Higher education holds enormous potential. But for many disabled students, it also presents persistent, invisible barriers. Long reading lists, dense academic language, inaccessible documents, and overwhelming workloads often contribute to a system that feels rigid and unaccommodating. For students with dyslexia, ADHD, anxiety, or processing difficulties, these challenges aren’t minor inconveniences – they’re daily obstacles that directly impact academic performance and confidence.
When Reading Becomes Overwhelming
Reading, in particular, can become a major source of stress. Students are expected to digest large volumes of material, often with little support or flexibility. The assumption is that everyone can access and process information in the same way, at the same speed. But that simply isn’t the case. Many disabled students spend hours trying to make sense of a single academic article, only to feel more lost and behind.
Choosing The Right Tools Matters
Every assistive software has its own purpose like supporting brainstorming, note taking, or research assistance. When chosing the right software to use, it is important that to consider which ones are suited to your needs, concerns and academic enviroment. As AI tools become more popular, it’s increasingly more important for students and universities to promote AI tools that honour academic conduct and truly benefit students.
Many of the AI tools widely available today – like ChatGPT – were never designed with accessibility in mind. They lack the structure, control, and reliability that disabled students need. These tools can generate responses, yes – but they often deliver unstructured information, miss key context, or make up details. This leads to unneccessary time taken with endless prompts, still no closer to the goal of simply accessing materials. For someone already struggling to stay on top of their workload, this adds more pressure, not less.
How Tailo changes the game
That’s where purpose-built solutions like Tailo offer something different. Instead of trying to retrofit a general-purpose AI to fit education, Tailo was designed from the ground up with disabled students at its core.
It doesn’t try to replace learning – it makes learning more manageable. Students can upload reading materials and receive clear, structured summaries – no need to spend an hour arguing with the computer! Tailo also estimates reading time, helping students pace themselves realistically, and includes thoughtful design choices like dyslexia-friendly fonts, spacing, and contrast to support calm, focused reading. Tailo works directly with your documents, meaning students can feel safe using it for serious academic work without compromising their values – or risking plagiarism.
This is AI done right. It’s not about replacing human support, but about giving students better tools to support themselves. When designed inclusively, AI can help level the playing field – giving students the clarity, control, and confidence they need to succeed. Tailo is built by humans, for disabled students – no shortcuts.
Written by Tasmia Ahmed
Content Creator