The influence of artificial intelligence on individuals with disabilities

The influence of artificial intelligence on individuals with disabilities

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping assistive technologies, offering new possibilities for enhancing the independence, …

Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Accessibility Research Symposium 2023

Accessibility resources free online from the international standards organization: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

Artificial intelligence-powered smart vision glasses for the visually impaired

Purpose: In India, 4.80 million people are blind, and 4.69 million have severe visual impairment. Globally, the digital era and the advent of artificial intelligence devices offer solutions for daily challenges faced by the visually impaired, but they are often expensive. This study evaluates the acceptance and usability of a cost-effective AI-powered spectacle-mounted assistive device in a multicentric Indian cohort. Methods: Smart vision glass (SVG) is a lightweight tool, mounted on a spectacle frame with braille-coded keys and a real-time voice interface for guiding the visually impaired, and is connected to a smartphone Android App. The four major functions of the device are as follows: “Things Around You,” “Reading,” “Walking Assistance,” and “Face Recognition.” Ninety participants were recruited from five vision rehabilitation centers across India, and feedback was collected after a month’s usage. Results: The mean age of the participants was 23.5 years (range: 6 to 56 years) with 58.9% male; 51% from rural areas; and 64.4% students. As per the World Health Organization (WHO) classification, 90% of the participants were blind (best corrected visual acuity in better eye less than 3/60). A total of 100% of the participants were able to access all the functions of the SVG. Participants reported a positive experience with “Reading” (72.9%), “Things Around You” (44.7%), “Face Recognition” (36.5%), and “Walking Assistance” (22.4%). About 2/3rd of the participants utilized the device for an hour or more per day. Conclusion: SVG is a promising cost-effective device for the blind and severe visually impaired in aiding their day-to-day challenges and becoming self-reliant.

Digital accessibility is real and tangible

A workshop using real-life examples and first-hand experience of how assistive technology works can result in a deeper understanding of accessibility needs

Nothing About Us, Without Us: Disability Justice and AI

Intersectionality, ways that AI can support the disabled, and how we can win the race to make AI more inclusive.

Substrates via Accessibility

The social model of disability holds that disability is produced by environments, not by bodies — that when software fails to accommodate a person’s needs, the environment is disabling them. We argue that the dominant organization of computing produces such interaction mismatches structurally: the commodity form of software requires a standardized consumer, and everyone whose needs diverge from this imagined subject is disabled by the software environment. The substrates research community has identified properties — disclosure, composability, malleability — that would address this, but the commodity form actively selects against these properties because they dissolve the boundaries on which exchange value depends. This raises a question: how can infrastructure organized against the grain of commodity logic be made durable? We find a precedent in accessibility infrastructure — sustained not by patronage but by the organized counter-power of disability rights movements. Through Allio, a system for cross-application augmentation built on accessibility APIs, we illustrate both what this foundation makes possible and where its limits lie. We argue that the accessibility case reframes the substrates programme’s central challenge as political-economic: the question of who sustains substrate infrastructure, and through what social mechanisms, is as important as the question of what properties it should have.

Substrates via Accessibility

The social model of disability holds that disability is produced by environments, not by bodies — that when software fails to accommodate a person’s needs, the environment is disabling them. We argue that the dominant organization of computing produces such interaction mismatches structurally: the commodity form of software requires a standardized consumer, and everyone whose needs diverge from this imagined subject is disabled by the software environment. The substrates research community has identified properties — disclosure, composability, malleability — that would address this, but the commodity form actively selects against these properties because they dissolve the boundaries on which exchange value depends. This raises a question: how can infrastructure organized against the grain of commodity logic be made durable? We find a precedent in accessibility infrastructure — sustained not by patronage but by the organized counter-power of disability rights movements. Through Allio, a system for cross-application augmentation built on accessibility APIs, we illustrate both what this foundation makes possible and where its limits lie. We argue that the accessibility case reframes the substrates programme’s central challenge as political-economic: the question of who sustains substrate infrastructure, and through what social mechanisms, is as important as the question of what properties it should have.

Bridging the Divide: Addressing the Resistance to AI Adoption Among the Underrepresented

AI is increasingly integrating into our lives and educational settings by opening communication doors and providing limitless options for creativity. However, students, faculty, and staff of diverse backgrounds and access may vary in their adoption and application of AI technologies. Existing research has identified disparities in AI adoption. For example, a Pew Research survey indicated that men are more likely to use ChatGPT, with 29% versus 19% of women (PRC, 2023). Why is this? Additionally, many AI programs have been shown to sometimes have racial disparities built into their algorithms. ChatGPT demonstrated that the software “was more likely to associate European American names with pleasant words such as “gift” or “happy,” while African American names were more commonly associated with unpleasant words” (Guardian, 2017). Furthermore, there is evidence to suggest there are inequities ranging from issues with economic access with many premium AI features behind paywalls to concerns that people with disabilities have, which has dissuaded some people from adopting AI (APA, 2023). This presentation will explore the concerns and dynamics of adopting artificial intelligence (AI) in our lives and educational settings. We will engage and discuss these concerns and dynamics with attendees looking at issues with diversity, inclusion, and accessibility. Ultimately, this presentation seeks to foster an environment where all individuals can positively engage and feel included and empowerd by artificial intelligence in shaping the future of learning.

Ask Disabled People What They Want. It’s Not Always Technology.

While our lives are deeply entangled with technologies of all kinds, disabled people are almost never included in discussions about technology.

Guides: AI-Based Disability Tools and Resources: Home

This guide provides information about AI tools and research resources related to disabilities.

WebAIM: Web Accessibility In Mind

Expanding the potential of the web for people with disabilities by empowering individuals and organizations to create accessible content.

lukeslp/awesome-accessibility

Curated list of accessibility resources, tools, and best practices for creating inclusive digital experiences

Assisting blind people with AI and audio using smart glasses: system design with YOLOv8 variants comparisons

This paper introduces a novel system design leveraging Vuzix Blade 2 smart glasses to enhance the mobility and independence of visually impaired individuals. The study critically examines existing assistive navigation and object detection technologies, identifying their limitations and gaps. The designed system integrates real-time object detection, distance estimation, and OCR functionalities, providing auditory feedback through a robust and efficient pipeline. The designed application enhances the independence and safety of visually impaired individuals, particularly in navigating university campuses. A dataset comprising 15,951 annotated images from the university campus was used for training and evaluation. A comparative analysis of three YOLOv8 models (YOLOv8-N, YOLOv8-S, and YOLOv8-M) was conducted, balancing accuracy and computational efficiency to optimise system performance. The pipeline also offers a comprehensive framework for developers and researchers to build inclusive systems combining AR, computer vision, and AI. Results show high object detection accuracy (precision: 0.90, recall: 0.83) and reliable distance estimation with a minor error of 0.33 m. Results demonstrate the system’s capability to detect obstacles within one meter, provide precise distance estimation, and convert textual information into speech, validating its potential for real-world applications. This study emphasises the significant role of AI-driven solutions in advancing assistive technologies, paving the way for more accessible and inclusive navigation systems. Compared with recent assistive systems such as Smart Cane (He in CCF Trans. Pervasive Comput. Interact. 5:382–395, 2023), OrCam MyEye (Amore in J. Med. Syst. 47:11, 2023), and IrisVision (Gopalakrishnan in Comparison of visual function analysis of people with low vision using three different models of augmented reality devices, 2024), the proposed system demonstrates superior integration of detection, text recognition, and real-time feedback within a lightweight wearable device.

Ubiquitous Accessibility for People with Visual Impairments: Are We There Yet?

Ubiquitous access is an increasingly common vision of computing, wherein users can interact with any computing device or service from anywhere, at any time. In the era of personal computing, users with visual impairments required special-purpose, assistive technologies, such as screen readers, to interact with computers. This paper investigates whether technologies like screen readers have kept pace with, or have created a barrier to, the trend toward ubiquitous access, with a specific focus on desktop computing as this is still the primary way computers are used in education and employment. Towards that, the paper presents a user study with 21 visually-impaired participants, specifically involving the switching of screen readers within and across different computing platforms, and the use of screen readers in remote access scenarios. Among the findings, the study shows that, even for remote desktop access—an early forerunner of true ubiquitous access—screen readers are too limited, if not unusable. The study also identifies several accessibility needs, such as uniformity of navigational experience across devices, and recommends potential solutions. In summary, assistive technologies have not made the jump into the era of ubiquitous access, and multiple, inconsistent screen readers create new practical problems for users with visual impairments.

AI Doesn't Fix Accessible Systems. It Depends on Them. — Anna E. Cook

Why AI depends on the foundation accessible design systems build — and how "AI will fix accessibility" is producing the opposite outcome at industry scale.

Accessibility Beyond Accommodations: A Systematic Redesign of Introduction to Computer Science for Students with Visual Impairments

Computer science education has evolved extensively; however, systemic barriers still prevent students with visual impairments from fully participating. While existing research has developed specialized programming tools and assistive technologies, these solutions remain fragmented and often require complex technical infrastructure, which limits their classroom implementation. Current approaches treat accessibility as individual accommodations rather than integral curriculum design, creating gaps in holistic educational support. This paper presents a comprehensive framework for redesigning introductory computer science curricula to provide equitable learning experiences for students with visual impairments without requiring specialized technical infrastructure. The framework outlines five key components that together contribute a systematic approach to curriculum accessibility: accessible learning resources with pre-distributed materials and tactile diagrams, in-class learning kits with hands-on demonstrations, structured support systems with dedicated teaching assistance, an online tool repository, and psychosocial support for classroom participation. Unlike existing tool-focused solutions, this framework addresses both technical and pedagogical dimensions of inclusive education while emphasizing practical implementation in standard university settings. The design is grounded in universal design principles and validated through expert consultation with accessibility specialists and disability services professionals, establishing foundations for future empirical evaluation of learning outcomes and student engagement while serving as a template for broader institutional adoption.