I-KASA
Inclusion through AI-supported adaptation for special education needs
Dr. Kensuke Akao
The name of our project, “I-KASA,” is derived from the Japanese expression for “a good umbrella” (良い傘: ii kasa). In the often harsh and challenging reality of the education system, we aim to be an “umbrella” that shields all children and their teachers, guiding and supporting them. In the context of inclusive and special education pedagogy (particularly in the fields of computer science and digital citizenship education), we link our subprojects like a neural network.
While AI in education is currently often viewed as a mere substitute for human abilities, we take a different approach: We understand “AI” as “Augmented Intelligence.” In this socio-informatic understanding, humans and computers form a synergy. Our goal is to explore pedagogical methods and technological foundations that enable children and teachers to work together with AI to build on their strengths and break down barriers.
Our subprojects
AI-Sovy: Augmented Intelligence to support teachers in individually optimizing visual and auditory assistive technology
The “AI-Sovy” subproject aims to strengthen inclusion in mainstream German schools by reducing the additional workload teachers face when preparing inclusive lessons. The focus is on how AI-based systems can help compensate for teachers’ lack of special education expertise as well as the shortage of special education professionals in mainstream schools. AI cooperatively supports teachers in their tasks or takes over some of them. In this project, we focus on selecting, adapting, and providing suitable AT for individual students with special educational needs (SEN). We are developing a chatbot for the automatic creation of low-tech AAC materials, which teachers have previously created manually using authoring software. An example of this is the printed communication board with PECS symbols and a VOCA function, which is operated via a digital pen.
*The AI-Sovy project is funded by the Research Funding Office of the Ludwigsburg University of Education (2026–2028).
AI-ABLE: Augmented Intelligence as an accessible bridge to language-supported educational subjects
The AI-ABLE subproject focuses on “children with a migrant background” in order to contribute to equal opportunities in learning outcomes at German mainstream schools, regardless of background. The project focuses on the use of machine translation as assistive technology (AT) in the learning of children whose native language is not German in non-language subjects (e.g., STEM subjects) to break down language barriers to teaching materials through bilingual access. Using school computer science as an example, the project examines both the potential and the limitations of AI translation in supporting the acquisition of new subject knowledge and skills among children who are not yet able to sufficiently interpret the learning content in German.
Click here to view the project poster (presented at DELFI 2024).
KIND-AI: Making AI education more diverse, adaptive, and inclusive
The goal of the KIND-AI subproject is to investigate how schoolchildren with special educational needs (SEN) can be taught basic AI skills so that they can use AI to overcome (or reduce) their own barriers to learning and/or in daily life and gain greater independence. To this end, we will further develop the current AI education offerings in schools in Baden-Württemberg to enable flexible and precise adaptation to the diverse special educational needs of children in special education centers or inclusive schools. In doing so, we will focus on teaching skills for accessing and using helpful AI services, as well as strategies for avoiding the negative effects of AI. To achieve this goal, we will first conceptualize criteria for designing special education support measures in school-based AI education and then empirically evaluate them.
IINA-KI: Inclusion-oriented Computer Science teacher education with a focus on assistive technologies in the AI era
(More information coming soon)