NIDILRR Program Database Detailed Record.
Project Type/Research Category: Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR), Phase II.
Funding Priority: Technology for Access and Function.
For more information on NIDILRR's funding priorities, read about NIDILRR's Core Areas of Research in the Long Range Plan at
https://acl.gov/sites/default/files/about-acl/2019-01/NIDILRR%20LRP-2018-2023-Final.pdf.
Kids Like Me Bookshelf Improves Self-Determination Skills for Students with a Vision Impairment via Role-Model Stories Cowritten by Generative AI.
Objective Ed, Inc..
15355 Take Off Place.
Wellington, FL 33414-8306.
E-mail: marty@objectiveED.com.
URL(s): https://research.objectiveed.com/grants-awards.
Principal Investigator: Martin Schultz.
Public Contact Phone: 786/200-1191.
Project Number: 90BISB0038.
About grant numbers.Start Date: June 1, 2025.
Length: 24 months.
NIDILRR Officer: Courtney Ward-Sutton, PhD.
NIDILRR Funding: FY 25 $287,500; FY 26 $287,500.
Abstract: The goals of this project are (1) to harness a generative artificial intelligence (GenAI)–assisted Kids Like Me Bookshelf (KLMB) to improve self-determination skills (self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-empowerment) for middle and high school students with visual impairment (VI), and (2) to provide actionable feedback to their instructors so they can deliver more targeted support. The objectives include: (1) building a web-based GenAI "ghostwriting" tool that enables adults with a disability (VI role models) to co-author inspiring stories reflecting their experiences, (2) automatically refining these stories to multiple reading levels and creating teacher-ready comprehension questions, (3) constructing an online KLMB library that is universally accessible (audio, large-print, braille display) for students to read on any device, and (4) measuring the acceptability and usefulness of KLMB with actual students with VI from a cross-section of schools to assess gains in self-determination skills. Project outcomes are marked improvements in students’ self-esteem, self-efficacy, and self-empowerment—combined with an instructor’s heightened ability to guide and encourage these students through individualized social-emotional learning. The expected product is a system that students with VI can use under teacher supervision, giving them access to a rich collection of authentic role-model stories. By strengthening their self-determination skills, more of these students will be on track for greater success in school, enhanced college and career readiness, and ultimately increased access to job opportunities, financial stability, and personal growth.
Descriptors: Artificial Intelligence (AI), Children, Self Efficacy, Self esteem, Stories, Students with disabilities, Targeted instruction, Visual impairments.
Documents in REHABDATA: There are no documents related to this project.