From Practitioner to Professional: Harnessing Artificial Intelligence for Inclusive Disability Models

The landscape of disability advocacy and policy has evolved considerably over recent decades yet prevailing theoretical frameworks have struggled to adequately address the multi-dimensional, intersectional, and systemic nature of lived disability experiences. The transition from practitioner-level engagement to fully realized professional praxis requires the deliberate integration of innovative conceptual tools, among which artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning represent a transformative frontier. This paper develops a comprehensive theoretical framework for inclusive disability models that centres AI as a structural mechanism for advancing equity, agency, and systemic accessibility. Drawing upon a review of disability studies literature, critical AI ethics scholarship, and human rights jurisprudence, the paper identifies four persistent gaps in existing frameworks: the fragmentation between impairment and societal exclusion, the neglect of strength-based and resilience-centred perspectives, the underrepresentation of intersectional identity, and the failure to engage with technological developments as sites of both risk and possibility. In response, the paper proposes four interrelated theoretical models: the Holistic Inclusion Model 2.0, the Resilience and Potential Model with AI Insights, the Ecosystem Model Enhanced by AI, and the Transformative Justice Model through AI Advocacy. Each model is theoretically grounded and positioned within current scholarly debates. The paper concludes by articulating a research agenda for empirical testing of these frameworks through participatory, community-based methodologies.