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Artificial Intelligence (AI) is great at generating content, consternation and controversy. Where some see the next, innovative wave, others see a replacement technology that threatens livelihoods and opens portals to shortcuts around original academic products and creative output — not to mention further erosion of individual and group privacy.
But there are groups for whom scientific breakthroughs such as AI have facilitated a measure of inclusion and diversity. For people with disabilities, some tech innovations have been a boon as they have created opportunities for them to seamlessly enter the workforce and remain there. One of the leaders in the people with disabilities community has some praise for these products, even as they engender skepticism and mistrust. Kendra Davenport, President and CEO of Easterseals, is adamant, while society must exercise caution around wholesale acceptance and adoption, technology has been good for many in her community. In conversation with her, she explained her thoughts on how technology has helped to level the playing field for those with disabilities. Specifically, those who find challenges in commuting or travel have found help in the acceptance of work from home post-Covid-19.
A more level labor playing field would be a breath of fresh air. On top of all the hurdles people with disabilities face, there is the reality that certain racial and ethnic groups, Indigenous people and Alaskan natives, are more likely to report that they have a disability. And as the group most afflicted with disabilities, seniors, swells, it’s also the group finding it necessary to work through their golden years. Forces that implore seniors to work to 70 are often reluctant to hire them after 50 — too expensive, not as adaptable to new technologies, are set in their ways — are some of the arguments expressed.
Yet as the birthrate in the United States and in developed nations around the world, particularly Western Europe, continues to plunge, there is a rising concern about the shrinking labor pool. We won’t get into the issue of immigration in this piece. While it may address labor shortages, particularly in the services and elder care sectors, down the road, the reality of increased immigration fuels nativist and jingoistic sentiments and is a hot-button issue in a presidential election year. Suffice it to say, nothing new legislatively will be done in the United States before 2025.
The issue of trust also rears its ugly head when one thinks of technology. Can underserved groups rely on the makers of these technologies to take into consideration race, disabilities and nature of work when formulating them? We’ve seen the shoddy job done around facial recognition and race and an important reason for the recent writers’ and performers’ strike was the angst about AI replacing creatives.
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Another leader in the nonprofit world, James Lamond, expressed the opportunity that lies ahead thanks to technology. However, he acknowledges the hesitation that many communities have when it comes to trusting that their data and privacy will be protected. From communities of color to seniors, these communities need to have trust to go with adoption.
Davenport is all about building trust. The mother of two who grew up in a military family and came to Easterseals in 2022 after more than three decades in nonprofit work is not naïve to think that technology will overcome all the barriers that people with disabilities face. For every tool such as Zoom, which certainly solves many communication issues through voice command, voice texting, etc., there are technologies that are cost-prohibitive.
According to the Pew Research Center, as of 2021, there were about 42.5 million people with disabilities in the United States — although advocates like Davenport place the number closer to 61 million — and most of them are dealing with vision, hearing, cognitive, ambulatory and self-care difficulties. And as the overall population ages more and more, people will find themselves in that group.
We haven’t made accessibility universal enough, especially if you consider that 61 million Americans identify as having a disability and globally 1.5 billion people identify as disabled and that is set to increase and it’s projected that by the age of 68, everyone will have some sort of disability.
In concert with heightened awareness, there must be a policy push that creates legislation beyond the bedrock American With Disabilities Act, which was passed in 1990. As Davenport explained, without crucial updates, we’re at risk of leaving too many behind.
