Re: AT and AI (GitHub Issue 325)

 Thank you, as always, for the thoughtful response. 

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On August 8, 2024, Jan McSorley <mcsorleyjan@gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi Claire,
>
> It's great to hear from you and to know that you're at Midjourney. I
> believe that members of COGA understand that people with all kinds of
> disabilities are using AI as AT, including people with cognitive
> disabilities. As a matter of fact, many members of our group identify
> as people with cognitive disabilities and are using AI in this way.
>
> With that said, I won't speak for the entire group, but I will share
> my perspective. I definitely recognize the power of AI to support all
> kinds of needs, but that is not what my concern is. My concern is that
> authors still need to take responsibility for their content and they
> need to ensure that they're testing all functionality. I don't want
> content authors to make assumptions that AI will work the same for
> everyone or that it will always be accurate. I want people with
> disabilities to truly have equivalent experiences and I believe that
> means that authors are still responsible for what they produce.
>
> WCAG 3 will eventually be the international standard used to guide how
> digital content is designed and COGA wants to make sure it is
> structured so that content authors know what they need to know to meet
> the needs of people with cognitive disabilities. AI is currently
> playing a huge role in the lives of people with disabilities and that
> is only going to increase. It will also play a huge role in improving
> the accessibility of digital content in general. Unfortunately, as
> evidenced by several current overlay companies, we are already seeing
> people make false claims that one line of code can fix all
> accessibility barriers on a website. This kind of behavior is harmful
> to people with disabilities. I believe in the power of AI when it is
> used responsibly. It is going to be a key component to a more
> inclusive future, so my personal interest is that its power be used to
> help and not harm people with disabilities. When people make
> assumptions, no one wins. Like any tool used to develop digital
> environments, AI needs to be used responsibly and content authors need
> to understand that they have the power to include or exclude people in
> the environments they build.
>
> Jan McSorley
> Accessibility Consultant
> 512-731-7957 (mobile)
> linkedin.com/in/janmcsorley <https://www.linkedin.com/in/janmcsorley>
>
>
> We put a man on the moon in the 1960's. Surely we can make information
> technology fully accessible to people with disabilities. It can be
> done. It must be done. It will be done!


> On Thu, Aug 8, 2024 at 8:31 AM Claire Benedikt <clarinet@hey.com>
> wrote:

> Hello, I am the Lead Educator for Midjourney, an academic AI
> laboratory. We have over 20 million users participating in our current
> beta. A disproportionate number of the most vocal users self-report
> disability, including Downs, Parkinsons, and Traumatic Brain Injury. 
> They are without exception using the tool as AT. Whatever reservations
> this group has about AI as AT must be quickly and aggressively
> dispelled. If there’s anything I can do to facilitate a breakthrough
> of understanding in this group, please let me know.
>
> Claire Benedikt