AI+ Learning Differences Initiative
AI+ Learning Differences
A two-day hackathon where people with lived experience of learning differences, students, educators, and engineers co-design more accessible ways to learn.
November 7-8, 2026 · 9:00 AM-5:00 PM
Harvard Graduate School of Education · Cambridge, MA
About Us
AI+ Learning Differences is a co-design initiative bringing together people with lived experience of learning differences, educators, students, designers, and engineers to reimagine accessible learning. Teams start from real, documented challenges identified through work and research in accessibility, and explore how AI can help to make learning more accessible, inclusive, and human.
Over two days at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, interdisciplinary teams will move from understanding a challenge to designing, prototyping, testing, and sharing a possible solution. You do not need to know how to code, and you do not need to arrive with a team. Before the event, every participant can complete a short self-paced orientation, developed at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, covering co-design, AI Literacy, so everyone arrives prepared and ready to contribute.
Ahead of the Hackathon, you are also invited to an optional Immersion Visit at Perkins School for the Blind
on Friday, November 6, offering real-world context for the challenges you will explore over the weekend.
This initiative is organized in collaboration with the Perkins School for the Blind, which brings decades of expertise in accessibility and inclusive education, and the Alana , a longtime supporter of inclusion-centered innovation. Selected projects may continue after the hackathon with mentorship and partner support.
Ready to build with us?
You don't need to arrive with a team.
You can apply individually and we'll help build diverse teams around shared interests, experiences, and skills.
We welcome applicants from any institution who bring different perspectives and want to explore how AI can create more accessible ways to learn, and can attend the event in person on both days.
Meet the Team
Amin Marei
amin_marei@gse.harvard.edu
Blerim Jashari
bjashari@g.harvard.edu
Alisa Fukuda
alisa_fukuda@gse.harvard.edu
Collaborators
FAQ
On Friday, November 6, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM, hackathon participants are invited to an optional Immersion Visit at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, MA. You’ll hear from people with lived experience and Perkins educators, tour the campus, and explore assistive technology and other tools that support accessible learning. The visit will help you understand learners’ experiences and the challenges you’ll work on during the hackathon. Light snacks will be provided.
Yes. You are also invited to an optional Pre-Hackathon Immersion Visit at Perkins School for the Blind on Friday,
November 6, from 2:00 to 5:00 PM in Watertown, MA. The visit will offer real-world context for the challenges you will
explore during the Hackathon. Light snacks will be provided.
Anyone with an interest in accessible learning: students, educators, designers, engineers, researchers, advocates, and people with lived experience of learning differences. We welcome applicants from any institution. No technical background is needed.
Email us at AILearningDifferences@gse.harvard.edu
Yes. Captioning, plain-language materials, a resting room, and quiet spaces are standard, and we collect individual access needs before the event so supports are ready when you arrive. Contact us at AILearningDifferences@gse.harvard.edu[email]
with any questions about specific needs.
Participation is free. Lunch is provided on both Hackathon days,
and light snacks will be provided during the optional Pre-Hackathon Immersion Visit at Perkins on Friday.
November 7–8, 2026, from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day, at the Harvard Graduate School of Education in Cambridge, MA. Participants attend both days in person.
No. You do not need to know how to code. The hackathon is open to everyone, and teams will bring together people with different skills and backgrounds.
Stay in touch
Have a question we didn't answer? We'd love to hear from you.