With the power to create personalized content, AI has the potential to substantially improve accessibility in education, especially for students with disabilities. But to unleash this potential, AI developers must make accessibility a priority from the start.

That was the recommendation of a report this week, AI and Accessibility in Education, commissioned by the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN) and CAST, a nonprofit organization that created the Universal Design for Learning (UDL) teaching approach.

The 35-page document was authored by Fernanda Pérez Perez, a Fulbright scholar and graduate student at the University of Texas at Austin, where she studies education policy and planning. Perez received a CoSN fellowship to develop the report.

Among its key findings is that AI can help tailor educational content and classroom communication to meet the diverse needs of students with disabilities. By automating certain tasks, such as the more mundane aspects of creating individualized education programs, the technology may also give teachers more time to focus on students.

The report provides examples of AI-driven assistive technologies, such as a tool that can interpret and provide audio output for students with speech disabilities. It also describes an AI model for process-driven math lessons for blind students, where they can use screen readers to break down mathematical equations into component pieces.

However, the report warns that “AI systems must be created by diverse people and trained on diverse datasets to avoid inaccuracies and ensure true representation, particularly for students with disabilities.” It emphasizes that developers must make AI inclusive from the ground up by collaborating with educators and families.

“If we continue using these tools without ensuring that they are accessible for everyone, we would be contributing to opening the achievement gap for these students even more,” Perez said in a video statement last month.

She pointed to the fact that accessibility is not only an ethical obligation but a legal one, given a recent update to the Americans with Disabilities Act requiring school districts to have fully accessible technology by 2026 or 2027, depending on district size.

The report offers a road map for schools to implement accessible AI. It begins with professional development for educators and establishing policies to ensure special education students have equal access to AI tools. The overarching goal, according to the report, is to create the kind of inclusive learning environment where all students have the same opportunity to succeed.

“The AI and Accessibility in Education report emphasizes that the integration of AI in education holds significant promise for enhancing accessibility and support for all students,” CoSN CEO Keith Krueger said in a public statement. “By placing a strong emphasis on inclusive design, implementing comprehensive policies and fostering ongoing professional development, we have the opportunity to create a future where every student, regardless of their background or abilities, can thrive and reach their full potential through the thoughtful integration of AI.”