AIxDisability

Internship Project
Tools: Figma, Notion, Squarespace
Timeline: July 2025 to Present

AIxDisability is a non-profit organization that ensures that disabled people are not left behind—or harmed—by the rapid advancement of artificial intelligence. They center the voices, rights, and lived experiences of the disability community in shaping, questioning, and understanding how AI affects our lives. Their mission is to promote education, and advocacy, and accountability so that AI is used to expand equity, not reinforce exclusion.

The Problem

Despite the rapid growth of AI, most educational resources are not created with disabled youth in mind. Many materials are overly technical, inaccessible to assistive technologies, and exclude perspectives from the disability community. This creates a barrier to entry for disabled students who deserve to understand and shape the future of AI.

Goal: Create an accessible, inclusive AI literacy hub that empowers disabled youth and educators to engage with AI on their own terms.

Research

Accessibility & UX Research

  • Audited existing AI learning platforms to identify accessibility gaps
  • Noted missing features like alt text, captions, screen reader support, and logical tabbing
  • Reviewed WCAG 2.1 AA and Section 508 guidelines to build an accessibility-first foundation
  • Consulted with mentors at Tech Kids Unlimited (TKU) to understand real user needs of disabled youth and educators

Content Research

  • Compiled clear, beginner-friendly definitions of core AI concepts (machine learning, neural networks, data bias, etc.)
  • Researched and included statistics about disabled representation in tech and the impacts of AI on disabled communities
  • Gathered credible resources, articles, and podcasts about ethical AI, digital equity, and disability justice in tech
  • Prioritized plain language and visual clarity to make complex topics understandable to learners of all abilities

Solution Ideation

I defined AIxDisability as a centralized hub to:

  • Curate accessible AI resources (articles, podcasts, courses)
  • Represent disabled voices in tech and AI
  • Serve as a platform that grows alongside its community

I sketched the information architecture to support scalable categories (Resources, About, Contact, Coalition) and designed a user flow prioritizing clarity and keyboard-based navigation.

Although I did not create a formal persona at the time, my design decisions were guided by:

  • Youth with physical, cognitive, or sensory disabilities
  • Educators who need reliable, accessible content to use in classrooms
  • Users who require predictable navigation, plain language, and high visual clarity

Design Systems


Accessibility Testing

I conducted a formal Section 508 Accessibility Review with Nishi Haider, CPACC using NVDA, ANDI, and VoiceOver.

Key Findings

  • ⚠️ Resources page buttons were not in a logical tab sequence (WCAG 2.4.3)
  • ⚠️ VoiceOver skipped headings and buttons in the Our Resources screen
  • ⚠️ Top nav button mislabeled “About” instead of “About Us”
  • ⚠️ Tech Kids Unlimited link announced as a URL instead of a descriptive name

Fixes Applied

  • Hand coded buttons and re-ordered DOM structure for logical tabbing
  • Added semantic roles and labels
  • Updated link names to reflect visible labels
  • Verified VoiceOver reads all headings and buttons sequentially

Final Screens

Mockup 1
Mockup 2
Mockup 3
Mockup 4

Click to View the Site!

What's Next

AIxDisability will continue to grow into a comprehensive inclusive AI learning platform, with plans to:

  • Add more curated resources, podcasts, and community spotlights
  • Launch an educator toolkit for teaching AI in accessible ways
  • Expand testing with a wider range of disabled users and assistive tech