Imagine a world where students with learning disabilities could better understand and process what is being taught in their classroom. Thanks to an innovative idea conceptualized by educator and mom Karri Haen Whitmer, that world is becoming closer to reality.

Haen Whitmer is a teaching professor in Iowa State University’s Department of Genetics, Development and Cell Biology. Her participation in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program two years ago instilled in her an “innovative mindset,” she said. She took what she learned in the program and co-founded NarrateAR alongside her husband, Christopher Whitmer. The company is building Ama AI, a software program that provides AI learning companions to school-aged children with learning disabilities.

“Ama will eventually be a comprehensive assistive technology for someone with cognitive processing disabilities – helping them make decisions and go about their daily lives,” Haen Whitmer said.

The complete article by CALS Assistant Director of Communications Whitney Baxter, "Professor developing learning companion for students with disabilities," is available on the CALS website.