How AI in Assistive Technology Supports Students and Educators with Disabilities

Artificial intelligence has already been integrated into many assistive technologies (AT), improving their functionality and making daily tasks more accessible for people with disabilities. Tools like screen readers, speech-to-text software, and navigation aids now leverage AI to enhance accuracy, efficiency, and customization.

AI is not just enhancing existing assistive technologies — it is becoming a powerful assistive tool in its own right, offering innovative ways to address accessibility needs. AI-driven tools, such as conversational agents, predictive text, and personalized learning platforms, can support people with cognitive, speech, or mobility disabilities by adapting to user preferences and learning from interactions. This adaptability allows for more personalized and inclusive experiences.

Where AI Meets Accessibility: Considerations for Higher Education, a new resource developed by Teach Access in partnership with Every Learner Everywhere, explores the intersection of artificial intelligence and accessibility, with a particular focus on the needs of people with disabilities. The comprehensive asset — drawing from the expertise of fifteen contributors — covers digital accessibility, frameworks for accessible design, legal considerations, policy recommendations, and the limitations and risks of AI for people with disabilities, including algorithmic bias and ableist assumptions. It is also a practical toolkit for incorporating accessible AI in higher education, weaving in example activities, discussion questions, and reading lists.

One section of Where AI Meets Accessibility explores how AI intersects with assistive technology and looks at current applications as well as future possibilities. It also examines important ethical considerations and challenges involved in using AI in this context, ensuring that AI-driven solutions truly improve accessibility without creating new barriers.

Below are excerpts from the section of Where AI Meets Accessibility on AI in assistive technologies.

AI tools to support disabled students

An increasing range of AI-powered assistive technologies is transforming how students and educators with disabilities engage in communication and learning.

For example, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices that include AI features can reduce the need to type or select individual words or can recognize non-standard speech, such as stuttering or speech affected by motor impairments, supporting clearer communication in academic settings.

AI-driven tools are also improving accessibility for people who are deaf or hard of hearing with real-time transcription of classroom audio and improved accuracy of transcription.

AI can enhance writing skills and tools like Grammarly go beyond basic spellcheckers, offering valuable support for students and educators with learning disabilities in reading or writing. When used appropriately, these tools allow a person to understand the changes in their word choice or placement and help identify spelling errors that may have previously been undetected due to their disability.

AI also offers significant support in reading — a critical skill for both students and faculty. Students who struggle with focus or concentration due to disabilities benefit from text-to-speech tools like Speechify and NaturalReader. These programs not only read content aloud but also use AI to create summaries and outlines, helping students review key concepts and check their understanding. For educators, especially those with neurocognitive disabilities, these tools can enhance focus and efficiency.

AI also can assist with executive functioning tasks, helping students stay organized and manage their time more effectively. Generative AI tools can break down large assignments into smaller steps, create personalized schedules, and set reminders to keep students on track. Vanderbilt University’s Planning Assistant project scans course syllabi to extract key dates and automatically adds them to a student’s calendar. Future iterations of this tool aim to further assist students by dividing complex assignments into subtasks and suggesting timelines, making it easier to stay organized and meet deadlines.

AI tools to support disabled educators

Speech-to-text technologies, such as dictation tools in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, and most modern operating systems, further enhance accessibility. These tools help educators with disabilities affecting vision, language, or dexterity by enabling voice commands to draft course materials, provide feedback, or communicate effectively. Predictive typing features, which suggest words or phrases in context, streamline written communication and boost productivity.

Generative AI tools also support time management and efficiency, especially for those skilled in crafting effective prompts. For example, Microsoft Copilot can assist colorblind educators by converting color-based data in charts into accessible formats. Tools like Elicit and Consensus simplify literature reviews by summarizing research articles and highlighting key insights, which is particularly helpful for educators with visual or language disabilities.

For educators with executive function challenges, AI-driven task management tools embedded in email platforms like Apple Mail and Microsoft Outlook suggest calendar events from email content, promoting better organization and focus. Real-time transcription tools, available on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, provide live captions, helping educators follow discussions and refer back to transcripts.

The future of accessible AI

While AI has the potential to improve accessibility in learning environments, it can also unintentionally create barriers. Educators and administrators in higher education are crucial in ensuring that AI development and implementation is accessible. They should prioritize including people with disabilities in decision making, plan for flexible accommodations, and embed accessibility as a core element in all AI-related policies and practices.

Instructors may have the instinct to prohibit the use of generative AI tools out of concern for academic dishonesty or cheating. Some may even consider reverting to practices like having students take quizzes and exams in-class or write assignments by hand during class to prevent AI use. Others might opt to impose strict penalties for suspected AI use in student assignments, despite the unreliability of AI-detection tools. However, it’s important to consider that these approaches might disproportionately affect students with disabilities. For example, in-class assessments can create challenges for students who rely on assistive technology, and the classroom environment might be more distracting than a controlled home setting. Additionally, providing assessment instructions verbally could disadvantage students with attentional or hearing disabilities.

Students may be afraid to use generative AI tools due to unclear or overly strict course or institutional policies. This is particularly the case when policies aren’t clearly stated and come across as prohibiting all types of AI, regardless of how they are used. To address this, both administrators and instructors need to be aware of how AI can enhance accessibility and support equity. Clear, well-articulated policies that allow the use of AI tools for these purposes — without associating them with cheating — are essential.

Editor’s note: The material in this article is excerpted and adapted from Where AI Meets Accessibility: Considerations for Higher Education, developed by Teach Access. Contributors to the sections excerpted above include Jordan Colbert, Suzanne David, Alejandra Dashe, Arielle Silverman, Bernabé Soto Beltrán, Erica Braverman, Jamie Niman, Mei-Lian Vader, Rolando J. Méndez Fernández, Rua Mae Williams, Sarah Malaier, Sarahelizabeth Baguhn, Stephen Thomas, Tessa Wolf, and Vaishnav Kameswaran.