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Technoableism Comes to the Classroom: An overview of AI tools and literacies in special education settings (Poster 7)
Fri, April 25, 1:30 to 3:00pm MDT (1:30 to 3:00pm MDT), The Colorado Convention Center, Floor: Terrace Level, Bluebird Ballroom Room 2AAbstract
With the rapid production and adoption of generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools based on large language models, there is an urgent need to examine the potential implications for special education. Already, many schools and districts in the United States are embracing cutting edge AI tools for IEP development, assessment, and support for students with disabilities (Hopcan, et al., 2022). While there is remarkable potential in enhancing assistive technologies with AI, the challenge of addressing the reproduction of ableist power structures remains significant (Newman-Griffis, et al., 2023). Therefore a critical examination of AI and its applications within special education is essential. This poster will outline the landscape of techno-ableism (Shew, 2023), disability erasure, and discrimination as they relate to current educational technologies, focusing on their impact on students.
In centering students themselves in the solution, this poster will present data gathered from a workshop in which students with disabilities develop computational artifacts that act as technological counter-narratives. The workshop utilizes approaches from Theatre of the Oppressed (Baol, 1985), Technovernacular Creativity (Gaskins, 2021), and Speculative Pedagogy (Garcia & Mirra, 2023), in order to develop students’ AI literacy through exploration of disabled/mad identities, technoableism (Shew, 2020), and speculative design. Students learn to utilize AI while envisioning the future of school, assistive technology, and digitally-mediated community.
The poster will conclude with implications for policy and practices related to the use of AI tools in special education settings and the integration of AI literacies into the curriculum.