By Disability Belongs | Staff
Did You Know? Disabled Expertise Is Guiding the Next Phase of AI.
Artificial intelligence (AI) is advancing rapidly. Decisions made now will shape how we communicate, learn, work, and participate in public life for years to come. At CES 2026, our President and CEO, Ariel Simms, highlighted on the show floor and in national media that disabled people are early adopters, engineers, researchers, and policy leaders influencing those decisions and what comes next.
The impact of AI is already visible in tools and devices that are changing how people navigate, communicate, and interact.
Phone and wearables are becoming real-time navigation aids for people who are blind or have low vision. A lot of apps use AI to describe scenes and objects from a camera feed, while different types of smart glasses are created as an accessible AI assistant with a wearable camera to recognize text, objects, and environments and provide audio feedback. Personalized Speech
AI voice generation now recreates a person’s own voice from brief recordings, helping people with ALS and other speech disabilities retain their identity. In 2025, a man with ALS used a neural implant and AI decoder to speak and sing in real time with natural intonation, giving him unprecedented expressive control.
AI-powered captioning is making live speech more accessible for people who are Deaf or hard of hearing. Tools like Google Live Transcribe, developed with input from the Deaf community, provide instant captions for conversations, lectures, and meetings. Ongoing research continues to improve accuracy across accents and ensure more equitable access.
AI-enhanced exoskeletons and soft wearables are helping people with mobility challenges move more easily. Georgia Tech researchers are training devices with human motion data, so they naturally adapt to walking, bending, and lifting.
AI systems are only as strong as the data they learn from.
When datasets are biased or incomplete, the tools built on them can exclude and reinforce inequity. Disabled people must be at the center of AI development, shaping what is built and how it functions, and who it’s intended toserve.
Donors like you play a vital role. By investing in Disability Belongs™, you help elevate disabled leadership in research, innovation, and policy, so the next generation of technology is designed with inclusion from the start.
Nurtured by You
GivingTuesday—the global day of generosity—shows what happens when supporters like you step up to make a difference.
In 2023, we began with just $115 and no formal strategy. In 2024, we increased our visibility through outreach and elevated communications, tripling our donors, and raising $2,514. In 2025, consistent engagement brought even more supporters to the cause, raising $6,204 through GivingTuesday alone. A generous corporate partner then made a special contribution on behalf of one of our dedicated board members, bringing the total to $10,200.
Each year’s growth reflects the power of your commitment to disability leadership and inclusion. This year, GivingTuesday falls onTuesday, December 1, and with your support, we can make it our most successful one yet.
Thank you for growing with us and planting the seeds of change.
News You Can Use
Disability-Inclusive Language Training!
The words we choose influence culture, policy, and opportunity. That is why Disability Belongs™ is hosting a free virtual training designed to strengthen how organizations communicate about disability with accuracy, dignity, and respect.
Join our team tomorrow, Thursday, April 2, at 1:30 p.m. ET / 10:30 a.m. PT, for a 60-minute session exploring practical, real-world guidance on disability-inclusive language. We will address why disability is not a negative term, common tropes that undermine inclusion, and the distinctions between person-first and identity-first language.
If you have questions about disability-inclusive language, this is your chance to have them answered by our experts.
All registrants will receive a recording of the session shortly after it concludes.
Alumna Spotlight: Bringing Authentic Disability Representation to Children’s TV
We’re thrilled to feature a conversation with Emmy award-winning autistic writer Ava Rigelhaupt, alumna of the Disability Belongs™ Leadership Program and Entertainment Lab, on how disabled creatives are shaping more inclusive storytelling in children’s media.
Ava recently cowrote an episode of Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood that centers the perspective of Max, the show’s first autistic character. Rather than telling viewers what autism is, the story immerses them in Max’s lived experience.
In our interview, Ava and the show’s supervising producer, Chris Loggins, discuss how collaboration and disabled expertise create richer, more authentic narratives that resonate with young audiences.
Ways to Give
Disability Belongs™ is committed to using every contribution to advance disability inclusion, accessibility, advocacy, and authentic representation. We aim to make supporting our work as straightforward and flexible as possible. Below are several ways you can contribute and help sustain this critical work:
Learn more about plannedgivingonour website. All donors will receive a receipt including Disability Belongs™’ tax information and documentation of their gift, pledge, or stock donation.
By Allyson Mills | Staff
By Franklin Anderson | Sr. Director of Philanthropy and Partnerships
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