We are happy to announce the results of the Empowered by AI sub granting programme, funded by Google.org.
After receiving 39 project applications, The European Disability Forum (EDF) has selected 18 organisations to implement new AI related initiatives that strengthen the capacity of organisations of persons with disabilities (OPDs) to understand, use, and engage with AI.
Following a competitive evaluation process, 18 projects were selected for funding. Grantees come from Estonia, Latvia, Italy, Spain, Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Sweden, Poland, Lithuania, and Romania. Their projects will run from September 2026 to April 2027.
Discover the 18 selected projects
1. Project YoHablo – Personalized AI-assisted communication (Spain)
By Esment Fundación – EDF member
YoHablo is an AI-assisted communication project that helps people with intellectual disabilities to communicate more effectively by learning their individual communication patterns and translating them into understandable messages in real time.
2. Project AI for everyone: communicating with AI through Easy Language (Latvia)
By Easy Language Agency (Vieglās valodas aģentūra) – Member of EDF member
The project will help people with disabilities and older people use AI safely and independently through Easy Language. It will create an AI guide, a prompt library, and recommendations for accessible AI communication. The resources will be developed and tested together with people from the target groups.
3. Project AIFUND: AI for inclusive Fundraising (Italy)
By CBM Italy – EDF member
The project will support persons with disabilities and their organisations to use AI effectively, ethically, and strategically for project development and fundraising. It will provide AI training, develop and test an AI-based project development tool, and create practical guidance for organisations.
4. Project Secure AI Workspace for Down Syndrome Albania
By Down Syndrome Albania Foundation (DSA) – EDF member
The project will help Down Syndrome Albania use AI more safely and effectively to reduce administrative work and strengthen services and advocacy. DSA will create a shared AI workspace, develop custom AI tools for fundraising, donor reporting, communication and other daily tasks, and provide staff with practical training and ongoing support.
5. Project Accessible AI- Strengthening Organizations of Persons with Disabilities for an Inclusive Digital Future
By the Union of Organizations of Persons with Disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina – EDF member
The project will strengthen the capacity of organisations of persons with disabilities in Bosnia and Herzegovina to use AI safely, ethically, accessibly, and practically, with a special focus on young people as future leaders. Through three interactive workshops, participants will test AI tools and develop practical skills for advocacy, communication, administration, and project work.
6. Project AI for hearing access: exploring opportunities and risks of Artificial Intelligence for hard of hearing people
By the European Federation of Hard of Hearing People (EFHOH) – EDF member
The project will explore how hard of hearing people across Europe use AI for communication, accessibility, education, and services, focusing on captions, speech recognition, privacy, and reliability. Through training, a European survey, practical testing, and peer learning, participants will build AI skills.The project will produce AI for Hearing Access Guidance with practical recommendations.
7. Project Responsible AI in Practice: A Practical Toolkit for Cerebral Palsy Organisations
By Cerebral Palsy Europe (CP-ECA) – EDF member
The project will develop a Responsible AI Toolkit for Cerebral Palsy Organisations with practical guidance, prompt templates, accessibility advice, and ethical safeguards for everyday AI use. It will also include two online webinars, supported by a young woman with cerebral palsy trained through the EDF/MinnaLearn Train-the-Trainer programme.
8. Project No One Left Offline: AI Capacity for the EPIKoda Network
By the Estonian Chamber of People with Disabilities (EPIKoda). EDF member
The project will help leaders of EPIKoda’s 57 member organisations across Estonia use AI safely and effectively in their daily work. It will provide four regional trainings and two online sessions for 35–50 leaders, supported by accessible training materials.
9. Accessible AI for Disability Rights: building AI literacy among migrant and refugee persons with disabilities and their families in Poland
By Patchwork Association for Immigrant Families of Persons with Disabilities – EDF member
The project will help migrants and refugees with disabilities in Poland use AI safely for everyday needs such as translation, communication, services, and advocacy. It will train at least 40 people through practical workshops and multiplier training. A Polish, Ukrainian and Russian toolkit will provide simple AI prompts, privacy rules, and safety guidance.
10. Project Smart AI Tools for Blind and Partially Sighted Independence (Lithuania)
By The Lithuanian Association of the Blind and Partially Sighted – member of EDF member – Member of EDF member
The project will help LASS integrate AI-powered assistive technologies into rehabilitation and independent living support for blind and partially sighted people. It will test three smart glasses and one smart white cane for tasks such as reading, object recognition, navigation, and access to information.
11. Deaf AI Ready: Empowering deaf organisations through responsible AI literacy and AI-first workflows
By the European Union of the Deaf, EDF member
The project will help EUD’s staff members build practical AI skills for policy, project management, administration, and communication, while developing an internal AI use policy. EUD will create a deaf organisation-specific AI toolkit with International Sign video explainers and share it with National Associations of the Deaf through an online multiplier training 2027.
12. Project AI for Independent Living: AI Skills for Deaf People in Romania
By the National Association for the Deaf Romania (ANSR) – member of EDF member
The project will increase AI awareness and digital skills among Deaf people in Romania through research, training, and accessible resources in Romanian Sign Language. It will include a national survey, an in-person workshop, and a follow-up exchange focused on practical AI uses in communication, education, employment, and daily life.
13. Project Building AI Capacity in the Deaf Movement in Sweden
By the Swedish National Association of the Deaf (SDR) – member of EDF member
The project will strengthen AI knowledge and capacity within the Swedish deaf movement through training and knowledge exchange. SDR will organise a national network meeting on AI, Swedish Sign Language, accessibility, and inclusion, and establish an AI expert group to support future work.
14. Project AI together – building trust through “show, don’t tell”
By IAAP Nordic chapter – EDF member
It will help persons with disabilities across the five Nordic countries use AI with greater confidence through practical, peer-led guidance. Volunteers with different disabilities will share real-life AI examples for studies, work, and everyday tasks, followed by questions and discussion. The project will deliver 15 online sessions (three per country) in Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden.
15. AI for Easy-to-Read
By Inclusion Europe – EDF member
The project will examine how AI can support the creation of easy-to-read information while keeping people with intellectual disabilities at the centre of design and validation. It will identify risks such as inaccurate or biased content, loss of accessibility features, reduced participation, and protection of sensitive data, while exploring solutions such as Cap’FALC.
16. Program Autism empowered by AI ( Italy)
By Gruppo Asperger Lazio – member of EDF member
The project will provide four AI training programmes for autism organisations, specialists, volunteers, and young people on the autism spectrum, covering AI literacy, AI Essentials, and practical everyday use. Young participants will learn to use AI for planning, studying, communication, job interviews, and daily tasks, including creating their own personal AI toolkit.
17. Project Embedding AI in ENIL through the Freedom Bot and Capacity Building
By the European Network on Independent Living – ENIL – EDF member
The project will develop the Freedom Bot, an accessible multilingual AI assistant on WhatsApp to support participants at Freedom Drive 2026 with schedules, navigation, accessibility, transport, and real-time information. It will also allow participants to report accessibility barriers and receive responses from ENIL staff.
18. AI Accessibility Tool for Structured Health Communication for People with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)
European ME Alliance (EMEA) – EDF member
The project will develop an AI accessibility tool to help people with ME communicate complex and changing health conditions to doctors and social protection services. Users can provide information by text or speech, which the tool converts into structured summaries, functional statements, appointment notes, and symptom reports.
If you wish to receive more information please contact Roberta Lulli.