A poll conducted by Business Disability Forum with Opinium has found two-fifths (40 per cent) of disabled adults surveyed believe that designing, developing and testing AI products with disabled people would make them more accessible. At the same time, however, only a quarter of respondents (24 per cent) recognised AI’s potential to help deliver better access to employment and in the workplace for disabled people.
The poll of 1,032 disabled UK adults asked for their views on how to improve AI accessibility for disabled people. Creating more user-friendly interfaces (38 per cent), greater availability of information about how AI can support disabled people (37 per cent), and more support to help disabled people get started with AI (36 per cent) were the other top answers given.
Views were also sought on how AI could help disabled people now and in the future. Findings show that over a third of disabled adults surveyed believe that AI tools can help disabled people by improving communications (38 per cent) and improving online experiences (34 per cent).
Other commonly cited benefits include improved access to healthcare information and communication (33 per cent), better access to education (32 per cent), improved accessibility of digital content (32 per cent) and support for independent living (31 per cent).
At the same time, however, 1 in 5 disabled UK adults surveyed said they did not think AI products could help disabled people (20 per cent) or did not know if they would (18 per cent).
These views broadly align with those of the UK population as a whole, based on a wider poll conducted by Opinium of 2,000 UK adults who were asked the same questions. Over a third (34 per cent) of all UK adults surveyed said designing and developing AI products with disabled people would make AI more accessible. And only a fifth (22 per cent) recognised its potential to improve access to employment and in the workplace experience for disabled people.
“There is the potential for AI products and tools to make a radical and positive difference to disabled people but with AI developing at pace, there is also the risk that disabled people could be left behind,” said Lara Davis, Communications Director at Business Disability Forum. “The findings of our poll suggest that while many disabled people think AI will bring benefits, some are unsure, highlighting the need for AI to be designed and developed with disabled people, as well as greater access to training and information.
“From a workplace perspective, this means that employers should actively consider the needs of disabled employees when developing organisational AI strategies,” added Davis. “By consulting with disabled staff and involving them in the process, businesses can make sure the AI tools they introduce work and make tasks easier for everyone.”
