PACER Center launches PACER PAL AI assistant to expand access to trusted disability information

PACER Center has launched a new closed-source AI assistant, PACER PAL (Parent Ally for Learning). It was developed by Creatively Focused, a Minnesota-based technology company that was founded by a former Minnesota special education director with the mission to help schools and organizations transform institutional knowledge into secure AI-powered support systems. Building on PACER’s nearly 50 years of expertise, PACER staff worked alongside them while developing PACER PAL to help families quickly access trusted information drawn from PACER’s published resources and guidance. 

PACER’s staff are the foundation of our organization. Every day, they help families navigate special education, disability rights, assistive technology, transition planning, bullying prevention, and many other disability-related topics. Their work has created one of the nation’s most trusted collections of disability resources. PACER PAL makes that expertise easier to access while ensuring every response reflects our guidance and values. By choosing a closed-source approach, families can have confidence that answers come only from PACER-approved content, not public internet sources that other popular open-source AI software use. 

“For nearly 50 years, families have trusted PACER Center because our guidance is grounded in expertise, experience, and a deep commitment to helping children and young adults with disabilities succeed,” said Heather Powell, executive director of PACER Center. “Working with Creatively Focused, we’ve built a solution that reflects our mission and our responsibility to the families who count on us. PACER PAL allows us to extend that trusted knowledge in new ways while ensuring every response reflects the quality, accuracy, and family-centered approach that defines our organization. Technology should strengthen human connection, and that’s exactly what PACER PAL is designed to do.” 

PACER PAL reflects PACER’s commitment to accuracy, privacy, and family-centered service. It expands access to our published guidance and makes trusted information available whenever families need it. 

“As a parent who has navigated special education from kindergarten through transition planning, I know how important it is to have trusted answers when you need them,” said Genevieve Cornish, a parent who has used PACER’s services. “PACER PAL makes it easier to find clear, reliable information from PACER’s resources, whether you’re looking for answers to a question today or trying to prepare for what comes next. It’s the tool I wish I had from the start, and I’m so glad families have it now.” 

Early Results 

Since its launch in early August, PACER PAL has demonstrated strong engagement by answering more than 1,200 questions, drawing from hundreds of PACER-approved sources. Families are turning to PACER PAL for substantive questions about advocacy, IEPs, evaluations, transition, behavior support, and other disability-related needs. Families can access PACER’s resources and learn more about PACER PAL at pacer.org/ai-agent. 

The development of PACER PAL was primarily funded through a grant from the Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation.   

About PACER Center 

PACER Center is a trusted source of information, training, and support for Minnesota families of children with disabilities. PACER’s services help families and youth navigate special education and other complex systems, discover assistive technology solutions, and access bullying prevention resources. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1977, PACER is the only organization in Minnesota that provides support for families of children and young adults with any disability from birth to age 26. Learn more about our mission at pacer.org. 

Media contact 

Julia Zerull 

[email protected]