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News — AMES, Iowa - 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  two years ago instilled in her an “innovative mindset,” she said. She took what she learned in the program and co-founded  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.

She was inspired to create this technology by the experiences she and her son, who has autism, have gone through. Haen Whitmer noticed it is difficult for educators to always provide the needed accommodations for all students in their classroom – that’s where NarrateAR’s AI learning companion, Ama AI, comes in.

Ama AI is “trained” to understand how to best assist each student based on information provided by the student’s parents, Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and therapeutic treatment plans. Based on that information, when the student’s teacher uploads lesson plans to the software, the AI learning companion adapts those materials in a way that the student can understand. Ama AI supports the student as they work on each assignment or lesson, growing with them as they progress from one grade level to the next, year after year.

Ama AI will not be a replacement for special education teachers or aides but rather a supplemental resource that can encourage students to become more independent, according to Haen Whitmer.

The technology will be piloted with summer day camp students at All Aboard for Kids in Ames this summer. While open to all students, the camp has a special focus on those with autism.

Current data suggests that approximately 75% of individuals with any kind of disability aren’t working. Haen Whitmer said her “jaw dropped” when she learned that. She wants Ama AI to be something individuals can use as they advance beyond their school years and begin working professionally and living on their own.

“That’s the hope for all parents of these kids – knowing that when we’re gone, our kid is going to be OK.”

Haen Whitmer and NarrateAR could not have made it this far without support from several entities. After completing the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program, she enrolled in the  through Iowa State’s Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship in August 2023. There, she learned everything from pitch writing to creating a business plan.

Then, in late 2023, NarrateAR received funding from the NewSchools Venture Fund and was selected for the gener8tor gBETA Social Impact Equity in Education national startup accelerator program. The company currently is part of gener8tor’s NMotion Accelerator program.

Haen Whitmer used the knowledge gained from these experiences to pitch NarrateAR as one of three finalists in the Iowa Innoventure Challenge late last year. While she did not claim the top spot, it created exposure for the company.

“I’m really thankful for the guidance and support I’ve received along this journey,” Haen Whitmer said. “I hope everything we do serves as a reminder that this startup began with a mom and her son – struggling, searching for support – and was inspired by innovators at Iowa State to reimagine how we can improve the educational experience for students with learning disabilities.”