Our project addresses the ethical and social justice implications of AI technologies through the lens of Disability Studies, which critically examines societal norms that define certain attributes as disabilities, emphasizing accessibility and equity over medicalized “cures.” AI offers transformative potential—such as coding brain waves into language models and rerouting nervous systems to bypass injuries—but also risks privileging specific modes of ability and intelligence. This three-year initiative at Loyola Marymount University (LMU will bring together scholars, technologists, and disability rights advocates to explore these critical questions. The project will award nine faculty fellowships, develop nine community-based learning courses, and convene three annual symposia, each focusing on themes like educational technology or privacy concerns related to assistive technologies. Supported by LMU’s Bioethics Institute, the Coelho Center for Disability Law, Policy, and Innovation, and partnerships with local tech firms, this initiative will foster justice-driven conversations about AI’s impact. By engaging students in real-world applications, LMU aims to solidify its leadership in critical AI and accessibility scholarship, culminating in the creation of a Center for Applied Humanities to continue influencing AI policy and practice. This initiative supports LMU’s mission to promote justice and deepen the ethical understanding of emerging technologies, preparing the next generation of scholars to shape the complex social landscapes of AI and accessibility.
Habitable Worlds is a transformative initiative grounded in the belief that ethical innovation must be inclusive innovation. At the intersection of Disability Studies, AI ethics, and the applied humanities, our mission is to critically engage with emerging technologies in ways that center justice, accessibility, and human dignity. As artificial intelligence reshapes our social, political, and embodied lives, Habitable Worlds asks who is being centered—and who is being excluded—in the design and deployment of these technologies. Rather than viewing disability as a limitation to be corrected, we draw on Critical Disability Studies to reveal how dominant norms of ability and intelligence shape not only technological systems but also the assumptions behind them. This approach reframes disability as a vital site of knowledge, creativity, and resistance—one that can help us imagine more inclusive, responsive, and ethical futures. Our initiative advances this mission through three interconnected pillars: Faculty Fellowships that support LMU humanities scholars in developing interdisciplinary research and teaching at the intersection of AI and disability. Community-Based Learning Courses that connect students with real-world partners, challenging them to apply humanistic methods to technological and ethical questions. Annual Symposia that bring together scholars, technologists, advocates, and community members to explore urgent topics like AI in education, health, and privacy. Through these efforts, Habitable Worlds fosters a cross-sector ecosystem of thought and action—one that links academic inquiry with public impact and critical reflection with practical transformation. With deep roots in Loyola Marymount University’s mission to educate whole persons and promote justice, we are committed to training a new generation of scholars and practitioners who are not only fluent in the language of AI, but also in the ethics of care, access, and equity. We believe a more just technological future is possible—and that it begins with asking different questions.
By the end of the three-year project period, the initiative will have awarded nine Disability, Ethics, and AI Fellowships to LMU faculty, enhancing their research and teaching capacity in AI ethics and Disability Studies. Success will be measured by the number of fellowships awarded and the research outputs generated (e.g., publications, course development, or public presentations).
Over the course of three years, nine new courses will be developed and integrated into LMU’s core curriculum, each with a focus on the intersections of AI, ethics, and disability. Progress will be tracked through course approval, student enrollment numbers, and evaluations of student learning outcomes, including pre- and post-assessments.
The project will organize and host three symposia, one each year, focusing on the annual theme. These events will bring together at least 50 participants (scholars, activists, technologists, and community partners) each year. Success will be measured by attendance, participant feedback, and any published symposium proceedings or policy recommendations.
This is a grant funded project by the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation is the nation's largest supporter of the arts and humanities. Since 1969, the Foundation has been guided by its core belief that the humanities and arts are essential to human understanding. The Foundation believes that the arts and humanities are where we express our complex humanity, and that everyone deserves the beauty, transcendence, and freedom that can be found there. Through our grants, we seek to build just communities enriched by meaning and empowered by critical thinking, where ideas and imagination can thrive. Learn more at mellon.org.