#43270
Speaker(s)
- Melanie Eddington, Occupational Therapist, Assistive Technology Service Provider, Colorado State University
- James Peth, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University
Session Details
- Length of Session: 2-hr
- Format: Lecture
- Expertise Level: Beginner
- Type of session: General Conference
Summary
Educational equity is often framed as giving learners better access within existing constraints with more or taller “boxes” to see over the fence. Generative AI represents something different: not a higher box, but a pole vault that clears the barrier entirely. This session presents a case study by a professor twenty-seven years post spinal cord injury showing how AI restructures workflow, enabling work beyond the limits of traditional assistive technology.
Abstract
Traditional assistive technology regularly adapts the input or output interface. Voice control can replace typing, screen readers can replace visual scanning, and switch access can replace clicking. Yet the work itself remains unchanged, and for many users, still constrained. For a professor twenty-seven years post-spinal-cord-injury who has spent most of his career computing without the use of his hands, these tools provided partial access but required constant workarounds that have limited what could realistically be created and sustained.
Generative AI represents a fundamental shift. Rather than adapting how work is entered, it restructures how work is done, producing finished artifacts from conversation and enabling the user to operate at the level of ideas, judgment, and direction rather than physical input. Over the past eighteen months, AI has moved from a tool the presenter initially approached with skepticism to the primary assistive technology underlying his professional practice.
This session presents a faculty case study of that transition, demonstrating how AI enables sustained authorship, complex project management, and high-volume intellectual work that was previously impractical given physical constraints. Tasks once limited by the friction of dictation software and fragmented workflows are now achievable through conversational interaction.
The session argues that generative AI constitutes a new category of assistive technology defined by workflow restructuring. Implications include recognizing faculty with disabilities as an underserved AT population, addressing the disparate impact of restrictive AI policies, and expanding AT assessment beyond device-based models to include AI-mediated workflow ecosystems.
Keypoints
- Generative AI is a new AT category, restructuring workflow rather than adapting input devices.
- Faculty with disabilities are an underrecognized AT population in service delivery and AI policy.
- AT assessment frameworks must extend beyond device-centric models to evaluate AI-mediated workflow ecosystems.
Disability Areas
All Areas, Mobility
Topic Areas
Accessible Course Design, Artificial Intelligence, Assistive Technology, Faculty Development & Support
Speaker Bio(s)
Melanie Eddington
Melanie is an occupational therapist and assistive technology service provider at Colorado State University's Assistive Technology Resource Center.
James Peth
Dr. James Peth earned his Ph.D. in Food Science and Human Nutrition from Colorado State University and a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a concentration in nutrition from the Colorado School of Public Health. His academic and professional journey reflects a commitment to integrating evidence-based nutrition science with practical wellness coaching strategies to enhance health outcomes and quality of life. As an Assistant Professor, Dr. Peth specializes in teaching advanced nutrition science, metabolism, and integrative wellness coaching. His courses emphasize active learning, critical thinking, and the application of scientific principles to real-world challenges in public health and personal wellness.