On May 15, the Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the U.S. Access Board and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). The partnership aims to advance the interests of disabled people in the design and governance of artificial intelligence (AI).
The Access Board is an independent federal agency that promotes equality for people with disabilities through leadership in accessible design and the development of accessibility guidelines and standards. The Biden Administration’s 2023 AI Executive Order urged the Board to engage the disability community on AI issues, producing technical assistance and recommendations on questions that particularly impact disabled people.
The Memorandum establishes that CDT and AAPD will assist the Access Board in its work, ensuring that the disability community is engaged and supported through education and resources related to AI. Key activities will include promoting solidarity, relationship-building, information sharing across disability and technology communities, identifying potential solutions to civil rights concerns, accessibility barriers, risks of AI, and providing technical assistance.
Speaking at a signing ceremony held at the Access Board’s office in Washington D.C., CDT’s CEO Alexandra Reeve Givens shared her remarks: "Thank you Director Pavithran, Access Board staff and our longtime allies at AAPD for embarking on this partnership today. My organization focuses on protecting people’s rights and our democracy in the digital age. Our mission is to ensure that technology serves to empower and connect people while protecting against its potential risks and misuses."
Givens further highlighted how AI holds enormous potential to improve accessibility but also warned about its misuse in high-stakes areas such as hiring decisions or loan approvals. She emphasized that AI systems should be designed considering issues of representation, equity, bias to avoid entrenching inequality.
She added: "At CDT, we’re deeply focused on this issue: how to ensure responsible design, use, testing, legal accountability for AI systems. We’re also focused on ensuring that the accessibility and convenience gains of AI tools don’t come with inequitable costs."
The CDT CEO expressed her excitement about the partnership and the leadership role the Access Board is taking in this effort. She hopes to get many more organizations, companies, and individuals to participate in this effort.
