People with disabilities often encounter difficulties reading and understanding documents and correspondence from authorities, due to complex terminology. In this context, Artificial Intelligence (AI) technology is a promising way to facilitate independence and participation. This paper presents the KARLA project, a participatory research project from Germany (2024–2026) in which an AI-enabled application is being developed to support people with intellectual disabilities in understanding written text. Based on workshops and tasks in a messenger service, this paper reports the initial results of the participatory processes, including the design process of the app's icon and establishing a mutual understanding of the app's primary function. The results emphasise not only conducting joint research to achieve the project goal but also collectively managing all relevant project processes to frame a problem and facilitate appropriate team building.