This national report from the National Disability Center examines how disabled and non-disabled students use AI for learning and access. The research considers AI across four domains: gathering information, understanding information, making information accessible, and writing and organizing information.
Access Leads to Achievement:
A National Report on AI Tool Use Among College Students With and Without Disabilities
As artificial intelligence becomes more common, conversations about its role in higher education continue to grow. Yet much of this discussion centers on academic integrity and general AI use, without fully considering accessibility.
Beyond how students use AI, the report explores barriers that shape access to these tools, how students learn to use them, and how AI may influence future career goals.
Report findings are based on a national survey of more than 200 postsecondary students, combining survey questions and open-ended responses from disabled and non-disabled students across technical programs, community colleges, and four-year institutions.
What’s Inside:
Non-Disabled Students Used AI to Generate Alt Text or Image Descriptions
All Students Used AI for Research or Information Retrieval
Disabled Students Used AI to convert content from Speech-to-Text
Key Findings
By Default, Students Are Learning AI Mostly on Their Own
Over 90% of both disabled and non-disabled students learned to use generative AI entirely on their own. AI instructor training and accommodations office support were the least used sources for either group.
Yet AI Use Is Not Equal Across Student Groups
Students without disabilities reported equal or higher AI use across most areas, especially alt text, writing outlines, and multi-tool workflows. Students with disabilities reported higher use in only a few areas, including the use of AI Agents, yet also reported a high level of benefit across the tools.
Even When AI Provides Strong Accessibility Perks
A majority of disabled students (82–92%) said AI tools met their access needs. Yet only 6% of disabled students reported receiving AI training from instructors. This gap suggests that students are finding value in AI tools despite limited instructor-led support.
But Cost and Course Policies Limit AI Use
Over 45% of both disabled and non-disabled students cited the cost of paid versions as a barrier. More than 40% of both groups also reported course restrictions on AI use as a barrier.
And Broader Concerns Shape Whether Students Use AI
All students were concerned about hallucinations and privacy. However, disabled students cited environmental and data center concerns more often than non-disabled students. Disabled students were also more concerned about how others perceive their AI use (25% vs. 18%) and emphasized concerns related to access, participation, and fatigue.
Top Recommendations to Improve
Accessibility on Campus
The findings in this national report offer clear evidence to strengthen accessibility in classrooms and across campus systems. This report can serve as a starting point for deeper data collection within individual programs or institutions. From instructors to staff members to administrators, each role influences how disabled students experience learning, persist in their programs, and complete their education and training.
For Students
For Faculty
For Institutions
Companion for Researchers:
AI and Accessibility Student Survey
In addition to this national report, there is a separate companion document for researchers, Student Survey: AI and Accessibility in Higher Education. The research companion includes the complete survey flow, with survey questions, response options, and the branching and display logic used during survey administration.
”I have dyscalculia, so I use AI to help explain chemistry and math problems in a way more accessible to me. I also use them to explain complex topics, create study analogies, and break down my translation errors.
Disabled Student
