Disability InclusionProgram Delivery

I-Stem: Dismantling the "Digital Apartheid" for People with Disabilities

I-Stem is revolutionizing accessibility in India by deploying "NClude"—an AI-powered multimodal ecosystem that converts inaccessible content into accessible formats, automates complex digital tasks, and provides personalized career coaching for the 20 million+ people with disabilities (PWDs) in the country.

25,000+
25,000+
people with disabilities actively using the platform.
1.5 Million+ pages
1.5 Million+ pages
of inaccessible documents converted into accessible formats.
96% of the web
96% of the web
is currently inaccessible; I-Stem’s goal is to bridge this gap.
Video Thumbnail

Watch the story in 60 seconds (AI-generated video; visuals are illustrative)

Case at a Glance

About the Organisation

I-Stem was born from the lived experience of its co-founders, including Kartik Sawhney, who was famously denied the right to study science in India due to his blindness. The organization moves beyond "volunteer-based models" to create robust, AI-driven technical infrastructure that restores agency to PWDs.

Problem Statement

India faces a "Digital Apartheid" where 96% of digital content—textbooks, government forms, and job portals—is incompatible with screen readers or assistive tech. This "book famine" results in only 4% of PWDs graduating university and millions remaining unemployed, trapped in a cycle of poverty and dependency.

Solution

"NClude" is a multimodal AI platform accessible via Web, WhatsApp, and IVR. It uses custom computer vision to parse complex document layouts (like Math/STEM), Agentic RAG for career coaching grounded in disability-specific data, and browser automation to help users navigate and fill out otherwise inaccessible digital forms.

Read the full case study
Challenge
The Invisible Wall of Digital Exclusion

For a person with a disability in India, the internet is often a series of "dead ends." Most websites and documents are designed without accessibility standards (WCAG), meaning screen readers cannot "read" them. This is particularly acute in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), where complex formulas and diagrams are completely invisible to standard assistive tools.

Traditional solutions have relied on human volunteers to read books or intermediaries to fill out forms. These models are not only unscalable but also strip PWDs of their dignity and autonomy. When a job application portal is inaccessible, a PWD cannot apply independently, effectively barring them from the modern economy.

Solution
NClude—The Autonomous Accessibility Agent

I-Stem’s "NClude" platform is designed to act as a digital bridge, providing real-time, high-fidelity accessibility.

Key AI Modules:

  • Accessibility Conversion: Uses custom-trained computer vision models and OCR to parse document layouts. Unlike standard OCR, NClude can interpret STEM content, tables, and complex formatting, converting them into high-quality accessible HTML or text.
  • Task Completion Agent: This module uses "Agentic AI" (Puppeteer/Selenium combined with LLMs) to navigate inaccessible UIs. A user can talk to the bot in their regional language to "Apply for this job" or "Fill this government form," and the agent completes the technical actions on the backend.
  • Career Discovery & ITutor: Powered by fine-tuned LLMs (like Llama) grounded in disability-specific datasets, the platform provides career coaching that understands the unique barriers PWDs face, offering pathways based on successful professionals with similar disabilities.
  • Multimodal Reach: Recognizing the digital divide, NClude is available on WhatsApp and IVR, ensuring that users with basic phones or low-data connectivity can still access information through voice-to-voice interaction.
Outcomes & Impact
Systemic Integration and Scale

I-Stem has successfully moved from an experimental tool to a core component of India's national accessibility infrastructure.

National Integration
NClude is integrated with the Government of India’s Sugamya Bharat App, reaching over 20 million registered PWDs. This allows the government to deliver inclusive civic information at a scale previously impossible.
Empowering the "Book Famine" End
By processing 1.5 million pages, I-Stem is effectively ending the "book famine" for its users, allowing blind students to pursue STEM subjects that were previously considered "impossible" for them.
Autonomy at Scale
The transition from human-dependent models to AI agents has allowed I-Stem to support 25,000+ users with a fractional cost compared to traditional interventions. Their technology is now nominated as a Digital Public Good, ensuring its impact can be replicated globally.

Technology Stack

Name of Tool Where it was used What it enabled Category
Custom Computer Vision Content Conversion High-fidelity parsing of STEM and complex layouts Custom-built
Llama / LLMs Career & Task Agents Reasoning, career coaching, and conversational AI Open-source (Weights)
Puppeteer / Selenium Task Automation Navigation of inaccessible web forms and portals Open-source
Livekit Audio/Voice Real-time, low-latency speech-to-speech interactions Open-source
AWS / Containerization Infrastructure Scalable, secure cloud hosting with REST API access Commercial
Bhashini / OCR Localization Multilingual support for Indian regional languages Open-source (Govt)

Key Project Learnings

01
Agency Over Assistance

AI’s greatest value is not "helping" PWDs, but providing the tools for them to help themselves—moving from human intermediaries to autonomous digital agents.

02
STEM Accessibility is the Final Frontier

Standard AI tools often fail at math and diagrams; custom computer vision models trained on academic layouts are essential for true educational inclusion.

03
Strategic Partnerships Drive Scale

Integrating with government platforms (Sugamya Bharat) and national libraries (Sugamya Pustakalaya) is faster and more effective than building an isolated user base from scratch.

Potential for Wider Adoption

Sector Adaptability of the Solution
Government (E-Governance) High. Can be used to make all government portals (banking, taxes, schemes) accessible without needing to redesign the underlying legacy code.
Higher Education High. Universities can deploy NClude to ensure all library resources and LMS content are automatically accessible to students with disabilities.
Corporate HR High. Companies can integrate the Task Completion Agent into their hiring portals to ensure they are inclusive of diverse talent.

See it in Action

Solution Video
Solution demo

In this video, get to know how NClude reimagines accessibility by integrating WhatsApp-based career guidance, accessible documents, job discovery, and AI-assisted applications into a unified ecosystem, reducing digital friction and empowering persons with disabilities to navigate opportunities with confidence.

The information provided here is created as a community resource and is not intended as professional advice or a recommendation by ILSS or Koita Foundation. While we strive to ensure the accuracy of the content, we do not take responsibility for any errors or omissions. Users should use their own discretion before making any decisions based on this information. ILSS or Koita Foundation assume no liability for any actions taken based on the information provided.

  • © 2026 India Leaders for Social Sector. All Rights Reserved.