Pneuma Solutions has announced the expansion of its Scribe for Documents platform, aiming to improve document accessibility for blind individuals.
Mike Calvo, CEO and Co-Founder of Pneuma Solutions, described accessibility challenges within current diversity and inclusion initiatives and expressed concern about diminishing emphasis on accessibility in the United States and internationally.
"Accessibility is being erased from the conversation. In the United States, DEIA—Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility—is being quietly dismantled across government agencies. Section 504 funding is shrinking. Corporate disability programs are disappearing. And while countries like the UK, EU, and Canada talk a big game, the follow-through rarely delivers. As a blind person, I've seen this movie before—and spoiler alert, it doesn't end well for us," said Calvo.
Calvo clarified his perspective on the relationship between accessibility and broader diversity efforts. He said, "I believe in diversity. I believe in equity. I believe in inclusion. But I've never been comfortable mixing accessibility into that same DEI bucket. Not because I don't support those efforts—I do—but because accessibility isn't a gesture. It's a right. And when it gets tied to political trends or budget cycles, we get told to wait. We've waited long enough."
Reflecting on accessibility during the COVID-19 pandemic, Calvo noted, "Back in 2020, We Didn't Wait—So Why Start Now? When COVID hit, the world went digital. But for blind students? The lights went out. That's when we launched Scribe for Education—a rapid-response solution to convert inaccessible learning materials during global lockdowns. It was based on the core technology behind what would become Scribe for Documents."
Scribe for Documents has since evolved beyond its initial crisis application. The latest update introduces increased remediation speed and the ability to independently convert documents across several formats, including tagged PDF, HTML, Microsoft Word, ePub, braille-ready BRF, DAISY3 for audio book reading, MP3 audio, and MOBI.
Calvo stated, "Now, in 2025, that tech has grown. Evolved. Matured. What started as a crisis solution has become a full-blown platform—built to give blind people the power to remediate documents independently, instantly, and affordably."
The platform allows users to upload documents, receive instant accessibility processing, and generate offline copies in their preferred format. A browser extension is now available for Chrome, Edge, and Firefox, enabling remediation with a keyboard shortcut or a direct context menu selection for PDF links. Scribe also features an updated text-to-speech engine with natural, multilingual voice capabilities.
Discussing the improved experience, Calvo explained, "We've given Scribe's engine quite the tune-up. The result? Remediation speed like you've never seen before, with no compromises on accuracy! Gone are the days of waiting several minutes to read your document. Upload your material to Scribe, and within a mere instant, it will be ready to read! While you read, Scribe continues plugging away at your document until it's fully remediated, at which point you can produce your very own, offline copy of the document in our wide variety of conversion formats. Never before has document accessibility been this instant!"
The pricing structure has also changed, with individual pages available for purchase at USD $0.05 each. The minimum purchase of USD $10 provides 200 pages, and a USD $25 package features 500 pages, an increase from prior packages. A yearly subscription option is offered at USD $250 for 10,000 pages. Payment methods have been expanded, and purchased pages do not expire.
Scribe's possible uses are Described. The company highlights document types such as legal files, school handouts, job applications, government PDFs, public notices, schedules, health documents, and leisure books in accessible formats. The platform is designed to be user-friendly regardless of the user's technical skill level.
Calvo commented on the platform's long-term vision and rationale, stating, "Matt Campbell and I have spent over 25 years developing accessible technology. We've seen accessibility come in and out of fashion. But one thing hasn't changed: blind people need tools that give us control. That's why we built Scribe for Documents. So you don't have to wait, so you don't have to ask, so you can access what you need, when you need it."
He concluded, "It's not about what's fair—it's about what's real. And the reality is, if we want access, we have to build it ourselves. The oceans of accessibility are turbulent all over the world. But we're still here. Still building. Still moving forward. Let's stop waiting for access. Let's build it—together."
