AI notetaker for Discord hearing impaired users: accessibility guide

Discord voice channels exclude hearing-impaired users by default, but AI notetakers solve this by converting speech to text in real time. Tools like Harmony join voice channels and generate searchable transcripts that meet WCAG 2.1 requirements, ensuring the 430 million people with disabling hearing loss can fully participate in conversations that were previously audio-only.

Key Facts

• Discord lacks built-in live transcription for voice channels despite being WCAG 2.1 compliant in other areas

• AI notetakers provide real-time transcription with speaker attribution, making voice chats accessible to deaf and hard-of-hearing users

• More than 70% of the U.S. population now benefits from accessible technology, regardless of disability status

• Harmony offers Discord-native recording with AI summaries starting at free tier (60 minutes) or $10/seat for Pro (600 minutes)

• Server admins can ensure ADA compliance by implementing transcription tools that generate text equivalents for audio content

Voice chats move fast; for the 430 million people with disabling hearing loss, missing a sentence can mean missing the whole meeting. An AI notetaker for Discord closes that gap by turning every spoken word into text your team can read, search and share.

Why hearing-impaired users need an AI notetaker on Discord

Discord voice channels present a real barrier for deaf and hard-of-hearing participants. When conversation happens only in audio, anyone who cannot hear it is effectively locked out of the discussion.

Text transcripts provide a textual version of the content that can be accessed by anyone. This matters because text transcription, as one community member described it, "is when you're taking speech and converting it into text (like closed captions, but live)." Without such a feature built in, users with hearing impairments must rely on workarounds that are often expensive or complicated to configure.

As one Discord user put it:

"It would be amazing if Discord implemented their own version of this to benefit those with hearing loss (like me!) or don't have a headphone and need to join in a voice chat without disturbing their surrounding environment."
— Discord Support Community

An AI notetaker solves this problem by joining voice channels, converting speech to text in real time and delivering searchable transcripts and summaries. The result: more than 1 billion people around the world who live with a disability gain equal access to conversations that were previously audio-only.

How many people rely on accessible meeting tech?

The demand for accessible technology is larger than many teams realize.

57% of U.S. computer users were likely or very likely to benefit from accessible technology in 2003.
That figure has grown: more than 70% of the U.S. population now stands to benefit from accessible technology, regardless of disability status.
Globally, more than 1 billion people live with a disability.

These numbers show that accessibility is not a niche concern. Providing live transcription benefits employees, community members and customers across a wide range of situations, from noisy environments to multitasking scenarios.

What Discord offers today—and where live captions are still missing

Discord has made genuine progress on accessibility. The platform is compliant with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, supports keyboard navigation, screen readers and UI scaling.

However, screen readers are designed for users who are visually impaired and rely on screen readers to dictate the text on a screen—they do not convert voice channel audio into text.

Critically, Discord doesn't support TTS messages in voice channels. The built-in text-to-speech feature works only in text channels, leaving voice channel conversations inaccessible to anyone who cannot hear them.

This gap is where an AI notetaker becomes essential.

How Harmony turns Discord audio into accessible meeting notes

Harmony is a Discord bot and web app that joins voice channels, records audio, transcribes speech and generates AI summaries. For hearing-impaired users, this means every word spoken in a meeting becomes readable text.

You can use the Realtime API for transcription-only use cases, either with input from a microphone or from a file. Harmony leverages similar technology to stream audio to a transcription engine that converts speech to text in near real time.

Because speech-to-text techniques are used to generate a text transcript of the meeting that associates speech with corresponding participants, deaf or hard-of-hearing teammates can see exactly who said what.

Providing a transcript is sufficient to meet all of the relevant WCAG 2.1 Level A and AA Success Criteria under Guideline 1.2 Time-based Media. Harmony's workflow aligns with these standards by making transcripts available immediately after (and during) the call.

Real-time transcription engine

Harmony's transcription pipeline includes several components that improve accuracy for all speakers:

Audio is captured at 24 kHz mono PCM via WebSockets.
Optional noise reduction runs before voice activity detection.
The Realtime API supports automatic voice activity detection (VAD), so transcription starts and stops intelligently without manual intervention.
Speaker identification tags each participant, making transcripts easy to follow.

These features combine to deliver readable, searchable meeting notes that hearing-impaired users can review live or revisit later.

Harmony vs. Otter.ai, Microsoft Teams & Discord bots: accessibility head-to-head

Feature	Harmony	Otter.ai	Microsoft Teams	Scriptly (Discord bot)
Discord voice channel support	Yes	No	No	Yes
Live captions for Zoom and Google Meet	No	Yes	N/A	No
Live captioning with speaker attribution in 28 languages	N/A	N/A	Yes	N/A
Stored, searchable transcripts	Yes	Yes	Yes	Limited
AI summaries and action items	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
Pricing	Free tier; $10/seat Pro	Freemium	Requires Microsoft 365 license	Freemium

Otter.ai offers strong transcription for Zoom, Google Meet and Microsoft Teams, but it does not integrate with Discord voice channels. Microsoft Teams provides excellent accessibility features inside its own ecosystem, yet many communities and remote teams have already standardized on Discord.

Scriptly is changing the way people communicate on Discord by providing voice-to-text transcription, but it lacks AI summaries and advanced search. Harmony fills the gap by combining Discord-native recording with full transcription, summaries and analytics.

Key takeaway: For teams that rely on Discord, Harmony is the only tool that provides end-to-end transcription, AI summaries and WCAG-aligned accessibility in a single package.

Flowchart of six key inclusive design steps Discord admins can follow to improve accessibility

Inclusive design tips for Discord server admins (WCAG & ADA)

Server administrators can take several steps to make voice channels more accessible:

Enable an AI notetaker. Adding Harmony or a similar tool ensures that every voice conversation has a text counterpart.
Adopt WCAG 2.1 as your standard. The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group recommends that sites adopt WCAG 2.1 as their conformance target, even if formal obligations mention WCAG 2.0, to provide improved accessibility.
Prioritize digital accessibility in design. Forrester research identifies five best practices for augmenting your experience design practice for inclusion: create a diverse and inclusive design team, recognize exclusion, use inclusive language, identify and address bias, and prioritize digital accessibility.
Understand legal requirements. The Americans with Disabilities Act applies to state and local governments (Title II) and businesses that are open to the public (Title III). Examples of website accessibility barriers include poor color contrast, lack of alt text, and no captions on videos.
Use the raise-hand feature. Neurodivergent participants may have difficulty with turn-taking. The raise-hand reaction helps create order without requiring users to interrupt.
Share agendas and materials in advance. Providing context before the meeting supports participants who need extra preparation time.

Quick start: adding Harmony to your Discord server

Getting started with Harmony takes just a few minutes:

Invite the bot. Add Harmony to any server (up to 100 servers per account) using the invite link on harmonynotetaker.ai.
Join a voice channel and start recording. Type /record to begin. Harmony joins the channel and captures audio.
Stop recording and process the meeting. Type /stop when the call ends. Harmony generates a transcript, AI summary and analytics.
Share the meeting link. Anyone with the link can read the transcript and summaries, no audio required.

To use the Realtime API for transcription, you need to create a transcription session, connecting via WebSockets or WebRTC. Harmony handles this automatically so admins can focus on the conversation.

Transcription is initiated or paused by the host using triggers such as voice commands or other input mechanisms. Harmony uses simple slash commands to give hosts full control.

For most W3C media, you just need to provide a simple text transcript. Harmony delivers exactly that, plus summaries and speaker analytics for teams that want deeper insights.

Pricing options include:

Free: 60 minutes of transcription, AI summaries, unlimited transcript history.
Pro ($10/seat): 600 minutes per seat, detailed AI summaries, 1:1 priority support.
Team (custom): Unlimited transcription and seats, advanced analytics.

Visit harmonynotetaker.ai/pricing to choose a plan.

Accessible voice chats are possible today—here's your next move

Discord voice channels no longer have to exclude hearing-impaired participants. With an AI notetaker like Harmony, every spoken word becomes searchable text that teammates can read, review and reference.

Speech-to-text techniques generate a text transcript of the meeting that associates speech with corresponding participants, removing the barrier between audio conversations and users who rely on text.

Providing a transcript meets WCAG 2.1 requirements, helping server admins demonstrate compliance while creating an inclusive environment.

Ready to make your Discord server accessible? Invite Harmony to your server today and start recording your next meeting.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main benefit of using an AI notetaker for Discord?

An AI notetaker for Discord provides real-time transcription of voice chats, making conversations accessible to hearing-impaired users by converting speech to text.

How does Harmony improve accessibility for hearing-impaired users on Discord?

Harmony joins Discord voice channels to record and transcribe audio into text, providing searchable transcripts and AI summaries, thus making meetings accessible to those with hearing impairments.

What accessibility features does Discord currently offer?

Discord supports keyboard navigation, screen readers, and UI scaling, but lacks built-in voice channel transcription, which is where Harmony's AI notetaker becomes essential.

How does Harmony compare to other transcription tools like Otter.ai and Microsoft Teams?

Unlike Otter.ai and Microsoft Teams, Harmony is specifically designed for Discord, offering end-to-end transcription, AI summaries, and WCAG-aligned accessibility in a single package.

What steps can Discord server admins take to improve accessibility?

Admins can enhance accessibility by enabling an AI notetaker like Harmony, adopting WCAG 2.1 standards, prioritizing digital accessibility, and sharing meeting materials in advance.