On July 9, 2024, the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) released a pivotal report titled “Revolutionizing Assistance: How States Can Improve Generative AI’s Role in Disability Empowerment.” This report highlights the transformative potential of Generative AI (GenAI) in enhancing accessibility for disabled individuals, who constitute 22.5% of the US workforce. However, the report also points to the GenAI’s well-documented “exclusionary tendencies, inaccuracies and usability issues that can further complicate matters for those seeking its advantages.” Therefore, a key question remains: is GenAI ready to play a bigger role in workplace accessibility? The hard lessons learned in the healthcare sector support the report’s conclusion that inclusivity, transparency, and an iterative approach are critical for the broader application of GenAI to benefit people with disabilities.
The tech industry at-large has shown significant support for evaluating the appropriate and ethical use of GenAI across various applications. The NASCIO report serves as a starting point for technology leaders to evaluate what additional steps are necessary to ensure GenAI is deployed effectively for people with disabilities. This large set of users has diverse needs that pose varied challenges for GenAI. The NASCIO report notes, for example, that disabled respondents reported “incorrect answers” and “mixed results” when using current AI tools.
Following Healthcare’s Example
Those responsible for developing solutions for the disabled workforce can draw valuable lessons from the healthcare sector’s approach to AI. In the healthcare industry, there has been a careful yet energetic push to realize the benefits of AI as a catalyst for transformation. Ensuring that AI solutions are ethical, inclusive, properly integrated into workflows, and continuously monitored for adaptations and improvements in real-time is crucial. A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine, compiled from four different academic health centers, exemplifies this call to action. These organizations advocate for the adoption of AI solutions that require real-world validation, a focus on local context, and the application of implementation science principles to ensure effective change management in the workflows being addressed.
Several other guardrails have been implemented to ensure AI in healthcare is safe, inclusive, and respects privacy. These include compliance with data protection laws like HIPAA to secure patient information and strategies to mitigate biases by using diverse and representative training data. Ethical guidelines from organizations like the Coalition for Health AI provide a framework for responsible use.
The thoughtful work done in the healthcare industry provides a roadmap for other sectors to follow. By adopting similar principles, IT leaders can ensure that AI solutions for the disabled workforce are not only effective but also ethical and inclusive. This approach involves continuous monitoring and adaptation to address any issues that arise and to ensure that the solutions remain relevant and effective over time.
The Benefits of Collaboration, Inclusion, and Diverse Data
AI is rapidly spurring innovative ideas across many sectors, offering a unique opportunity for collaboration and learning. By working together, different industries can maximize GenAI’s potential and ensure that it is used in a way that benefits everyone, especially disabled individuals. The NASCIO report highlights the importance of this collaborative approach, emphasizing that the involvement of disabled people in the evaluation process and the use of diverse datasets are crucial for the success of AI solutions.
The report provides a valuable starting point for technology leaders to explore the potential of GenAI in improving accessibility for disabled individuals. By drawing lessons from the healthcare industry and adopting a collaborative approach, leaders can ensure that AI solutions are ethical, inclusive, and effective. The involvement of disabled individuals in the evaluation process and the use of diverse datasets are essential for the success of these solutions. As AI continues to evolve, it offers a unique opportunity to empower disabled individuals and improve their quality of life, making it imperative for technology leaders to seize this opportunity and drive meaningful change.
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Meet the Author
Jeff Fuller | VP Analytics
Jeff Fuller has spent his 25-year career as a health leader and collaborator, driven by his passion for innovating care strategies that emphasizes a whole-person view of high value care. As a subject matter expert in analytics, clinical transformation, and strategy, Jeff has supported providers, payers, and partners towards meaningful partnerships to achieve innovation and improvement evident through real, measurable results. Jeff is Board Certified as a Fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and holds a Bachelor Health Administration and a Master of Science in Management degree. To learn more about Jeff Fuller, visit his LinkedIn.
