# What is ADT Studio? (/docs/get-started/what-is-adt-studio)



**ADT Studio is a tool that turns a PDF into an accessible digital textbook** — audio narration, structured layouts, translations, and sign language, all built in, with no coding required.

* **Runs on your machine.** The source PDF stays with you; only the AI calls need internet, and a finished ADT works fully **offline**.
* **Guided, step by step.** From importing a PDF to exporting a finished package — no coding required.
* **Built toward AI provider choice.** Today, the main pipeline relies on OpenAI, with growing support for other providers. Most providers charge per use — see [AI providers and costs](/docs/get-started/api-keys).
* **Free and open source.** Licensed under [AGPL-3.0](https://github.com/unicef/adt-studio/blob/develop/LICENSE), source on [GitHub](https://github.com/unicef/adt-studio) — free for anyone to use.

## Who's behind ADT Studio [#whos-behind-adt-studio]

ADT Studio is developed as an open-source project by **UNICEF**, with support from **OpenAI**, **NEES**, and **Ceibal**.

<PartnersStrip />

## Where ADT Studio has been used [#where-adt-studio-has-been-used]

Pilots with documented evidence span countries across Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America, as part of the initiative. UNICEF Innocenti has conducted implementation research across several of these contexts. See the [Accessible Textbooks for All initiative](https://www.accessibletextbooksforall.org) for the current list of participating countries.

Three live demos give a sense of what the tool produces, from pure AI output to closely reviewed content:

<Cards>
  <Card title="Momo and the Leopards" description="A multilingual storybook from Bhutan, with no manual edits to the AI output." href="https://unicef.github.io/adt-momo-storybook/" />

  <Card title="Queremos Participar" description="An informative reader from Uruguay, lightly edited after AI processing." href="https://unicef.github.io/adt-queremos-participar/" />

  <Card title="Cuaderno 5, Chapter 1" description="A grade 5 textbook with activities from Uruguay, with more extensive human curation." href="https://unicef.github.io/ADT-cuaderno5-chapter1/" />
</Cards>

{/* dynamic: verify demo links against repo README on each release.
   Checked 2026-07-22: the three demo links (Momo and the Leopards, Queremos Participar, Cuaderno 5) are real —
   added to README.md on main via PR #356 (merged 2026-04-28), under a "See ADTs in action" section.
   They are not a recent/stray addition, but they currently exist on `main` only — this branch's README (off `develop`)
   doesn't have that section, so it can't be used as the source to verify against; check with dev if that's expected
   drift between branches or if it needs to be pulled into develop too.
   Country list and reach numbers are intentionally NOT hardcoded here — they change too often to keep in sync
   with docs review cycles. Point readers to the initiative site instead of restating figures in this file. */}

## The principles behind ADT Studio [#the-principles-behind-adt-studio]

ADT Studio is built around six ideas that shape how it works.

<PrincipleCards />

## ADT Studio and Universal Design for Learning [#adt-studio-and-universal-design-for-learning]

ADT Studio puts into practice &#x2A;*[Universal Design for Learning (UDL)](https://www.accessibletextbooksforall.org/universal-design-learning)** — designing content that works for the widest range of learners from the start, rather than adapting it afterward. An ADT delivers on UDL's first principle directly: the same content, offered through multiple ways in — reading, listening, image descriptions, language switching — at scale.

## Ready to continue? [#ready-to-continue]

[What type of content can become an ADT? →](/docs/get-started/what-type-of-content)