Key points:
ai has enormous potential to improve accessibility and support for students, particularly students with disabilities, according to ai-accessibility-in-education/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>a new report of CoSN and CAST.
The report is a comprehensive guide for educators, district leaders, and policymakers, offering insights into the benefits and challenges of ai in education and offering practical strategies for effective and ethical implementation of ai, with a focus on enabling accessibility.
As ai technologies, such as generative ai and assistive tools, become increasingly prevalent in learning environments, it is critical that educators understand both their benefits and limitations.
Key findings of the report include:
1. Potential of ai for accessibility
- ai tools can significantly improve personalized learning by tailoring educational content to meet the unique needs and preferences of each student, especially those with disabilities. For example, text-to-speech software, voice recognition systems, and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools integrated with ai enhance the learning experience for students with diverse needs.
- ai can alleviate teacher burnout by automating administrative tasks such as grading and attendance tracking, allowing educators to focus more on direct student interaction and support.
2. Use cases and examples
- Case studies from various educational settings illustrate practical applications of ai to improve accessibility. For example, artificial intelligence tools have been used to create learning materials, facilitate communication for students with speech disabilities, and develop accessible mathematics assessments for blind students.
3. Challenges and risks
- Despite its potential, implementing ai in education poses challenges such as data privacy concerns, algorithmic biases, and limitations in personalized learning. ai systems should be created by diverse people and should avoid inaccuracies and ensure true representation, especially for students with disabilities.
- Ensuring that ai tools are designed and implemented with accessibility in mind is crucial to avoid exacerbating existing inequalities.
4. Policies and frameworks
- This report highlights the importance of policy frameworks and guidelines to ensure the safe and ethical use of ai in education. Key policies include the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Title II (Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in State and Local Government Services, 2024), which require state and local government entities to provide fully accessible digital resources.
- The Universal Design for Learning (UDL) framework provides a guiding principle for creating inclusive educational environments that meet the needs, interests, and preferences of all students.
Recommendations
The report proposes a three-tier solution for the safe implementation of generative ai, focusing on short-term actions such as professional development, medium-term actions such as ensuring accessibility for special education students, and long-term goals of universal access to ai tools. It also calls for continued collaboration to ensure effective and intentional implementation of ai.
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