In an era where artificial intelligence is reshaping access to information, AskPurpleFlame stands out as a groundbreaking initiative tailored to address learning disabilities in India. Developed through a collaboration between CoRover and ChangeInkk, this first-of-its-kind multilingual, AI-driven help desk harnesses the power of technology to create an inclusive support system for students, parents, educators, and policymakers.
Guided by the world’s first dyslexic superhero, Purple Flame, the platform is dedicated to bridging communication gaps, providing vital resources, and building capacity to support individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs). This virtual guide not only educates but empowers users through personalized resources, real-time information, and AI-enabled tools that adapt to individual needs. In our recent interview, Noopur Jhunjhunwala, Trustee and Co-Founder of ChangeInkk, dives into how AskPurpleFlame is transforming the landscape of accessible education, the challenges it addresses, and the vision for a future where learning disabilities are met with understanding and action.
Read the full interview for more insights:
Q. How does AskPurpleFlame assist students, parents, and educators in accessing important information related to learning disabilities like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia?
A. AskPurpleFlame, available 24/7, is guided by the world’s first dyslexic female superhero, Purple Flame. Designed for students, parents, educators, and policymakers, AskPurpleFlame aims to bridge communication gaps, drive informed decision-making and promote inclusiveness across our country. It is available in multiple languages, including English and Hindi, and enables users to interact using text and voice.
Despite recognition under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2016, learning disabilities in India remain unseen and stigmatized. With an estimated two hundred million people affected, including thirty-five million students, conditions like dyslexia, dysgraphia, and dyscalculia lead to poor learning outcomes, high dropout rates, and increased mental health issues, including a 46% higher risk of suicide attempts. A major contributing factor is the lack of resources and stakeholder capacities. AskPurpleFlame aims to bridge this gap by providing essential information and empowering stakeholders - from students and parents to teachers to employers, civil society to policymakers.
It is unique because it has been trained for:
- Answering Questions: It offers instant, accurate responses to questions about identifying and understanding learning disabilities, early interventions, effective intervention strategies, and support resources.
- Providing Resources: It shares curated resources such as diagnostic tools, checklists, and educational materials to help users identify and address specific learning needs effectively.
- Offering Guidance: It guides parents in navigating diagnosis and support processes, assists educators with best practices for inclusive teaching, and empowers students with strategies for self-advocacy and learning success.
- Localized Information: By leveraging AI, it will provide information in regional languages, ensuring accessibility across diverse linguistic backgrounds.
AskPurpleFlame enables inclusive education by demystifying learning disabilities and making critical information readily available to those who need it most.
Q. What are some of the key challenges you identified while developing this platform, and how does it address them?
A. The Chatbot is a tool of over three years of intensive interventions undertaken by ChangeInkk to mainstream inclusion of learning disabilities. It has been developed based on interactions with thousands of parents, educators, and policymakers – both at central and state levels, employers, civil society partners, etc., to create accurate answers. One of the objectives was to provide information to stakeholders in the remotest regions, with low connectivity and in the language they support. To meet its mandate, we had to ensure that:
The information provided is relevant and accurate based on the Indian context and available in Indian languages. Further, it is not enough to just provide answers, one must be sensitized and provide empathetic answers also. This required the development of content and intensive training in multiple languages.
Since this is a one-stop-solution for all stakeholders, the chatbot needs to be flexible and have vast knowledge- whether it is a teenager trying to understand his/her disability, a 70-year-old grandparent learning about the disability, a teacher understanding how to adopt inclusive strategies, an employer identifying how to hire them or a policymaker understanding how to action for inclusion- the chatbot needs to answer all their concern, in a way that they understood best. This required us to do large-scale needs assessments with our expected users- understanding their requirements, finding solutions, evaluating the chatbot answers, and refining the output.
Lastly, adoption and use. As we roll out, we will add functionalities to strengthen its ability to empower individuals looking to support those with learning disabilities.
Q. Can you share any success stories or examples of how this platform has made a difference since its launch?
A. Since the chatbot was launched less than a month ago, it is too soon to tell. However, just like dyslexia superhero PurpleFlame helps her friends and teachers when in trouble, we hope that the #AskPurpleFlame chatbot will be the constant support companion helping our users, support individuals with learning disabilities.
Q. AskPurpleFlame is currently available in English and Hindi. What plans do you have to introduce more regional languages, and how will this expansion ensure inclusivity across diverse communities?
A. We plan to expand AskPurpleFlame to fourteen more regional languages, catering to the diverse and multilingual population of India. This expansion is crucial because Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs) can manifest in any language, not just English. By supporting a wider range of languages, the platform will ensure inclusivity and accessibility for individuals across different linguistic backgrounds, making it easier for students, parents, and educators from all communities to access essential information and support.
Q. How do you plan to make sure that the platform remains accessible for individuals with varying degrees of digital literacy?
A. We ensure accessibility by making AskPurpleFlame voice-enabled, text-enabled, and eventually video-enabled. Answers are provided in multiple formats—text, audio, and video—so individuals with varying levels of digital literacy can easily access the information in a way that best suits their needs, ensuring that no one is left behind.
Q. How will you measure the success of AskPurpleFlame in improving education for students with learning disabilities?
A. Success will be based on attitudinal and behavioural changes among users—how effectively they are empowered to include learning disabilities, integrate inclusive practices into daily routines, break barriers, and enable mainstreaming.
How can it help a mother advocate better for her child? How does it help a teacher create inclusive classrooms- with the limited resources she may have? How does it help a manager support an employees? How does a doctor identify a challenge?
For us, success is the impact #AskPurpleFlame can create when it provides the right information, with the right resources, at the right time, to meet the user’s needs.
Q. What role do you envision AI playing in shaping the future of inclusive education in India?
A. AI will play a pioneering role in creating accessible education for India's diverse population by unlocking knowledge in multiple languages. The ability to process evolving data and provide personalized learning experiences will further enhance inclusivity, making education more accessible to those with specific needs, such as individuals with learning disabilities. With AI-powered tools like AskPurpleFlame, we can deliver accurate, research-based information to students, parents, and educators across different regions.
For individuals with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLDs), AI can tailor educational content to suit their unique learning needs, offering personalized support through adaptive learning platforms. AI also has the potential to assist in early identification and screening of SLDs, providing timely interventions. By integrating AI, inclusive education can become more flexible and responsive, ensuring that students with SLDs receive the support they need to succeed in mainstream education systems. It is also a tool to provide accommodations - helping structure and support writing.
Q. How are ChangeInkk and CoRover working together to foster a more inclusive environment for individuals with learning disabilities? Can you elaborate on how this collaboration leverages each organization’s strengths to create a unified solution?
A. The partnership between ChangeInkk and CoRover marks a significant milestone in creating accessible AI tools for marginalized and underserved communities. CoRover is harnessing its Sovereign AI- BharatGPT powering AskPurpleFlame, delivering real-time, accurate information that can be accessed easily from any device. The chatbot not only answers questions but also empowers parents, educators, students, and policymakers, providing support at every stage—whether a user is seeking initial information, navigating a diagnosis, or managing day-to-day challenges related to SLDs. It also offers educators critical resources for identifying and assisting students, helps parents advocate for their children’s needs, and provides policymakers with guidance for developing inclusive education strategies. The platform actively fosters capacity-building by providing access to essential tools, training materials, and resources.
Q. How does AskPurpleFlame empower parents and families to advocate for their children’s needs, especially in a system where awareness and resources are often lacking?
Ans. AskPurpleFlame empowers parents and families to advocate for their children’s needs by providing 24/7 access to accurate and reliable information at their fingertips. Since SLDs are often “invisible,” they are harder to gauge, leading to many preconceptions and stigma. AskPurpleFlame will serve as a valuable resource in battling these challenges by offering real-time guidance and support. The chatbot equips parents and caregivers with the knowledge to understand SLDs, offering coping strategies to support their children effectively. This, in turn, helps families gain the confidence and skills required to advocate for their children in a system where awareness and resources are often lacking. By understanding their child’s unique needs and the laws or policies that can assist them, parents can better navigate educational and societal challenges.
Q. What are the future plans for developing more AI-driven tools to empower people with disabilities? Are there any specific areas of focus or new features in the pipeline?
A. The economic case for investing in accessible tools like AskPurpleFlame is clear. The global purchasing power of people with disabilities and their families is estimated at $13 trillion, with over 2.5 billion individuals requiring assistive technologies. This launch marks the beginning of a collaboration between CoRover & Changeinkk to develop more AI-driven tools that empower people with disabilities to reach their full potential.
Q. What changes would you like to see in terms of policies, funding, and resource allocation to create a more inclusive education system for these students?
A. In the case of most physical and visible disabilities, there is a concerted effort by various stakeholders to build an inclusive ecosystem that supports all aspects of a person’s life, including education and employability, daily living, social-emotional well-being, and mental health.
Often these invisible disabilities are shunned as “learning loss” which needs to change. Further, for individuals with learning disabilities, interventions are primarily focused on school education (in primary schools) and rehabilitation. Also, there is an urgent need to scale interventions and mainstream them across India’s 14 lakh schools and over a thousand universities.
To shift the needle, to achieve an inclusive ecosystem that leverages “dyslexic thinking” for employment, innovation and economic growth, there is an urgent need to holistically address the inclusion of individuals with learning disabilities- from cradle to career. This requires sensitizing, building capacities of stakeholders, accelerating policy action, and enabling system transformation to implement inclusive programmes that impact their life journey.
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