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Building Disability Inclusion Into AI Policy And Practice
The scariest part of AI isn’t the sci-fi stuff, it’s how fast it can change the tools people already rely on to live and communicate. We sit down with Dr Julie Eshleman, a postdoctoral researcher working across Georgia Tech and Georgia State, to connect the dots between AI-powered assistive technology, Medicaid waiver systems, and the policies that will decide what comes next for disabled people and their families.
Julie breaks down her participatory action research project building a RAG model chatbot trained on state guidance to help families navigate Medicaid waiver applications for home and community-based services. We talk candidly about what makes the process so brutal, why waitlists can stretch for years, and how practical support like clear FAQs and resource signposting can reduce friction while people wait. From there, we zoom out to AI policy and regulation, and the problem of disabled voices not being treated as essential stakeholders even when AI rules directly affect accessibility, privacy, and discrimination risk.
We also dig into real-world AI accessibility wins: large language models on AAC devices that speed up communication, smart home technology that restores control over one’s space, and everyday AI features that act like external working memory for neurodivergent users. Then we tackle the messy middle: AI literacy, misinformation, hallucinations, and why the better question is often whether something is correct rather than whether it looks real. If you care about disability inclusion, assistive tech, and responsible AI, share this conversation, subscribe, and leave us a review so more people can find it.
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By Antonio Santos, Debra Ruh, Neil Milliken
5
11 ratings
The scariest part of AI isn’t the sci-fi stuff, it’s how fast it can change the tools people already rely on to live and communicate. We sit down with Dr Julie Eshleman, a postdoctoral researcher working across Georgia Tech and Georgia State, to connect the dots between AI-powered assistive technology, Medicaid waiver systems, and the policies that will decide what comes next for disabled people and their families.
Julie breaks down her participatory action research project building a RAG model chatbot trained on state guidance to help families navigate Medicaid waiver applications for home and community-based services. We talk candidly about what makes the process so brutal, why waitlists can stretch for years, and how practical support like clear FAQs and resource signposting can reduce friction while people wait. From there, we zoom out to AI policy and regulation, and the problem of disabled voices not being treated as essential stakeholders even when AI rules directly affect accessibility, privacy, and discrimination risk.
We also dig into real-world AI accessibility wins: large language models on AAC devices that speed up communication, smart home technology that restores control over one’s space, and everyday AI features that act like external working memory for neurodivergent users. Then we tackle the messy middle: AI literacy, misinformation, hallucinations, and why the better question is often whether something is correct rather than whether it looks real. If you care about disability inclusion, assistive tech, and responsible AI, share this conversation, subscribe, and leave us a review so more people can find it.
Send us Fan Mail
Support the show
Follow axschat on social media.
Bluesky:
Antonio https://bsky.app/profile/akwyz.com
Debra https://bsky.app/profile/debraruh.bsky.social
Neil https://bsky.app/profile/neilmilliken.bsky.social
axschat https://bsky.app/profile/axschat.bsky.social
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/antoniovieirasantos/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/axschat/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/neilmilliken/
Vimeo
https://vimeo.com/akwyz
https://twitter.com/axschat
https://twitter.com/AkwyZ
https://twitter.com/neilmilliken
https://twitter.com/debraruh