Thijs Roumen
Assistant Professor of Information Science (Cornell Tech, NYC / Cornell Bowers CIS)
CATAI Summit • Cornell Tech, NYC
AI and Accessibility Summit 2026
Our annual gathering on accessibility across research, identity, and policy — bringing together the Cornell community and organizations from across New York City. This year: three talks, three panels, and a demo session with more than 20 companies, initiatives, and projects.
At a glance
- When
- September 22–23, 2026 (two full days)
- Where
- Verizon Executive Education Center, Cornell Tech, Roosevelt Island
- Check-in
- Opens 8:15 AM, Tuesday September 22
- Day 1
- In person, open to all who register • talks, panels, demos
- Day 2
- Invite-only • case studies and group discussion
- Cost
- Free to attend; registration required
About the summit
The AI and Accessibility Summit is CATAI's annual conference on accessibility — spanning research, identity, and policy. The goal is to bring together voices from within Cornell University (faculty, staff, students, and alumni) and to build lasting connections with organizations in and around New York City.
The 2026 edition takes place on September 22 and 23, 2026 and runs over two full days. Day 1 is fully in person and open to everyone who registers, with keynotes, talks, panel conversations, and hands-on demos. Day 2 is a smaller, invite-only day built around case study discussions, alongside a handful of talks — a chance to go deep on specific deployments with the people who ran them.
Research
New work on assistive technology, accessible AI, and human-centered systems, presented by researchers and students.
Identity
Lived experience at the center: disabled speakers, community members, and advocates on what technology does to and for people.
Policy
Conversations with practitioners and policymakers shaping accessibility in New York City and beyond.
Building on 2025
The first edition took place October 9–10, 2025 in the same venue, powered by YAI. You can browse the full 2025 program, speakers, and organizers on the 2025 summit page.
Program
Three talks, three panels, and a demo session with more than 20 companies, initiatives, and projects. Day 1 is open to everyone who registers; Day 2 is invite-only.
Day 1 — Tuesday, September 22 · In person, open to all registrants
| Time | Session | Speakers / panelists |
|---|---|---|
| 8:15 AM | Registration opens | — |
| 8:30 AM | Welcome | CATAI summit organizers |
| 9:00 AM | Talk + Q&A | Amy Pavel (UC Berkeley) |
| 9:30 AM | Talk + Q&A | Cynthia Bennett (Google Research) |
| 10:00 AM | Coffee break | — |
| 10:15 AM | Panel: AI opportunities for Accessibility Franklin Mingzhe Li, I.V. Ramakrishnan, Kasey Walsh, Tamara Morgan, Tobias Weinberg |
Moderator: Rajalakshmi Nandakumar |
| 11:30 AM | Talk + Q&A | Brian Smith (Columbia University) |
| 12:00 PM | Lunch | — |
| 1:30 PM | Panel: AI risks for Accessibility Shaun Kane, Ronak Parikh, Arthur Jacobs, Satwik Dutta |
Moderator: Aditya Vashistha |
| 2:45 PM | Coffee break and demo setup | — |
| 3:15 PM | Panel: The path forward — large-scale adoption and deployment in dialogue with community engagement Wendy Strobel Gower, Chris Maher, Angela Lean, Judith Bailey-Hung |
Moderator: Thijs Roumen |
| 4:30 PM | Lightning talks from the demo teams | Demo presenters |
| 4:45 PM | Demo and poster reception | All demo teams |
Day 2 — Wednesday, September 23 · Invite-only case studies and talks
Day 2 is by invitation only. The day runs on a repeating rhythm: a short input session, then small group discussions, then reporting back to the room. Two case studies from partner organizations, a Path Forward Session, and a closing reflection. Invitations are sent directly by the organizers.
If you think your organization should be in the room, email catai@cornell.edu and tell us what you would bring to the day.
| Time | Session | Speakers / participants |
|---|---|---|
| 8:30 AM | Breakfast | — |
| 9:00 AM | Case study: Wood Center | Wood Center |
| 9:15 AM | Small group discussions | All participants |
| 10:15 AM | Reporting back and joint discussion | All participants |
| 10:45 AM | Coffee break | — |
| 11:00 AM | Case study: TOM Global | TOM Global |
| 11:15 AM | Small group discussions | All participants |
| 12:15 PM | Reporting back and joint discussion | All participants |
| 12:45 PM | Lunch | — |
| 2:30 PM | Path Forward Session | All participants |
| 2:45 PM | Small group discussions | All participants |
| 3:45 PM | Reporting back and joint discussion | All participants |
| 4:15 PM | Coffee break | — |
| 4:30 PM | Reflection and wrap-up | CATAI summit organizers |
Confirmed speakers and participants
Confirmed so far, with more to be announced. Session assignments are still being finalized.
Research
- Cynthia Bennett — Google Research (Day 1)
- Shaun Kane — Google Research
- Brian Smith — Columbia University
- I.V. Ramakrishnan — Stony Brook University
- Amy Pavel — UC Berkeley
- Angela Lean — Microsoft
- Franklin Mingzhe Li — UNC-Chapel Hill
Practice and community
- Ronak Parikh — ADAPT Network
- Arthur Jacobs — Mayor's Office for People with Disabilities
- Elaine Young and Tamara Morgan — Adaptive Design
- Maayan Keren — TOM Global
- Chris Maher — Samaritan Partners
- Kasey Walsh — Winsights
- Judith Bailey-Hung — YAI
Cornell
- Aditya Vashistha — Information Science
- Tapomayukh Bhattacharjee — Computer Science
- Wendy Strobel Gower — Yang-Tan Institute
- Satwik Dutta — Cornell
- Cheng Zhang — Information Science (Day 2)
Demos
Day 1 closes with lightning talks and a demo and poster reception, from 4:30 PM, with more than 20 companies, initiatives, and projects taking part. Some of the teams joining us:
Startups and organizations
- Prolo Ring — Joey Chang
- Winsights — Kasey Walsh
- TOM Global — Maayan Keren
- Adaptive Design — Tamara Morgan and team
- Allstrum
- Wheel It Forward USA
- RemNeuro
- FrictionWorkx
- TweelsWheels
- HILO
- SILA
- SightSpace
Cornell research
- Rehabilitation sleeve and facial reanimation glasses — Tan Gemicioglu
- AAC tools — Tobias Weinberg
- Accessible social VR — Jazmin Collins and Ricky Gonzalez
- Assistive furniture assembly — Bo
Want to demo something? Email catai@cornell.edu with a sentence on what you would bring and what people will get to try.
Register
Registration for Day 1 is open and free. Let us know about access needs on the form and we will arrange them — including captioning, ASL interpretation, dietary requirements, and accessible transport to campus.
On the day, check-in opens at 8:15 AM on Tuesday, September 22. Please be there on time so everyone can be fully registered before the event starts at 8:30.
- Open to Cornell faculty, staff, students, and alumni
- Open to community organizations, practitioners, and NYC partners
- Space is limited, so register early
Good to know
- Fee
- Free
- Access needs
- Requested on the registration form
Location and time
Venue
Verizon Executive Education Center
Cornell Tech, 2 West Loop Road
Roosevelt Island, New York, NY 10044
The Verizon Center sits at the campus entrance closest to the Queensboro Bridge and shares a connecting hall with the Graduate Roosevelt Island Hotel, which is a convenient place to stay if you are traveling in.
Dates and times
Day 1: Tuesday, September 22, 2026 — 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM ET, in person,
closing with a demo and poster reception. Registration opens at 8:15 AM;
please arrive on time so everyone can be checked in before the program starts at 8:30.
Day 2: Wednesday, September 23, 2026 — 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM ET, invite-only.
Roosevelt Island is reachable by F train, the Roosevelt Island Tram, the Q102 bus, and the NYC Ferry. Contact us if you need help arranging accessible transport.
Give a talk, show a demo, or help out
The program is still filling up. We welcome proposals from students, faculty, staff, alumni, and community organizations on any of our three pillars: research, identity, and policy.
Give a talk
A 15–20 minute talk on your research, your work, or your experience, followed by Q&A.
Show a demo
Bring a prototype, product, or tool to the interactive session and put it in people's hands.
Volunteer
Help with registration, room hosting, note taking, and making the day run smoothly.
For anything else about the summit, email us at catai@cornell.edu. Please include a short description and, for talks and demos, a sentence or two on what people will take away.
Organizers
The summit is organized by the executive committee of CATAI, the Cornell Initiative for Assistive Technology and AI in NYC, together with our partner organizations.
Aditya Vashistha
Assistant Professor of Information Science (Cornell Bowers CIS)
Rajalakshmi Nandakumar
Assistant Professor (Cornell Tech, NYC / Cornell Bowers CIS / Jacobs Technion-Cornell Institute)
Tapomayukh “Tapo” Bhattacharjee
Assistant Professor of Computer Science (Cornell Bowers CIS)
Want to co-organize, sponsor, or host a session? Email catai@cornell.edu — and read more about the initiative behind the summit on the CATAI home page.
