Supporting Partnerships in Participatory, User-centered Co-Design of Artificial Intelligence Mediated Devices for People with Disabilities: Identifying Needs and Opportunities

Abstract

One billion people, fifteen percent of the world’s population, have experienced a disabling condition that impacts their physical or cognitive function according to the World Bank Group. Such disabilities can result in challenges that present major barriers to entering and persisting in the labor force. In the United States, at least 80% of people with disabilities were not part of the 2024 labor force according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics. This disparity  has been particularly pronounced in technology-related employment. Only 3% of the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) workforce are people with disabilities and representation in STEM workforces remains relatively unchanged from a decade ago, despite an increase in the number of people with disabilities across professions since 2011. Americans with disabilities earn only 66 cents for every dollar earned by their counterparts without disabilities. While employment opportunities world-wide in technology industries continue to grow, they are largely inaccessible to people with disabilities. This inaccessibility is primarily because standard computing interfaces are nearly impossible to operate for many people with disabilities, especially those with physical challenges.

The research presented in this paper explores the challenges that people with physical disabilities have in accessing and using technologies and provides merit for the role that artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning may play in changing the outcomes for people with disabilities. Such adaptations may provide people with disabilities with full accessibility to technology when it is facilitated by AI powered, machine learning mediated accessibility devices. This research presents a structure and process for obtaining information about the individual and collective needs of people with physical disabilities in designing accessible hardware and associated software wrappers to meet their needs. Furthermore, it highlights promise for working with people with disabilities in co-design of technology that will meet such identified needs. Results of this research indicates that people with disabilities can play a significant role in designing, testing and developing accessibility tools for themselves and others associated with technology use in education as well as in employment.