Key Takeaways
- The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) is launching a targeted online survey to capture attorneys’ and legal‑services staff’s experiences with artificial intelligence (AI) tools that affect people with disabilities.
- The survey is funded by Borealis DIFxTech and seeks responses from legal professionals in twelve specific states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia.
- Participants include attorneys, legal fellows, recent law‑school graduates, interns, law‑school clinic students, paralegals, and legal intake staff working in nonprofit civil legal‑aid organizations, law‑school clinics, or private disability‑rights firms.
- The survey has two primary aims: (1) identifying instances where AI‑driven decisions impact disability‑related benefits, services, healthcare, employment, housing, or education; and (2) gauging respondents’ self‑assessed understanding of AI, prior training, and interest in future AI‑focused education.
- Findings will inform a DREDF report on how AI influences the lives of disabled individuals and will highlight training needs for legal‑services providers.
- Those interested in participating—or who require accommodations—should contact [email protected] or call 510‑644‑2555, ext. 5234 to request the survey link.
Introduction to the Survey Initiative
The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund (DREDF) announced that it is conducting a “targeted online survey on artificial intelligence (AI) and legal services clients,” a project made possible through the support of Borealis DIFxTech. As a leading national disability‑rights organization, DREDF frequently examines how emerging technologies intersect with civil‑rights protections, and this survey represents a focused effort to gather empirical data from the legal‑services community. By soliciting input directly from attorneys and allied staff who serve disabled clients, DREDF aims to move beyond anecdotal observations and build a evidence‑based picture of AI’s real‑world impact. The initiative underscores the organization’s commitment to ensuring that technological advances do not exacerbate existing inequities faced by people with disabilities.
Geographic Scope and Target Population
The survey’s outreach is limited to attorneys and legal‑services personnel operating in twelve states: California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi, Nebraska, Ohio, Texas, and West Virginia. This geographic focus reflects both the concentration of disability‑rights advocacy groups in these regions and the varying state‑level approaches to AI regulation and implementation. Within each state, DREDF is seeking responses from a broad spectrum of legal‑services professionals, including attorneys, legal fellows, recent law‑school graduates not yet admitted to the bar, legal interns, law‑school students currently or previously involved in law‑school clinics, paralegals, and legal intake staff. By casting a wide net across different roles and settings, the survey hopes to capture varied perspectives on how AI tools are encountered in practice.
Rationale: Why AI Matters for Disability Rights
Artificial intelligence is increasingly embedded in systems that determine access to essential services—ranging from automated eligibility screens for public benefits to algorithmic hiring platforms and predictive analytics in healthcare. For people with disabilities, these technologies can either mitigate barriers or, conversely, reinforce discrimination when algorithms are trained on biased data or lack transparency. DREDF notes that “the use of an artificial intelligence tool may be affecting people with disabilities in various areas including benefit, service, or eligibility determinations, healthcare, employment, housing, or education.” Understanding where and how these effects manifest is critical for advocating for fair‑use standards, accessibility requirements, and legal remedies that protect disabled individuals from unjust outcomes.
Survey Aims in Detail
The questionnaire is structured around two distinct but complementary objectives. First, DREDF wants to learn “whether attorneys and others involved in the delivery of legal services to disabled persons have encountered cases where the use of an artificial intelligence tool may be affecting people with disabilities” across the aforementioned domains. This exploratory aim seeks concrete examples—such as a benefits‑denial algorithm that misinterprets a disability‑related income variable or a hiring‑screening tool that unfairly screens out applicants with certain accommodation requests. Second, the survey aims to assess attorneys’ “self‑assessments of their understanding of AI’s potential role in disabled client issues, whether they have received AI training, or are interested in AI training intended to assist them in representing clients with disabilities.” By capturing both experiential data and self‑rated competence, DREDF can identify gaps in knowledge and prioritize training interventions that empower legal advocates to challenge AI‑driven harms effectively.
Methodology and Distribution Process
Over the next couple of weeks, DREDF will send emails to leadership at legal‑services organizations and law‑school clinics in the targeted states, requesting that they distribute the survey link to their eligible staff. The survey itself is hosted online and designed to be accessible, with accommodations available upon request for individuals who require alternative formats or assistive‑technology support. Participants will be asked to complete a series of multiple‑choice and open‑ended questions that take roughly ten to fifteen minutes. The timeline allows for a sufficient response window while ensuring that the data collected reflects current experiences with rapidly evolving AI applications. All responses will be treated confidentially, and aggregated results will be reported in a way that preserves anonymity.
Expected Impact and Output
The information gathered will form the foundation of a DREDF analysis that examines “how disabled people are being affected by the availability and use of AI across many areas of their life.” This report will not only document observed harms and benefits but will also highlight patterns—such as sector‑specific trends or geographic variations—that can inform policy advocacy and litigation strategies. In parallel, the survey will shed light on “legal services providers’ interest in, and need for, training on AI and people with disabilities.” By quantifying demand for continuing‑education resources, DREDF can partner with bar associations, law schools, and technology‑ethics groups to develop targeted workshops, webinars, and toolkits that equip lawyers to scrutinize AI systems, request algorithmic transparency, and advocate for equitable design.
How to Participate and Contact Information
Attorneys, law‑students, and other eligible staff who wish to contribute to the study—or who require any accommodations to complete the survey—are invited to reach out directly. As the announcement states, “If you have any questions about the survey, fit our criteria for participation and wish to request the survey link, or require any accommodations to complete the survey, please contact [email protected] or call 510-644-2555, ext. 5234.” Providing a clear point of contact underscores DREDF’s commitment to accessibility and ensures that potential respondents can easily obtain the necessary information or support to take part.
Conclusion and Broader Implications
By launching this survey, DREDF is taking a proactive step toward understanding the intersection of AI and disability rights at the frontline of legal service delivery. The initiative acknowledges that attorneys are often the first to witness how automated decisions affect their clients’ lives, positioning them as critical observers and advocates in the tech‑rights landscape. The resulting data will not only enrich scholarly discourse on algorithmic fairness but also furnish concrete evidence that can be used in regulatory comments, legislative testimony, and courtroom arguments aimed at ensuring that AI systems uphold, rather than undermine, the civil rights of people with disabilities. As AI continues to permeate public and private sectors, efforts like this survey will be essential for shaping a legal framework that embraces innovation while safeguarding equity and inclusion.