Earlier this month, Genio hosted an essential live panel discussion: How AI and UDL can work together, featuring four accessibility leaders from diverse higher education institutions.
The discussion focused on a critical question: How can colleges move past fear of misuse and embed AI and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) into their core strategy to unlock better learning for everyone?
Here, we'll take a look at the key takeaways from our panel of experts:
- Lee Ann Stokes, Assistant Director, Center for Behavioral Health and Accessibility at Southeast Missouri State University
- Avery Cook, Accessibility Services Coordinator at St. Cloud Technical & Community College
- Adam Wouk, Director, Disability Services at Joliet Junior College
- Jason Caliri, Student Accessibility Specialist at Bryant University
Inconsistent policy and resistance as a barrier to successful AI integration
The panelists agreed that the main hurdle to integrating AI is not the technology, but the pervasive fear of misuse and the lack of a cohesive, top-down institutional strategy.
Faculty resistance, often driven by fears about cheating, results in departments setting differing, inconsistent rules, which creates immense confusion for students. Furthermore, this resistance breeds inequity: over-policing AI use can actively harm marginalized students.
Avery Cook powerfully noted, “When we’re using AI flagging tools, it is inherently a barrier for our neurodivergent students...students with autism are more likely to get flagged as writing with AI even if they didn’t use AI".
Inaccurate AI detectors can flag and penalize students who use essential tools like Grammarly, leading to false cheating accusations, which could inflict severe psychological and even financial burdens on students.
How can we reframe AI as a learning tool?
A central, optimistic theme of the panel was the need to reframe AI from a tech trend into an effective UDL aligned tool. When used ethically, AI can act as an accessible, real-time ‘tutor in their pocket’. It helps students break down confusing prompts, brainstorm, and structure work, supporting essential executive functioning deficits.
For all learners, especially students with executive functioning deficits, AI removes unproductive friction, the anxiety and stress related to manual tasks like note taking and assignment logistics, allowing them to focus their cognitive energy on the productive work that builds knowledge.
This reframing also addresses a crucial equity issue: as Jason Caliri noted, requiring paid tools like ChatGPT Pro imposes a financial burden, but institutions that provide and support AI tools institutionally ensure all students have access to this essential support.
How can institutions implement a UDL aligned AI strategy?
Accessibility offices are unable to tackle this challenge alone. To successfully implement a UDL aligned AI strategy, action must be comprehensive and driven from the top down. The panelists called for several concrete steps.
First, advocacy is paramount: Adam Wouk advised disability directors to build academic alliances with faculty champions to push change through, since “the power rides through the faculty".
Second, institutions must lead with clear policy and funding. Disability offices are often not adequately funded or staffed to take on the entire burden of campus wide AI training alone.
Jason Caliri stressed that directives must come from the highest levels: “I think it’s just it’s got to come from the top. They’re going to listen more when it comes to the department chairs and from the provost".
Finally, continuous advocacy requires using student narratives. Avery Cook urged attendees to actively record student feedback and use these real life stories to “interrupt the narrative” of faculty fear, while also asking why faculty are resistant to address the underlying attitudinal barriers.
This recap only scratches the surface of the powerful conversations about policy, student advocacy, and the necessary cultural shifts in higher education.
Click below to rewatch the full webinar and get the in-depth insights and actionable steps shared by these four leading experts.
