Time: 2:00 – 3:00 PM ET
Date: June 25, 2026
As governments adopt artificial intelligence to improve efficiency and service delivery, disability rights and accessibility are increasingly becoming central governance concerns rather than niche technical issues. Yet many AI systems are still built on datasets, assumptions, and design practices that fail to account for the diverse ways people interact with technology, including through screen readers, voice navigation, captioning, alternative input devices, and other assistive technologies. These invisible barriers can unintentionally exclude people with disabilities from public services, employment opportunities, education systems, healthcare access, and civic participation.
This workshop moves beyond high-level discussions of responsible AI to focus on practical public-sector challenges and decisions. Participants will examine how AI-enabled systems can either improve or undermine accessibility depending on how they are designed, procured, implemented, and monitored. Drawing on emerging public-sector guidance, accessibility initiatives, and disability-rights research, the session explores practical strategies agencies can use to build more accessible, equitable, and trustworthy AI-enabled services.
Learning Goals:
- Provide an overview of the challenges and opportunities that people with disabilities face when using generative AI at the desktop level and its applications in state and local governments
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Identify organizational and operational challenges governments face, including workforce capacity, procurement constraints, vendor oversight, legacy systems, accessibility testing, DOJ Title II digital accessibility requirements and WCAG standards
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Explore practical ways AI may strengthen accessibility, such as improving compatibility with screen readers, supporting document remediation, generating captions and alt text, enhancing navigation, and assisting communication now and in the future
CDT Featured Speaker:
- Ariana Aboulafia, Disability Rights Advocate and Project Lead, Center for Democracy & Technology