Self-Hosting Documentation — Coming Q2 2026
The open source repository is not yet public. Self-hosting instructions below are previews of what will be available after our pilot program concludes. Want early access? Join the pilot program for cloud-hosted access now.
Getting Started with Aelira
Aelira is an AI-powered accessibility compliance platform that helps universities and organizations meet WCAG 2.1 standards. Scan documents, generate fixes, and ensure compliance before the April 2026 deadline.
What is Aelira?
Aelira is a comprehensive accessibility compliance platform designed specifically for higher education institutions facing the April 2026 DOJ ADA Title II deadline. With the new regulations requiring all digital content to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards, universities need a scalable solution that can process thousands of documents, presentations, videos, and course materials without overwhelming faculty and staff.
Unlike traditional accessibility scanning tools that simply identify issues, Aelira uses AI-powered remediation to automatically generate working code fixes for accessibility violations. Our platform combines advanced document processing (OCR, structure tagging, contrast analysis) with state-of-the-art language models to produce standards-compliant content that actually works for users with disabilities.
The platform supports the full range of educational content formats: PDF documents with OCR and structure tagging, PowerPoint presentations with automated alt text and contrast checking, LaTeX mathematical notation converted to accessible MathML, video and audio files with transcription and caption generation, Excel spreadsheets with proper data table markup, and Word documents with heading structure analysis.
Aelira integrates directly with the tools universities already use—Canvas LMS, Blackboard Learn, Google Workspace, and Microsoft 365—to automatically detect new content, scan for accessibility issues, remediate problems, and sync fixed files back to the cloud. Faculty don't need to change their workflows; Aelira works in the background to ensure compliance.
Why Aelira?
AI-Generated Fixes, Not Just Scanning
While tools like YuJa Panorama and Blackboard Ally can identify accessibility issues, they don't fix them. Aelira generates working code, proper alt text, corrected color contrasts, and accessible markup—saving faculty 40-80 hours per course.
Complete Platform Coverage
Aelira works with Google Workspace (60% market share), Microsoft 365 (40%), Canvas (35%), Blackboard (25%), Moodle, and Brightspace. One platform covers your entire tech stack.
LaTeX/MathML Support for STEM
95-99% of mathematicians use LaTeX, yet no other accessibility tool supports it. Aelira converts LaTeX equations to accessible MathML with proper ARIA labels, supporting advanced notation like ChemFig, mhchem, physics, and TikZ diagrams.
Bulk Processing & Automation
Process entire course directories with CLI batch commands. Real-time webhooks detect new files in Google Drive or OneDrive and automatically scan them. No manual uploading required.
Privacy-First Architecture
All AI processing runs on your own infrastructure using self-hosted Ollama models. Your educational materials never touch OpenAI, Google, or any third-party AI service. Full FERPA compliance.
90% More Affordable
YuJa Panorama costs $10K-$50K per year. Aelira's education plan is $999/month per department with unlimited faculty accounts, unlimited scanning, and all features included. Break even after remediating just one course.
Quick Links
What Aelira Does
Common Use Cases
STEM Faculty: LaTeX Math Accessibility
A physics professor has 200 problem sets with LaTeX equations. Each equation needs to be converted to accessible MathML with ARIA labels. Manual conversion would take 80+ hours. With Aelira's LaTeX processor, they scan the entire directory and receive MathML-converted files in minutes.
Time saved: 80 hours → 10 minutes | Cost: $6,000 in labor → $999/mo subscription
Online Course Providers: Bulk Video Captioning
A university has 500 lecture videos without captions. Auto-captions from YouTube are unacceptable per ADA regulations. Aelira's transcription engine generates accurate VTT/SRT captions using Whisper AI, with speaker diarization and timestamp correction.
Time saved: 500 hours → 50 hours (review) | Cost: $37,500 manual captioning → $999/mo
Instructional Designers: PowerPoint Remediation
An instructional design team manages 1,000+ PowerPoint presentations across 50 courses. Each deck needs alt text for images, contrast fixes for text, and proper reading order. Aelira's PowerPoint scanner processes all files in bulk, generates alt text with Moondream2 AI, fixes low-contrast text, and validates structure.
Time saved: 200 hours → 20 hours (review) | Cost: $15,000 in labor → $999/mo
IT Departments: Campus-Wide PDF Compliance
A university IT department discovers 10,000 PDFs on their website lack structure tags and alt text. Aelira's PDF remediation engine uses OCRmyPDF to add structure tags, detects images requiring alt text, and generates compliance reports showing progress toward the April 2026 deadline.
Time saved: 1,000+ hours → 100 hours (review) | Cost: Avoiding ADA lawsuits: priceless
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Aelira open source?
Yes! Aelira will be fully open source (MIT license) after our pilot program concludes in Q2 2026. You'll be able to self-host the entire platform on your own infrastructure. See our open source roadmap for details.
How accurate is the AI alt text generation?
Aelira uses Moondream2, a state-of-the-art vision language model optimized for accessibility descriptions. Accuracy is 85-90% for common educational content (charts, diagrams, photos). We recommend human review for complex scientific imagery, but AI alt text is dramatically better than no alt text—and 100x faster than manual writing.
Does Aelira work with Canvas/Blackboard?
Yes! Aelira has native LTI 1.3 integrations for Canvas LMS and Blackboard Learn. Install the Aelira app, and it will automatically scan course files, detect accessibility issues, and provide one-click remediation—all within your LMS interface. We also support Moodle, Brightspace, Google Classroom, and Microsoft Teams.
Can I process files in bulk?
Absolutely. Aelira's CLI tool supports bulk directory scanning: aelira scan pdf ./courses/. You can also set up real-time webhooks to automatically scan new files uploaded to Google Drive or OneDrive. See our feature documentation for details.
How much does Aelira cost for universities?
Our Education plan is $999/month per department with unlimited faculty accounts, unlimited file scanning, all features included, and priority support. We offer volume discounts for 5+ departments and custom site licenses for large universities. See our pricing page for full details and ROI calculator.
What about data privacy and FERPA compliance?
All AI processing runs locally on your infrastructure using self-hosted Ollama models (Llama 3.2, Qwen 2.5 Coder, Moondream2). Your educational materials never leave your servers and never touch OpenAI, Google, or any external AI service. Full FERPA compliance guaranteed. See our privacy policy for details.
When is the April 2026 ADA Title II deadline?
The DOJ ADA Title II rule requires all public universities to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA standards by April 24, 2026 (large universities) or April 26, 2027 (smaller universities). This includes all digital content: websites, course materials, PDFs, videos, presentations, and learning management systems. Non-compliance can result in lawsuits, OCR investigations, and loss of federal funding. See our higher education page for details.
Get Started in 3 Steps
Preview — Q2 2026Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/aelira-ai/aelira.gitStart the services
cd aelira/backend && docker-compose up -dOpen the dashboard
Open http://localhost:5173 in your browserNeed Help?
Join our community or reach out for support.