Generative AI and Accessibility Benefits, Trade-offs and Impacts of Intersectionality

Researchers present findings on the the benefits, trades offs and impacts of using Generative AI for accessibility by members of the Deaf/HoH communities and Neurodivergent individuals. In the first, Glazko & Cha, et. al., discuss how neurodivergent people, often left out by existing accessibility technologies, develop their own ways of navigating normative expectations. GAI offers new opportunities for access, but it is important to understand how neurodivergent “power users”—successful early adopters—engage with it and the challenges they face. In the second one, Huffman, et. al., discuss Generative AI tools, particularly those utilizing large language models (LLMs), and how they are increasingly used in everyday contexts. While these tools enhance productivity and accessibility, little is known about how Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) individuals engage with them or the challenges they face when using them.