Disability & Accessibility Organizations
Nonprofits and service organizations deploying AI for people with I/DD — where dignity, inclusion, psychological safety, and oversight are non-negotiable.
DSP TeamsAssistive TechnologyI/DD Support
Human-Centered AI Consulting
AI that works for everyone. Designed for people of all abilities.
Adaptek combines AI engineering, behavioral science, and disability-informed accessibility design — because 95% of AI initiatives fail not because of the technology, but because of the humans who have to use it.
Disability-informed AI design
Human-centered design adoption
WCAG 2.2 AA compliant
Responsible AI · EU AI Act aligned
The Challenges
AI that fits human realities, not the other way around.
Organizations pour capital into AI deployments — tools purchased, licenses activated, infrastructure built. Yet those tools are abandoned before ROI is realized because they ignore accessibility, psychological safety, and the humans at the center.
95%
of corporate AI initiatives fail
Not because of the technology. Because of the humans who have to use it.
The 6 Barriers to AI Adoption — And How We Address Them
Job Security Anxiety
Employees fear replacement — actively resist, hide knowledge, and undermine rollouts.
Leadership Misalignment
93% of senior AI leaders cite human factors as their #1 barrier (McKinsey 2025).
Cognitive Overload
Generic training fails. Role-specific, task-integrated learning drives real adoption.
Culture Misalignment
Authoritarian cultures amplify AI fear. Innovative cultures accelerate it.
Change Fatigue
Without behavioral reinforcement, change reverts within 90 days.
Accessibility & Inclusion Gaps
AI tools designed for the median user exclude employees and clients with disabilities — creating a two-tiered workplace where some people can use the tools and others cannot.
These barriers are especially acute in high-stakes, accessibility-sensitive environments — healthcare, disability services, and social-impact organizations.
✗ The common pattern we fix:
- AI tools built without input from the people who use them daily
- Adoption collapses because staff don't trust or understand the system
- Accessibility and cognitive load ignored until after launch
- No guardrails: hallucinations, bias, and liability risks go unmanaged
- No boutique has ever combined human-centered design and technical expertise at this level — until now
✓ What we do differently:
- Co-design with your staff — from clinicians to DSPs to operations teams
- Behavioral readiness assessments grounded in our Human-Centered Design framework
- Disability-informed design, tested with people who have lived experience
- Responsible AI guardrails: input filtering, output validation, observability
- Boutique depth: both founders on every engagement, no junior handoffs
Who We Serve
Built for organizations where trust, inclusion, and AI must coexist.
We work best with mission-driven teams where the stakes are human — not just financial.
Healthcare & Clinical Teams
Hospitals, clinics, and health systems rolling out AI documentation, clinical decision support, or patient engagement tools where staff anxiety and burnout are real.
Clinical DocumentationAI ReadinessHIPAA-alignedMid-Market AI Adoption
Companies with 100–2,000 employees who invested in Copilot, ChatGPT Enterprise, or similar tools and need a human-centered rollout to get real, sustained adoption.
Microsoft CopilotChange ManagementAdoption ProgramsHR & People Teams
People operations leaders managing workforce AI anxiety, equitable AI policy, and responsible deployment across a diverse, often resistant workforce.
AI PolicyWorkforce EquityLeadership TrainingBilingual & LATAM Organizations
Organizations serving Spanish-speaking communities or expanding across LATAM who need AI implementation delivered natively in both English and Spanish.
EN/ES DeliveryLATAM MarketsBilingual TrainingBehavioral Health & Social Services
Mental health networks, social service agencies, and community health organizations embedding AI into case management, documentation, or client engagement — where client dignity, data sensitivity, and staff wellbeing are paramount.
Case Management AIClient DignityEthical AI Guardrails
Our Services
Four service lines. One integrated team.
From your first accessibility audit to a full behavioral adoption program — we meet you where you are.
AI Accessibility & Inclusive Design
AI that works for every person in your organization.
- WCAG 2.2 accessibility audits for AI interfaces and outputs
- Disability-informed co-design with people who have lived experience
- Assistive technology integration and cognitive load analysis
Starting at $3K2 – 4 weeksAI Adoption & Behavioral Readiness
Turn AI anxiety into trusted everyday tools.
- Organizational readiness assessments and culture resistance mapping
- Change management grounded in our Human-Centered Design framework
- Accessible AI rollouts for disability-service and clinical teams
Starting at $5K2 – 8 weeksHuman-Centered AI Design & Build
Production-grade AI built around the humans who use it.
- RAG pipelines for clinical documentation, policies, and knowledge bases
- Responsible AI guardrails: input filtering, output validation, observability
- Connects to your existing systems — no rip-and-replace
Starting at $15K4 – 12 weeksSpeaking, Training & Education
Build your team's AI literacy from the inside out.
- AI literacy workshops and executive leadership programs
- Keynote presentations tailored to your industry and audience
- Programs for disability-service, healthcare, and bilingual organizations
Starting at $2.5K1 – 4 weeks
Disability-Informed AI
The people most affected by AI are still being designed around — not with.
Most AI systems are designed for the median user — missing the 26% of U.S. adults living with a disability. Adaptek's disability-informed lens ensures AI works for everyone: the DSP who needs cognitive simplicity, the person with I/DD using an AI companion, and the clinical team managing accessibility compliance.
1.3B
people worldwide live with a disability
26%
of U.S. adults have a disability — underserved by most AI tools
30%
of issues caught by automated accessibility tools — the rest require expert review
- Use Case · 1 of 3
AI Independence Companion
A dignity-first daily assistant co-designed with people with intellectual and developmental disabilities — pilotable in one program, scalable across the network.
- Daily routine and communication support in a low-cognitive-load format
- Strict guardrails and full transparency so families and staff can trust it
- Person-centered: adapts to each individual's goals, abilities, and style
- Use Case · 2 of 3
AI Support Coach for DSPs & Clinicians
Reducing paperwork fatigue and AI anxiety for the frontline staff who make independence possible — framing AI as a helper, not a judge.
- Trained exclusively on organization-approved materials — not the open web
- Converts clinical language into plain-language documentation staff can own
- Positions AI as a supportive colleague — reducing burnout and building confidence
- Use Case · 3 of 3
Assistive Technology Matching at Scale
AI-assisted intake captures goals, abilities, and environments — suggesting the right AT tools and generating tailored training plans for specialists and families.
- AI-assisted intake and shortlist matching for AT specialists
- Auto-generated training plans per individual, reducing specialist documentation burden
- Feedback loop that tracks real independence outcomes over time
“Accessibility is never a checkbox for us. It's lived reality — and it's the starting point for every engagement, not an afterthought.”
Case Studies
Built for organizations where the stakes are real.
This is what happens when AI is designed around the humans who use it.
- Healthcare
Hospital AI Readiness Program
500-bed Massachusetts hospital · 800 clinical staff · AI clinical documentation rollout
4-phase program: Behavioral Assessment → Leadership Training → All-Staff Rollout → Reinforcement
71%
Adoption at 6 months
vs. 34% projected without intervention
3.2
AI Anxiety Score
down from 6.8/10 pre-program
$28K
Investment
ROI-positive for client at Month 7
- Mid-Market Tech
84% Copilot Adoption in 90 Days
300-person company · $108K/year Copilot investment · only 23% active usage at Day 60
Culture audit + resistance mapping (3 distinct groups) · human-centered workshops · internal champions network
84%
Active usage at Day 90
up from 23% at Day 60
90
Days to result
vs. 12-month industry average
$22K
Investment
vs. $108K license at risk of abandonment
- Clinical Knowledge
Healthcare Knowledge Assistant
Regional health network · Clinical teams searching policies and protocols across 3 EHRs
RAG pipeline on clinical documentation · Guardrails + hallucination detection · Accessibility-first UI
30–40%
Reduction in search time
reported by clinical teams
95%
Answer accuracy rate
on validated clinical queries
$180K
Estimated annual ROI
from time savings across teams
Our Edge
The only boutique that speaks both languages.
Most behavioral firms need a technical team to brief them. Most AI firms need a behavioral scientist to explain why adoption fails. Adaptek doesn't — because both disciplines live in the same room.
| Capability | Adaptek | Big Four | Boutique AI Firms | Accessibility Firms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Production-grade AI Build | ||||
| Behavioral Science & Human-Centered Design | ||||
| Disability-Informed Design | limited | |||
| Bilingual EN/ES Delivery | ||||
| Both Founders Senior-Led | varies | varies | ||
| Boutique Price Point |
Vanessa's expertise in user-centered design and behavioral science, combined with Rafael's enterprise AI engineering background, creates a structural moat no other boutique consultancy can replicate.
The Team
The only boutique where both founders speak both languages.
AI architecture and human-centered design — in one integrated team, at every engagement, with no junior handoffs.
Rafael Adames
Co-Founder, Human-Centered AI Engineering
Rafael brings 10+ years of enterprise AI experience including large-scale deployments at Accenture across healthcare, financial services, and operations. He explains AI architecture, risks, and limitations from the inside out — combining deep technical expertise, credentials in data analytics and Python programming, and advanced study in Software Engineering with Applied Artificial Intelligence in Massachusetts to design AI that fits the people who actually use it.
- 10+ years enterprise AI, Accenture
- Production RAG, MLOps, Responsible AI guardrails
- Software Engineering with Applied Artificial Intelligence, Massachusetts
- Data Analytics Technologies · Vanderbilt University & Visible Edge
- PCEP™ · Python Institute
- Bilingual: English / Spanish
Vanessa Echandia
Co-Founder, AI Accessibility & Human Impact
Vanessa holds a background in Social Science with a focus in Psychology, deepened by a Certificate in Digital Accessibility and an M.S. in User-Centered Design (Brandeis University) — combined with lived experience as a person with multiple sclerosis and years of disability advocacy at the National MS Society. She brings behavioral science expertise, usability research, and inclusive design principles to every AI engagement — ensuring systems work for the people who actually have to use them.
- B.S. Social Science · Psychology concentration
- Certificate in Digital Accessibility
- M.S. User-Centered Design, Brandeis University
- Disability advocate · National MS Society alumna · Person with MS
- Human-centered design · Accessible behavioral change · UX research
- Bilingual: English / Spanish
Ready to build AI that actually works for your people?
Book a free 30-minute consult. No pitch, no pressure — just an honest conversation about where human-centered AI can make a real difference.
Contact
Let's talk about your AI challenge.
Tell us about your organization and your biggest AI or accessibility challenge. We'll get back to you within one business day.