I’ll be honest, I have very little experience with using AI. I use Grammarly (a writing tool) to check my spelling and grammar in my papers, but other than that I’ve never used AI to help me with my work. I’m so inexperienced that I don’t even know what the Chat GPT website looks like. I guess I don’t really have any reason to use it. I believe that most other people in my demographic use AI for help with their homework and papers etc. But, I’ve always enjoyed writing. I don’t mind having to write a ten-page paper as much as other people do. I love the process of thinking over my topic, scouring for research and evidence, and rewriting and rephrasing my words to display my thinking in the best way possible. It’s very rewarding, therapeutic, and even cathartic for me. Because I enjoy the process so much, I’ve never felt the need to have AI write things for me. My lack of need for AI assistance led me to have the naive belief that AI programs like Chat GPT and Microsoft Copilot do not have any positive attributes. But, as it turns out I’ve been corrected and learned a valuable lesson in the process. Just because I don’t have a use or need for something, doesn’t mean that others don’t have a need for it, and it certainly does not mean that that thing does not have value in the world at large.
Before I begin, I find it important to define which type of AI I am specifically referencing. Chat GPT, Microsoft Copilot, and others of the like fall into the category of “generative AI”. This is the type of AI program that most people are using. As the name suggests, generative AI is a type of technology that generates content (words or images). Generative AI requires the human user to give it a prompt of content to generate. (AI Snake Oil) As I’ve recently learned the ability of these AI programs to almost instantly create content is incredibly helpful for people with disabilities.
I first encountered this revelation in an article about “AI super users”. The author, Danielle Abril, introduces readers to Lisa Ross, who has ADHD and says that using AI to help them at work has “more than doubled their productivity.” Ross uses generative AI to help with project planning, determining the impact of those projects, creating content within a specific framework, and even preparing for tough conversations in the workplace. ADHD is often associated with executive dysfunction. People may have trouble planning and organizing, sequencing steps to complete a task, remembering details, or multitasking. (Attention Deficit Disorder Association) I imagine that AI programs could help a lot with things like this. People could give AI all of the tasks they have to do, and have the program tell them how to organize their time and split up the big tasks into smaller ones. AI is also great at summarizing large bodies of text. AI could even be used to schedule, organize, and plan a person’s entire weekly schedule. I can see how helpful this could be to someone who has trouble with executive functioning. I can see how much time, energy, and frustration can be saved by having a tool that can easily help you. I can also see how free and independent a person could feel if they don’t have to rely on others to help them but can use a readily available AI program instead.
I’ve also found evidence that generative AI helps people with physical disabilities, specifically the hearing and visually impaired. Handtalk.com (a sign language translation app) lists some of the many AI assistive technology examples, including—but not limited to—language captioning and translation, image recognition, facial recognition, lip reading, and user navigation. AI technology can also provide live transcription. This could help in educational settings, by generating real-time captions for lectures. AI also has the potential to help in home settings. Things like turning on lights, adjusting temperature, and turning on appliances could all be automated by AI. The independence this could provide for people with physical disabilities is incredible. People would no longer have to worry about hiring help or relying on their loved ones to care for them and take care of their physical needs. I think a lot of people with physical disabilities struggle with feeling infantilized by the people around them because they don’t have much physical independence. I can see how AI could help with this feeling.
Another important point to make is that generative AI programs are relatively cheap, widespread, and readily available. These programs are much more accessible than typical assistive technologies for people with disabilities. Imagine a world where people with disabilities are not going to medical debt for acquiring technology that helps them to care for their basic human needs! Imagine a world where loved ones and caretakers are not burnt out by high demand and low staffing! Imagine a world where life is more accessible and equitable for those with disabilities! The best part is that these worlds are not far out of our reach with the advance of AI assistive technology.
Generative AI designed to help people with disabilities is not perfect yet. There is definitely a bias toward English speakers, and AI-developing companies need to focus on hiring more employees with disabilities to provide more authentic perspectives and advocacy in the places where this technology is being developed. Even so, I do believe that there is good faith development happening in this new field. There is progress being made, and the accessibility gap is slowly but surely getting smaller.
Doing my own research, exploring different perspectives, and reading other’s stories has opened my eyes to an entire world of AI use that I had previously not known about. I had assumed that generative AI was mostly used by neurotypical students who were just too preoccupied to do their homework. I realize now that that opinion was a result of misinformation and bad faith. There is a very diverse group of reasons why people choose to use AI, most of them NOT coming from a place of laziness but a place of accessibility and need. I’ve never broken a bone in my life, I’ve never had a reason to use crutches. How insane would I sound if I claimed that crutches were stupid and not necessary to the world just because I’ve never personally needed them? This is the same with AI. I now recognize that my limited and unfavorable opinions toward generative AI use were misguided and exclusionary towards people with disabilities.