We created this initiative to address a persistent and widespread challenge: many children are unable to fully access or understand curriculum materials because of disability, learning barriers, or the lack of appropriate supports. In most education systems, paper textbooks remain the primary resource, yet they are not accessible for students who need alternative formats, simplified language, audio, or multimodal ways of engaging with content. As a result, too many learners fall behind not because they cannot learn, but because the materials were not designed for them.
High-quality accessible resources exist, but they are costly, slow to produce, and often limited to small-scale or specialized programs. This creates an inequitable situation in which only a fraction of students benefit from materials that truly match their learning needs. Recognizing this, UNICEF, working with national partners, saw the need for a systemic, sustainable solution that could embed accessibility as a standard rather than an exception.
The initiative was developed to ensure that every child can learn with inclusive, curriculum-aligned digital materials that remove barriers from the start. By combining Universal Design for Learning, pedagogical expertise, and an AI-supported, open-source production process, it becomes possible to generate accessible resources more efficiently, consistently, and at scale.
This initiative transforms national curriculum materials into accessible digital resources for diverse learners. The process combines Universal Design for Learning, expert and teacher review, and an open-source, AI-supported production pipeline that accelerates design and adaptation while generating accessibility features and interactive activities. The resulting materials offer multiple ways to access and participate in learning such as easy-read formats, simplified explanations, audio, images, and intuitive navigation, removing barriers and supporting autonomy.
In practice, teachers use these digital resources both in class and remotely to work through curriculum topics, propose exercises, differentiate participation, and offer flexible access to content. Students can read, listen, explore definitions, and complete activities at their own pace using accessible, curriculum-aligned materials that reflect the national curriculum.
The initiative, developed by UNICEF globally and piloted in Uruguay with national partners, has undergone classroom implementation and qualitative monitoring. Early evidence shows increased motivation, stronger participation in classroom activities, and improved autonomy, particularly among students with disabilities or learning difficulties. This demonstrates the potential of the approach to address systemic gaps in accessibility while supporting more inclusive teaching and learning.
The initiative has been spreading through UNICEF’s global network and a strong partnership in Uruguay between UNICEF Uruguay, Ceibal, and the national education authority (ANEP). Together, they integrated the work into the country’s digital learning ecosystem and tested the approach in real classrooms. Over the last two years, two accessible, curriculum-aligned digital books for primary language learning were created and piloted with positive results in student motivation, participation, and autonomy.
A major achievement has been the development and pedagogical and accessibility validation of an open-source, AI-supported production pipeline. This allows education systems to generate accessible digital learning materials more efficiently and consistently, enabling long-term scalability. Interest from other UNICEF country offices has already begun, demonstrating the initiative’s global relevance and transferability.
In the next 2–3 years, we aim to expand to additional subjects and grades, strengthen teacher training, refine the production pipeline, and support other countries in adapting the approach to their curricula and platforms. The long-term goal is to establish a sustainable, systemic method for producing accessible digital learning materials that can be adopted widely across education systems.
Since its initial design, the innovation has been continuously improved through classroom pilots, user experience testing, expert feedback, and collaboration with national partners. An important evolution was moving from the creation of isolated accessible materials to developing an open-source, AI-assisted production flow, built through a highly iterative process of creation, review, and validation.
We also refined and strengthened the integration of Universal Design for Learning principles, improving elements such as easy-read features, visual cues, audio quality, and clarity of explanations. Each new version incorporates enhancements in navigation, usability, and interactive activities to better meet the needs of diverse learners.
A key learning has been the sustained interaction between technological developers and specialists in pedagogy and accessibility. This collaboration helped us understand both the opportunities and the limitations of AI and informed critical technical and pedagogical decisions. Testing with teachers and students also guided simplifications in design, adjustments to activities, and clearer guidance for classroom use.
All of this work was carried out with particular care, as the innovation is being built within the national education ecosystem. This required a gradual approach, ongoing validation, and a strong commitment to ensuring quality, pedagogical relevance, and accessibility at every stage.
The first step is to contact your local UNICEF Country Office. UNICEF is present in more than 190 countries and can connect you with the UNICEF global technical team and the Uruguay team that led the pilot. They will help assess feasibility, outline the process, and explore how the innovation can be adapted to your national curriculum and platforms.
Next, identify an educational material that is relevant for students but not yet accessible. This serves as the starting point for testing the open-source production flow. At the same time, map key stakeholders in education, technology, and accessibility such as the ministry of education, digital learning agencies, curriculum units, and inclusion teams, who would be involved in adapting or validating the materials.
You can then explore the open-source GitHub repository, where the AI-assisted production flow is available for anyone with a technological profile to test or adapt. UNICEF can support this exploration and coordinate discussions on how to contextualize the tool for your system.
Finally, define a coordinated work plan with UNICEF and national partners. This includes selecting initial subjects or grades, organizing pilots, validating accessibility and pedagogy, and planning teacher support. A phased and iterative approach built on feedback from teachers, students, and experts, helps ensure strong integration and long-term sustainability within the education system.
