courses in 15-27 hours instead of 2,150-3,100 hours
Faculty Time
Professors focus on teaching, not tedious accessibility work
Compliance
Meet the April 2026 deadline with time to spare
Stop Wasting Time on Manual Fixes
Try Aelira free for 30 days. See the ROI for yourself. No credit card required.
Join 500+ universities preparing for the April 2026 WCAG 2.2 deadline.