Using AI to Expand Access and Independence for People with Disabilities
New technology is changing quickly, and many people find it hard to know how to use it safely or well. Tools powered by artificial intelligence (AI) can make everyday tasks easier and support independence. At the same time, they can raise concerns about false information, privacy, and access. These challenges are often even greater for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (I/DD) because technology is not always designed with their needs in mind.
Mark FriedmanDisability advocates in Georgia and across the country are working to make sure new technology helps people with disabilities instead of creating new barriers. One group doing this work is MyTechForAll, a disability-led AI learning community. MyTechForAll is currently receiving funding through the Georgia Council on Developmental Disabilities’ Technology Education Initiative. The organization brings together disability advocates from across the country to teach people with disabilities how to use AI tools to make daily life easier.
“When it comes to technology, people with disabilities are often left behind,” said Mark Friedman, founder of MyTechForAll. “Our goal is to help people with disabilities use these tools that can aid in decision-making, independence, and doing things they couldn’t do before.”
MyTechForAll’s trainings are led by co-trainers—people with disabilities who use AI tools in their own lives. These co-trainers share their personal experiences, which helps make the training more welcoming and practical.
“Because technology is constantly changing and evolving, I’m always teaching myself and learning so much,” said David
David Taylor Taylor, a senior co-trainer at MyTechForAll. “Then, I’m able to train other mentors to use technologies like Google Gemini and the Alexa Echo Sonar to make our lives easier.”
In addition to teaching people how to use existing tools, researchers and advocates are also building new technology designed specifically for people with disabilities and their families.
The Center for Leadership in Disability at Georgia State University (GSU) is developing an AI tool to make it easier to find information about Medicaid, waivers, and disability benefits. Mark Crenshaw, director of interdisciplinary training at the School of Public Health, and Dylan Schauben, a graduate student, are developing an AI tool to make it easier to find this information.
“This project is the outcome of working with graduate students for several years to develop family-focused, plain language resources about how to navigate Medicaid waivers and disability benefits,” explained Crenshaw. “After a couple of years, we realized that there was a ton of information that families had to wade through to get access to vital supports and services.”
Dylan SchaubenSchauben, who started working with Crenshaw through the Georgia Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disabilities (GaLEND) program, suggested using AI to organize this information in a clearer and more accessible way. He also brings experience as a direct support professional (DSP) and holds master’s degrees in social work, public administration, and soon one in information systems.
“A lot of my work has involved bringing these different worlds together,” said Schauben. “The goal is to give people resources in simple terms, multiple languages, and accessible formats that are validated and curated for machine learning. We’re trying to bridge gaps in knowledge, and that requires involving a lot of different voices in the conversation.”
Building an AI tool that shares accurate and trustworthy information about Medicaid and disability benefits takes time and care. Because this information can be sensitive, privacy has been a top priority. The team has focused on making sure the tool follows the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA).
Mark Crenshaw
“During one of our demos, one of the students intentionally put personally identifiable information into the system, and it basically replied, ‘Don’t do that,’” said Crenshaw. “From the beginning, we’ve thought about the kinds of ways that individuals and families would interact with the tool and tried to think about privacy and helping folks guard their information.”
While the AI tool is still being tested, the developers believe it has strong potential. The work of groups like MyTechForAll and researchers at Georgia State University shows how technology, when designed with people with disabilities, can improve access, independence, and quality of life for Georgians with disabilities.