People with Disabilities Key to AI Accessibility, Business Disability Forum Survey Reveals

British businesses rushing to embed artificial intelligence into their products risk leaving out millions of disabled consumers unless they bring them into the design process from the start, according to new research by the Business Disability Forum (BDF).

A survey of 1,032 disabled UK adults, conducted by Opinium, found that two in five (40%) believe that designing, developing and testing AI products with disabled people is the single most effective way to make technology truly accessible. The same survey identified user-friendly communication (38%), better information about how AI can support users with disabilities (37%) and stronger onboarding support (36%) as additional priorities.

For SMEs in particular, many of which are measuring how, and how quickly, to integrate AI into customer-facing tools, the findings carry a clear marketing message. Around one in four people in the UK will be disabled at some point in their life, representing a large proportion of the consumer base and workforce. Building products that fail to accommodate that audience is, increasingly, a competitive and ethical imperative.

The research raises great optimism about what the technology can deliver. More than a third of adults with disabilities said AI tools can help improve communication (38%) and online experiences (34%). Other expected benefits included better access to health information (33%), education (32%), digital content (32%), support for independent living (31%), improved customer experience (25%) and better access to work (24%).

However, that hope is tempered by significant doubts. One in five disabled UK adults (20%) said they did not believe AI products would help them, while another 18% said they did not know, a huge trust gap that businesses will need to bridge if they want to be found to pursue investment.

The same Opinium survey of 2,000 UK adults found broadly similar attitudes among the majority of the population, with 34% agreeing that integrating AI products with disabled users would improve accessibility, proof that inclusive design is increasingly seen as a mainstream expectation rather than a niche concern.

Lara Davis, Director of Communications at the Business Disability Forum, said it was a big deal. “There is an opportunity for AI products and tools to make a big and positive difference in the lives of people with disabilities, but there is also a risk that people with disabilities can be left behind,” she said. “With AI rapidly advancing and one in four people with a disability at some point in their lives, this is not a problem we can afford to ignore.”

Davis urged firms to “actively consult with their disabled consumers to ensure they are involved in the design, development and testing of AI products”, as well as to provide better access to information and advice about technology in general.

Lucy Ruck, who leads the BDF’s Tech Taskforce, was equally specific. “AI has the potential to change lives, but only if we get it right from the start,” he said. “Ensuring that people with disabilities are active participants in shaping this technology is not only the right thing to do, it’s how we build AI that truly works for everyone.”

The forum made four recommendations for businesses and developers. They are urged to include people with disabilities throughout the AI ​​lifecycle, on the basis that inclusive design removes barriers for everyone, not just consumers with disabilities. They should publish clear information about the accessibility features of their AI products, in formats designed for different communication needs. Compatibility with assistive technology, which many disabled users rely on every day, should be tested rather than assumed. And good judgment and meaningful human oversight must be built into both the tools themselves and the content they produce, with inclusive training data used to reduce bias and perceived bias.

For SME founders and product leaders, the message is one that has been heard in other waves of digital transformation: retrofitting accessibility is more expensive, and less efficient, than designing from scratch.