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Inclusive innovation: designing the future together
Inclusive design has long fuelled breakthrough technology – from AI-powered voice tools to emerging assistive robots – but as generative AI and neurotech move into the mainstream, concerns around data, trust and misuse grow. This blog explores how end-users, education, industry and policymakers can work together to ensure emergent technology genuinely empowers disabled people safely and responsibly.
A catalyst for better technology
Inclusion drives innovation in exciting and unexpected ways. Many of the product features we use every day to improve our lives and productivity started life as solutions to remove barriers for people who are deaf, disabled or neurodivergent.
Technological advances designed with accessibility in mind can be lifechanging. From the integration of voice banking and AI that gives people living with MND back their voices, to increasingly accurate speech recognition that powers captioning, inclusive innovation is creating a world in which more people can participate.
Some new technologies still have a way to go before they can truly fulfil their promise, as we’re seeing with AI sign language translation. They can also harbour unknown risks, or deliver unanticipated outcomes when entering the wider market, from data privacy to misuse. A concern for those who rely on them.
Generative AI: lessons learned
The rapid spread of generative AI beyond the realm of assistive technology continues to present significant challenges to higher education in particular, with concerns around the impact on academic integrity.
AI has long been a feature of many assistive technologies used in education, often to support study and writing. Early attempts to control the use of AI tools to preserve academic integrity risked causing distress or disadvantage to disabled students who relied on AI powered assistive technology provided as an adjustment. Elsewhere, calls for regulation to limit the use of smart glasses often overlook that these tools have uses as assistive technology.
We need to be safe and responsible, but equally we must avoid restricting the use of accessible technology because we didn’t prepare for, or understand, the risks.
Designing the future together
How might we ensure that emergent technology genuinely improves the lives of deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people in a way that is safe, empowering, and ready for education and work settings?
From our work with accessibility, assistive technology, and education communities, some themes emerge.
- Keep people at the centre: ensure that end-users and stakeholders from different contexts are authentically involved in the design and review process.
- Work collaboratively: protect spaces for open conversations between end-users, industry, researchers, policy makers and education providers to promote mutual understanding.
- Invest in training and development: accelerate understanding of AI-enabled tech, privacy and safety, and how best to implement technology used by disabled people.
At Jisc, we seek to support these approaches. Our large and lively communities of practice for AI, accessibility and assistive technology provide spaces for sharing, exploration, and co-production of resources.
Partnership-powered projects such as Accessible Digital Futures and Teaching Accessibility bring together diverse and solution-focused groups to tackle complex challenges. And our expert advice and training includes a strong and unique thread of legal and regulatory guidance that encompasses copyright, privacy and online safety.
About Jisc
Jisc is the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research and innovation. We provide solutions to meet sector-specific needs; we save our members money through sustainable shared services; we build communities for shared learning; and we offer intelligence on emerging trends to future-proof our members and customers.
Links
- Accessible digital futures - Jisc
- Accessibility and assistive technology communities - Jisc
- AI Sign Language Translation: Ready for Education? - Artificial intelligence
- Artificial intelligence community - Jisc
- Extraordinary closed captions: correcting academic language with AI - YouTube
- Smart Glasses in Education - Artificial intelligence
- Teaching Accessibility – How is digital accessibility taught and learned?
- Tech Life - Hearing my voice again totally blew my mind - BBC Sounds
- Text-to-speech voices as human remains — Centre for Technomoral Futures
Bio: Kellie Mote, Programme lead (accessibility), Jisc.
Kellie combines expertise in psychology, technology and inclusivity to help people make education and research accessible to everyone.
About the campaign
techUK’s TechTogether campaign continues with a focus on ‘equity by design'. Our insights this week focus on the importance of inclusive design in product development, creating technology that is accessible to people with disabilities, tackling affordability, connectivity, and digital skills gaps through cross-sector partnerships and community-led initiatives, and, ensuring public services are co-designed with disabled, ethnic, and older users.
TechTogether - Week 3
Other opportunities to get involved:
Other related insights:
