Hey, everyone, it’s Michelle, host of our most recent episode of the Government Video Podcast. Tightrope Media Systems is celebrating Global Accessibility Awareness Day (GAAD) on May 15. It’s supported through the GAAD Foundation, a nonprofit organization working to have digital technology include accessibility as a core requirement of product development.
AI certainly has a role to play in accessibility, specifically if you’re managing AV, streaming, or media workflows for a city department or community media center. Whether you're tackling ADA and DOJ video accessibility requirements, or just trying to expand multilingual city services and inclusive communications to more residents on more platforms, AI might seem like a dream solution.
But is “good enough” AI really good enough? If your department is investing in broadcast automation, automated captions, or AI-generated translations, you should know about the best practices (and red flags) that are currently evolving.
Guiding AI Accessibility in the Right Direction
When accessibility decisions are made at the department level—through RFP language, procurement standards, or platform preferences—you hold real influence over how inclusive those solutions will be. For example, that means you can require vendors to disclose whether people with disabilities were involved in the development and testing of those solutions. Auditing tools can be as much about impact as it is function.
In other words, procurement Is power. Use it.
Accessibility shouldn’t be treated like a checkbox. Yet, many government departments still make tradeoffs between compliance and quality. The good news? This episode features perspectives from tech developers, legal experts, and storytellers who believe cities can lead the way by asking the right questions, particularly about ethical data use, bias in AI translations, and whether automated speech recognition (ASR) is enough to meet your needs.
From multilingual audio services to inclusive livestreaming of city council meetings, communications professionals have more power than we think when it comes to influencing vendor accountability and tool development. This is about creating equitable access for all residents on all platforms.
AI Can Expand Local Government Accessibility Strategies
Accessibility was addressed last month at NAB. I attended “AI’s Potential to Revolutionize Accessibility,” a panel discussion moderated by Joe Devon, who co-founded GAAD and the GAAD Foundation! He’s also the founder of A11y Audits, an accessibility consulting firm. Panelists included Rebecca Avery, owner and principal strategy partner at Integration Therapy, Dan Caddigan, CTO at 3Play Media, Ariel Simms, president and CEO of Disability Belongs, and Storm Smith, CEO and founder at Sunnie & Co.
The session provided some insights into how these emerging AI accessibility tools are reshaping local government media strategies—for better and for worse. Accessibility leaders raised the alarm on over-reliance on AI-driven tools like automated captions and synthetic voiceovers. While these systems are fast and budget-friendly, they also risk locking cities into solutions that check compliance boxes while leaving actual residents behind.
Smith, who is a member of the deaf community, said it best: “Nothing about us without us.” That line hit hard. It echoes the GAAD Foundation’s mission and serves as a reminder to any municipal IT director or video specialist: If we’re not involving the people these tools are meant to serve, we’re wasting money and reinforcing the digital divide. If your team is building workflows for government meeting accessibility, make this your mantra.
If your city is serious about accessible municipal services and wants to build resilient, future-proof workflows for AV and media, this episode of the Government Video Podcast is a call to action, not just a rundown of tools. Learn how city communicators can demand more from vendors, elevate lived experiences in their planning, and leverage AI while staying mindful of where it falls short.
Event Replay - Demystifying Closed Captioning: What WCAG 2.1AA Really Requires for Government Video
Get clarity on WCAG 2.1AA captioning requirements. Learn what’s required, what’s recommended, and how to keep your government video content compliant.
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