Bridge Showcases 3 Accessibility Projects at the 2026 AER Conference

Bridge Multimedia’s Chief Researcher and Senior Project Director, Dr. Wendy Sapp, presented three Bridge accessibility projects at the Association for Education and Rehabilitation of the Blind and Visually Impaired (AER) Biennial International Conference. The event, which took place July 29 – August 2 in Louisville, Kentucky, brought together education and rehabilitation professionals working in the blindness and low vision fields.

Dr. Sapp’s sessions highlighted Bridge’s growing work across accessible educational gaming, AI-supported emergency communication, and generative AI tools that help children with disabilities demonstrate learning.

Accessible Educational Gaming

Cyberchase, Echo Explorers, and Monarch

Dr. Sapp and Greg Stilson, Vice President of Digital Transformation for the American Printing House for the Blind, demonstrated how accessible digital play can transform learning. Bridge Multimedia and The WNET Group have developed five free, fully accessible educational games inspired by the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, using comprehensive audio design so that children who are blind or have low vision can participate alongside their sighted peers. In partnership with APH, the team has now transformed the Cyberchase STEM learning game Echo Explorers into a tactile experience designed for the Monarch tactile tablet, bringing auditory and tactile accessibility together in a new way.

Weather Brain

AI-Supported Accessibility in Weather and Emergency Communications

Dr. Sapp presented pilot studies evaluating how AI-generated information can help make weather and emergency communications more accessible in simulated emergency scenarios. Weather Brain is designed to support real-time access to critical information such as weather data, emergency alerts, wildfire maps, and evacuation information for people with diverse access needs, including people who are blind, have low vision, or have other disabilities. The session also explored user needs research and the role of advocacy and federal policy in advancing accessible emergency communication tools.

WISER

AI-Supported Learning for Children Who Are Blind or Have Low Vision

Dr. Sapp presented pilot studies involving WISER, a generative AI prototype designed to support learning for students with disabilities. In classroom and community-based learning experiences, children who are blind or have low vision, including children with additional disabilities, used WISER to engage with topics such as dinosaurs and sea creatures and to express what they learned through art, music, and other creative outputs. The session highlighted how AI can scaffold learning, support Universal Design for Learning, and create new opportunities for students to demonstrate understanding while maintaining data security and privacy. Currently, WISER is being further developed in association with UNC Chapel Hill’s STEMIE Center, strengthening the connection between Bridge’s accessibility and AI work with early STEM learning for young children with disabilities.

According to Dr. Sapp,

“Working to develop these projects has been tremendously exciting, but it is even more exciting to present them at AER. This conference brings together professionals who are deeply committed to improving services and opportunities for people who are blind or have low vision. Bridge Multimedia is proud to be part of that conversation.”

• Learn more about Bridge’s accessible educational gaming work

• Learn more about Weather Brain

• Learn more about WISER

More exciting presentations to come….

~ The Bridge Team