Navigating the AI Revolution: Challenges and Opportunities for the Disability Community
Exploring the Impact of Artificial Intelligence on Employment Prospects and Support Services
How do you feel about AI? Do you worry about what it’s going to be used for? Or do you not even think about it? Maybe you, like me, fall somewhere in the middle. I’ve come to rely heavily on tools like Perplexity and ChatGPT because I’ve found I’m much more productive with them. I’ve become a believer in the notion that companies not using AI will probably not be in business in 5 - 7 years.
I’m worried about what this will do for the employment prospects of kids like mine. More and more states are doing away with sheltered workshops and subminimum wage. Many disability advocates are celebrating this as a victory, yet I can’t help but wonder what is going to happen to those who are currently using them. I don’t feel it’s realistic, or fair, to expect an employer to hire someone who can’t work at the same pace or do the same tasks as other employers hired under the same job description, especially at a higher minimum wage like $15 an hour.
I believe we’re going to see many of these individuals end up staying home. This leads to my second growing concern, the lack of direct support professionals (DSPs) across the country. When I was doing self-direction with my son I experienced the struggle to find qualified staff first-hand. I was offering $25 an hour to help my son get out in the community. He doesn’t need help with his activities of daily living, I wasn’t looking for someone to bathe him or help him use the toilet. It was literally just to get him out of the house and, in a perfect world, help him discover hobbies and maybe even make a friend.
Yet it was a struggle to find anyone. Now I’m with an agency, and it took them several months to find a staff. Thankfully the individual they hired is still with us. Yes, I’m sure part of the challenge was the fact my son needs to have a male staff member and there just aren’t that many DSPs who are men.
What does this have to do with AI? There have already been examples of robots answering questions (July 2023) and now Mercedes-Benz is hiring Apollo Humanoid Robots to replace human workers (Global Update, 3/23/24). When I was preparing for this article I (wrongly) assumed robots were extremely limited in what they were being used for. This TechTarget article provides a great overview of the capabilities of robots. Below is a list of things they say robots do better than humans.
Automate manual or repetitive activities in corporate or industrial settings.
Work in unpredictable or hazardous environments to spot hazards like gas leaks.
Process and deliver reports for enterprise security.
Fill out pharmaceutical prescriptions and prep IVs.
Deliver online orders, room service and even food packets during emergencies.
Assist during surgeries.
Robots can also make music, monitor shorelines for dangerous predators, help with search and rescue and even assist with food preparation.
Think about the type of work your child is doing. Could they be replaced by a robot? Could you? The next couple of years are going to be interesting. There is going to be a lot of competition as people are phased out of their jobs and find themselves looking for new employment. Yes, I absolutely believe there are going to be industries and jobs we’ve never heard of. But how many of those are going to be accessible to our kids?
We need to start preparing now. Schools need to stop worrying about whether a student can tell time on an analog clock or give correct change. They should be teaching ALL students how to use AI. And, in my opinion, don’t worry about trying to teach the fundamentals like coding and math unless the students are interested. Requiring students to pass prerequisite courses could prevent those with developmental, intellectual, and/or learning disabilities from participating. I don’t know anything at all about how an LLM is built. It doesn’t stop me from using it to bring value to my job.
Let’s also start preparing ourselves for the time when robots start entering the workforce as DSPs. I think it’s only a matter of time before Elon Musk’s Tesla Bot (Optimus), or some other manufacturer, becomes available to the masses. I imagine it wouldn’t be too difficult to incorporate the Mandt System into their programming to help de-escalate violent situations, such as an individual having a meltdown. Agencies would be able to provide 24-hour support without worrying about last-minute call-outs or someone sleeping on shift.
Let’s do a quick cost comparison using someone who receives 20 hours of Personal Support, 20 hours of Community Support, and 20 hours of Employment Support. Each DSP is paid $15 an hour. So all in the agency is paying $1,200 per week, not counting benefits like health insurance. This works out to be $62,400 per year and can be expected to increase annually as wages increase to keep up with inflation. It’s not unreasonable (in my mind) to see a time when one robot can fill all these needs. Musk has predicted his robots could sell for between $20k - $25k, a significant cost savings.
The world is changing quickly and I worry the Disability Community is going to be left behind. Too many of us are struggling just to keep up with our day-to-day lives. We often don’t have enough bandwidth to plan for tomorrow, much less 5 years or more down the line. We need allies. Someone who will champion our cause. Bonus points if they are in tech and government.
I don’t think we should be trying to stop or slow the advent of new ideas and technologies. Instead, we need to become early adopters, exploring how we can adapt and incorporate these innovations into our lives. What can we do to make it serve us? Think about how many of our kids will see more freedom when self-driving cars finally become a thing!
This can only happen if we have an abundance mindset. We aren’t protecting our kids by not letting them engage with technology. I feel we’re doing the exact opposite. Yes, we all want to keep our kids safe. But sometimes this means we need to take risks. So dip your toe into the water and “play” with Perplexity and ChatGPT. See what else is out there. if, and when, you find something cool please share it with me by leaving a comment. Bonus points for including the link and saying what you like about it.
Image from 1 April 2019 UKTech article “Robots developed to help people with disabilities”.