AI for All: Evaluating the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Tools on Students with Disabilities

Abstract

The use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in education has moved the sphere significantly forward; however, accessibility to students with disabilities is a relatively uncharted area. This research intends to evaluate awareness, usage, barriers, and perceived effectiveness of AI tools among the differently-abled students to support the inclusive digital learning. Structured survey was administered to students who were impaired in visual, hearing, mobility and cognitive domains. To quantify and qualify the data, the questionnaire contained binary, multiple-choice, Likert-scale and open-ended questions. Data collection was performed through Google Forms and analysis/visualization was performed through Python (pandas, seaborn, matplotlib, wordcloud, TextBlob). Findings indicate that 72.7 out of the respondents knew about AI tools, with the most mentions of ChatGPT, Google Assistant, Grammarly, and Microsoft Immersive Reader. Students who are visually and mobility challenged posted greater effectiveness than those with cognitive disabilities who reported mixed results. The problems that were shared in open-ended responses included poor features of accessibility, reliance on internet connectivity, and voice recognition problems. In spite of such barriers, sentiment analysis revealed that there was a general positive perception, with a mean sentiment score of +0.32. The results indicate the increasing significance of AI in inclusive education and points to the necessity of more accessible designs and more specific support systems. The research could contribute to the concept of the transformative capabilities of AI and offer clues to the elimination of disparities in access to educational technologies.

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