Wednesday, March 20, 2024

Allyant review: a document accessibility partner that looks good on paper

Allyant is a company that specializes in providing business accessibility solutions. It can help you comply with regulations like the ADA and WCAG, which ensure that people with disabilities have equal access to your content. 

Allyant's solutions are designed to be practical and non-intrusive. They work behind the scenes to make your documents and websites more accessible without changing how they look or function. 

Some features Allyant offers include accessibility audits, document remediation, website remediation, and ongoing maintenance and support. It can also provide training and guidance to help you and your team understand accessibility requirements and best practices. Here's a look at the service and its features. 

Features

website showing Allyant's CommonLook PDF Validator tool

(Image credit: Allyant)

Allyant offers two primary services related to accessibility: document remediation and digital accessibility auditing.

Allyant's document remediation service is designed to make your documents accessible to all individuals, including those with disabilities. The process is simple and efficient. You can easily upload your documents through Allyant's portal or email system. Once received, a team of experts will organize your documents according to your requirements while adhering to industry standards. The team will also perform accessibility testing to ensure your documents comply with the latest accessibility guidelines. With Allyant's document remediation service, you can be sure that your documents are accessible to everyone.

Allyant also offers software for remediating documents in-house. This software includes the CommonLook PDF Validator, an Adobe Acrobat plug-in designed to test PDF accessibility. CommonLook PDF is another remediation software plug-in for Adobe Acrobat that allows you to test, repair, and report on accessible PDF documents. 

Additionally, the company offers CommonLook tools for Microsoft Office applications. These tools allow users to create, validate, and repair documents in programs like Microsoft Word and PowerPoint.

Allyant's CommonLook Online tool is a subscription-based service that aims to make the lives of administrators, educators, and those working in Disability Support Services (DSS) easier. With this tool, users can quickly upload a document and convert it into multiple formats in just a few clicks. The process is pain-free and efficient, ensuring that all students receive the necessary materials in the best format for them.

CommonLook Online

(Image credit: Allyant)

Meanwhile, the Allyant CommonLook Online tool provides high-level automation to simplify the transcription process. The tool uses guided user input to ensure the documents are transcribed accurately and effectively. CommonLook Online can transcribe documents into accessible Word, braille, PDF, and E-text formats.

Each tool mentioned above allows you to ensure compliance with various standards, such as Section 508 WCAG AA, PDF/UA, and HHS standards. You can also generate compliance reports for each document and customize checkpoints based on your organization's needs.

Allyant also offers a unique "HUB" platform, which merges project and issue management into a seamless interface. This platform facilitates real-time reporting on project progress, provides tools for understanding the impact of accessibility across roles, and allows for direct communication with Allyant's experts.

Allyant also offers digital accessibility auditing services to its clients. Customers can request a quote through the website or contact Allyant directly for this service.

Allyants' team of professionals will carefully evaluate the customer's website or web application by employing automated tools and manual testing methods. Following the evaluation, they will furnish a report containing discoveries, suggestions, and top-notch strategies to enhance the website or web application's accessibility and user-friendliness.

The company thoroughly evaluates digital assets, including websites, client portals, mobile apps, IoT devices, enterprise platforms, and kiosks. Their goal is to enable digital accessibility by identifying and addressing compliance issues with web content accessibility guidelines (WCAG).

How does Allyant use AI?

Allyant provides an enterprise-class AI solution that enables post-production accessibility tagging for high volumes of PDF documents. Its CommonLook (CL) AI automation solutions add post-production accessibility compliance to your electronic document generation systems while allowing archiving for future retrieval and on-demand access without changing your existing document workflows or software systems.

Using the company's highly advanced deep neural network AI, your document generation becomes more intelligent. Furthermore, as the solution produces files, the algorithms are continually enhanced through their quality assurance and post-processing methodology. In essence, the tool is "taught" through actual accessible sample documents how to tag PDF documents correctly. This ensures that those documents are fully accessible and work seamlessly with screen readers and other assistive technologies.

Allyant also offers a pre-composition solution that resides on top of existing databases for the author and generates accessible PDF documents in high volume. Both solutions are available via APIs for tight integration into your existing workflows and can be hosted on-premises or in Allyant's secure cloud.

Installation, setup, and compatibility

Products such as UserWay and AccessiBe are available to ensure that websites remain accessible. These providers have developed software that continuously checks company web pages for issues that require fixing. On the other hand, Allyant offers a different solution, which means that the steps to get started with their services differ.

Allyant offers various ways to get started with its accessibility solutions, depending on your needs. These begin with FREE resources such as business guides and webinars. If you need a comprehensive solution for managing your organization's accessibility efforts, Allyant offers the HUB platform. 

Finally, the company's software titles, such as CommonLook PDF and CommonLook Office, help make your PDFs and documents accessible. The company also offers self-paced training modules that tie everything together for your team. 

Plans and pricing

Allyant offers various services that cater to multiple industries, including healthcare, finance, and education. Because of its varied services, you must contact the company directly for pricing information. 

When you contact Allyant, you can expect to receive a personalized quote based on your specific needs. The company will consider factors like the size and complexity of your project and any particular features or functionality you require. Additionally, turnaround time can impact pricing, as expedited projects may require additional resources and incur additional fees.

Overall, there’s every reason to believe Allyant strives to provide transparent and fair pricing for its clients. While the company may not publish its pricing directly on its website, it is committed to working with clients to provide accurate and reasonable pricing estimates based on their unique needs and requirements.

Final verdict

Allyant is a company that offers an array of services that can benefit businesses and agencies of all sizes. With specialized software tools, Allyant provides document and website accessibility and contact with experts. These services can help companies comply with accessibility laws and regulations, ensuring their digital content is available to all users, including those with disabilities.

However, while Allyant's services are undoubtedly helpful, finding critical information on their website can be challenging. For example, upfront costs, training requirements, and long-term expenses are not always immediately apparent. It can also be challenging to know whether demos are available for testing purposes or what the software tools look like.

If you're interested in working with Allyant, your best bet is to contact the company and begin a discussion. From there, you'll better understand whether there is a good fit between Allyant and your organization. Conversation with Allyant's team can help clarify any questions or concerns you may have and provide the opportunity to discuss your specific accessibility needs. Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, Allyant's services can help you improve the accessibility of your digital content and ensure that it's available to all users.

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