Accessible AI Prompts Quickstart

This quickstart helps you use AI as an accessibility drafting partner without handing it the steering wheel and hoping the spaceship lands somewhere useful.

Start with the purpose

Tell the AI what the content is for, who will use it, and what accessibility outcome matters most. A prompt that says “make this accessible” is too vague. A prompt that says “rewrite this handout in plain language for screen reader users and preserve the headings” gives the tool a real job.

Ask for structure

Request headings, short paragraphs, descriptive links, meaningful list structure, and a clear reading order. These details make the output easier to review and easier to convert into accessible web pages, documents, or handouts.

Include alt text instructions

When images are involved, ask for concise alt text that describes the purpose of the image first. For decorative images, ask whether the image should have empty alt text instead of forcing description where it does not help.

Check the output

AI can draft, reorganize, and suggest improvements, but you still need to review the result. Check names, dates, links, keyboard instructions, accessibility claims, and anything that affects someone’s ability to use the content.

Sample prompt

“Review the following resource for accessibility. Suggest improvements for headings, link text, plain language, screen reader flow, and alt text. Do not change the meaning. After the review, provide a revised version and a short checklist of what changed.”