Building Accessible AI: Embedding Inclusion Across the Software Development Lifecycle

AI doesn’t fix broken processes—it accelerates them. If accessibility is already part of your workflow, AI can help scale inclusion. If it’s not, AI will only speed up the barriers your team is already creating. This talk explores how accessibility can be embedded across the entire software development lifecycle, from planning and design to coding, code review, CI/CD, and post-release feedback. Using real-world examples from product and engineering practice, it shows how teams can use accessibility requirements, design tooling, deterministic tests, and AI-assisted review workflows to catch issues earlier, reduce accessibility debt, and keep people in the loop where automation falls short. The session makes the case that accessible AI products don’t happen by accident. They come from intentional systems, better tooling, and planning grounded in disability. The payoff is not just better experiences for disabled people, but better products for everyone. Carie Fisher https://www.drupalasheville.com/event...