AI: The Quiet Revolution in Disability Inclusion
Artificial intelligence (AI) is quietly reshaping accessibility, becoming an indispensable enabler for people with disabilities across sectors. For those of us striving to set the standard for people operations and disability inclusion, AI is more than an opportunity to work better and faster. It’s a strategic tool that can be ethically used for building more efficient, sustainable solutions for disabled employees.
Science-backed research demonstrates that people with disabilities are not just recipients of AI-enabled assistive technology; they are often its earliest adopters, leveraging AI’s adaptive capacity for autonomy, personalization, and seamless communication. From AI-powered screen readers and predictive speech to brain-computer interfaces and navigation aids, these technologies place users at the center of this innovation, ensuring accessibility is no longer an afterthought but a built-in feature of the digital work environment.
Recent developments like Microsoft’s Seeing AI app demonstrate how AI-powered tools can transform the visual world into an audible experience for people who are blind or have low vision, supporting their unique working styles and enabling greater workplace inclusion. This app uses advanced computer vision, natural language processing, and machine learning to describe text, people, objects, currency, and scenes in real time, helping employees with visual impairments better navigate both remote and in-office work settings.
Microsoft Seeing AI supports visually impaired workers in the following key ways:
Instant Text and Document Reading: The app reads short snippets of text instantly and provides audio guidance to capture and read full documents aloud, preserving original formatting. This functionality supports accessibility for reading emails, reports, menus, or printed materials, reducing reliance on others.
People Recognition and Description: It recognizes and locates faces, identifies facial characteristics, estimates age, and detects emotions, enhancing communication and awareness during video calls or in physical meetings.
Object and Scene Description: By describing the surrounding environment and individual objects via the phone camera, the app aids in navigation and understanding of workspace layouts or unfamiliar locations.
Product Identification via Barcode Scanning: With guided audio cues to scan barcodes, it helps users identify products or office supplies independently, facilitating tasks like inventory or shopping.
Currency Recognition: The app can identify currency bills, providing users confidence when handling expenses or cash transactions.
At the heart of impact-driven accessibility is AI’s ability to learn and evolve ethically and efficiently. Assistive technologies like Seeing AI elevate human potential by creating more efficient workflows and accelerating inclusion. These advances empower individuals with practical tools that foster independence, inclusion, and dignity.
However, ensuring AI’s benefits reach everyone requires proactively involving disabled users in the design and implementation phases. Without intentional inclusion, AI risks widening the digital divide. Industry standards like WCAG remain vital but must be supplemented by collaborative design processes that center disabled voices.
Many in the tech space agree that AI’s growing role in accessibility opens doors for disabled individuals to fully participate in education and employment. It also positions organizational leaders to drive system-wide change, setting new standards for equitable access and support in the future of work.
Lasting transformation depends on intentional, strategic, and inclusive leadership. By grounding accessibility in organizational expertise and empowering disabled employees as co-creators, companies can implement AI-driven solutions that work for everyone, turning disability inclusion into a cultural strength.
AI’s evolution calls on HR leaders, equity advocates, and business partners to leverage these technologies responsibly, expanding opportunity and dismantling systemic barriers for all workforce members, regardless of ability.
Sources:
Microsoft. (2025). Seeing AI [Mobile application]. https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/garage/wall-of-fame/seeing-ai/
Perkins School for the Blind. (2025, July 13). How I use Microsoft Seeing AI with low vision. https://www.perkins.org/resource/microsoft-seeing-ai-and-low-vision-review/
Guide Dogs UK. (2024, July 25). Seeing AI App for Blind & Partially Sighted People. https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/getting-support/information-and-advice/how-can-technology-help-me/apps/seeing-ai/
Microsoft Accessibility Blog. (2023, December 13). Seeing AI app launches on Android – including new and updated features and new languages. https://blogs.microsoft.com/accessibility/seeing-ai-app-launches-on-android-including-new-and-updated-features-and-new-languages/
