AI Support for Special Education Students Navigating College Pathways in Texas

Background: Students with disabilities face unique challenges when transitioning to higher education, emphasizing the need for tailored support during the college application process. Advances in AI, particularly in personalized assistance, offer promising opportunities to improve accessibility in education. This study explored the role of AI in supporting students with disabilities by focusing on ADVi, an AI chatbot that provided college admissions guidance via text messaging. Methods: We employed a multilevel-negative-binomial model to determine whether students with disabilities demonstrated a distinct need for AI-based support in their transition to college. Results: The findings revealed that students with disabilities used ADVi significantly more than their typically developing peers, with the highest utilization observed among students with autism and emotional disabilities. Conclusions: These results highlight the growing use of ADVi among students with disabilities, emphasizing the critical role of AI-driven tools in enhancing accessibility during their transition to postsecondary education.