Using AI to Support Learners with Disabilities in the Classroom ~ 1036

Tim Villegas
Today is a special bonus episode. DJ Nicholson and I talk about AI to support learners with disabilities in the classroom.

Hey everyone, Tim here. It’s bonus episode time, and we have DJ Nicholson from Inclusiveology with us today to talk about the article we co-wrote. It’s up on thinkinginclusive.us right now. So without further ado, here is my chat with DJ. And after we wrap up, make sure to check the article out. It’s called When Does AI Belong in an IEP?

Tim Villegas
DJ Nicholson, how’s it going?

DJ Nicholson
Awesome. Awesome. Just coming off of a lovely long holiday weekend, and I’m really excited to talk about AI.

Tim Villegas
Well, let’s get into our conversation today. A few months ago, we co-authored an article called Does AI Belong in an IEP? We referenced it in the article, and we had a discussion in February about why teachers leave the classroom. That conversation sparked some discussion around AI.

It seems like AI is everywhere in the news. It constantly comes up in articles, and I feel like there’s a new AI tool every minute of the day. So we decided to write this article because we wanted to know what teachers were doing and what they could potentially do using AI as a tool in the classroom.

So to get us started, DJ, why was AI, especially for supporting learners with disabilities, important or interesting to you?

DJ Nicholson
I was thinking of AI for kids with learning differences and IEPs as an opportunity for teachers to use it to level text and make reading more accessible. Using it as a summarizing feature makes complex text accessible for everyone regardless of their reading ability.

Using AI is so much easier than going through the task of leveling text manually or trying to find a lower-level text that matches the grade-level text.

Tim Villegas
Yeah. Is there a formal process for leveling text? When I was a teacher, there were very few tools. We had something called Snap and Read, which one of our assistive tech consultants showed us. But it was a free version, didn’t always work, and was kind of buggy. So how would a teacher normally level text?

DJ Nicholson
It would be very time-consuming and manual. Teachers would take a text, read through it, create a summary that was accessible for someone with a lower reading ability, and then go into a visual support program to create visuals to go along with it.

One of the conversations I used to have with teachers in IEP meetings was the difference between leveling text and guided reading programs where text levels were done at children’s reading levels. There was a lot of misinformation about the difference between a text level and actually leveling text as a task.

I would ask teachers, “Are you going to take the time to level text?” And they’d say, “What do you mean?” I’d explain, “You’re saying in this IEP meeting that you’ll take this higher-level text and condense it to make it more accessible for a student with a lower reading level.” They’d respond, “Oh my gosh, I’m not going to do that. I don’t know how, and I don’t have time.”

So it became something teachers often removed from the list of accommodations. It might have been needed, but there just isn’t enough time in the day to sit down and level text. That’s why you and I talked about how using AI to level text is infinitely easier.

Tim Villegas
One of the first things I tried when playing around with ChatGPT was asking it to write a 400-word essay on the causes of the Civil War. It generated a nicely formed essay. Then I thought about a previous student of mine who loved wrestling—WWE, SmackDown, all that.

So I asked ChatGPT to rewrite the essay in the voice and style of The Rock. A few seconds later, it completely rewrote the essay in that style. I sent it to you because it was phenomenal.

DJ Nicholson
That spurred my creativity. If it can do The Rock, what other voices could we use? We even tried SpongeBob SquarePants. Whether it’s a wrestler or a cartoon character, that’s a fantastic way to get kids engaged.

Tim Villegas
Exactly. When I was a classroom teacher, it was hard to find content related to students’ interests that also aligned with grade-level standards. This seems like a great opportunity for educators to modify content so it’s engaging for a particular student.

Then we wondered who’s already doing this. All we hear are the negatives about AI. I couldn’t find any educator friends using it, but I did talk with Dr. Gregg Vanderheiden from the University of Maryland’s Trace Center. He’s been working in assistive technology for many years.

He was excited because he sees parallels between AI tools now and early technology like calculators. When calculators first came out, people said, “You can’t use calculators because then students won’t learn math.” But decades later, people still learn math—it just makes things easier and faster.

DJ Nicholson
Absolutely. We live in an age where technology is vast and expansive. Even as adults, we use technology all the time to make our lives easier and more accessible. Apple has an entire accessibility line, and Google just updated all their accessibility tools.

So, thinking about what Dr. Vanderheiden said, we’re just moving forward in this technological world. If we can use AI as a support and not a hindrance, then it’s definitely worth trying—especially for supporting kids with differences.

Tim Villegas
You also talked with some educators who tried AI. What were those conversations like?

DJ Nicholson
I reached out to see if any of my educator friends were using AI, and they weren’t. So I got two teachers to try it. One teacher, a special education teacher, was all about it. But her co-teacher in the inclusive setting was not receptive.

I don’t know if that came from not knowing about AI, not wanting to try it, or feeling like they needed permission from an administrator. That situation caused friction and fell apart.

The other situation was more positive. There was collaboration between the special ed teacher and the gen ed teacher. The special educator used AI to level text and found it helpful. When she shared it, it opened a conversation—not for immediate classroom use, but about what supports we could use for kids.

Even in the negative scenario, it sparked a conversation about needing something—maybe not AI, but something. Ultimately, we want kids to read independently without constant adult support. AI can help build independence.

Tim Villegas
I’ve been reflecting on how much I use AI in my work as a communications director. I write a lot of copy and scripts, and AI tools help me be more efficient. If we think of it as an efficiency issue and not cheating, it changes the perspective.

If I use AI to brainstorm subject lines or article titles, is that cheating or being efficient?

DJ Nicholson
Exactly. I use it as a time saver too. I wrote a script and realized I wanted it in first person. I put it into ChatGPT and asked it to rewrite it in first person. The work was still mine.

With kids, when we develop present levels and goals, using AI feels like a natural step. It’s supportive, not replacing. It’s not cheating. At the end of the day, we want kids to access their learning independently.

If you can take a seventh-grade text about the Civil War, condense it to a basic reading level, remove complex vocabulary, and keep the core meaning, then that student can engage in conversation and participate fully.

Tim Villegas
If learners are using AI, something Dr. Vanderheiden said stood out: it’s not a special accommodation if everyone uses it. For example, if a teacher gives an assignment and everyone uses an AI tool to create a first draft, then everyone gets the same advantage. It’s like calculators—everyone benefits.

DJ Nicholson
Right. I love the idea of everyone having access to multiple tools and choosing whether to use them.

Tim Villegas
Looking ahead five to ten years, what do you hope to see?

DJ Nicholson
I hope we truly look at individual needs of kids. Right now, most learning is directed toward the 75% who fall inside the box. If we focus on individual needs, teachers need training and knowledge of available tools. Whether it’s AI or other accessibility features, teachers need a toolbox to pull from so learning is authentic and meaningful.

Tim Villegas
I love that. Having a choice means everyone has the opportunity to use tools, even if they don’t. Universal Design for Learning emphasizes giving students a menu of options to interact with content and own their learning. AI can help teachers create those options.

DJ Nicholson
Exactly. Teachers as facilitators, not governors of the classroom, create environments authentically centered on kids. At the end of the day, we want to know what kids know, even if they show it in different ways.

Tim Villegas
Great. Anything else before I tell everyone to read the article?

DJ Nicholson
No, I think we covered a lot.

Tim Villegas
If you want to read the article DJ and I co-authored, it’s on thinkinginclusive.us and called Does AI Belong in an IEP? Check it out and let us know what you think at thinkinginclusive.us or inclusiveology.com.

DJ Nicholson
Inclusiveology.com.

Tim Villegas
Thanks for listening, y’all.

DJ Nicholson
Thanks, everybody.

Tim Villegas
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