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• Access in the Shadow of Ableism: An Autoethnography of a Blind Student's Higher Education Experience in China

  Xinru Tang, Weijun Zhang · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper is a collaborative autoethnography written by Xinru Tang and Weijun Zhang, in which Zhang - a blind graduate student who completed his undergraduate work in a specialized program for blind and low-vision (BLV) students at "University A" in China and later became the…

  blind and low vision · higher education · autoethnography · ableism · disability studies

• I, Robot? Exploring Ultra-Personalized AI-Powered AAC; an Autoethnographic Account

  Tobias M Weinberg, Ricardo E. Gonzalez Penuela, Stephanie Valencia, Thijs Roumen · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper is a multi-month autoethnographic study by an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) user-researcher who fine-tuned a personalized large language model on his own communication data and then used it as the suggestion engine in his everyday speech-generating…

  AAC · autoethnography · large language models · personalization · agency

• Silence is a Feature, Not a Bug: A Deaf Developer’s Autoethnography on Agency and Local AI

  Chenyang Gong · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstract is a three-page autoethnographic provocation by a Deaf computer science graduate student who uses a MED-EL cochlear implant. The author refuses the medical-model framing of deafness as deficit and instead argues that the ability to remove the…

  autoethnography · deaf and hard of hearing · cochlear implant · automatic speech recognition · captioning

• Designing Through Lived Experience: Reflections on Control, Embodiment, and Social Bias in Accessibility Research

  Atieh Taheri, Misha Sra, Patrick Carrington, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents an analytic autoethnography of three accessibility research projects led by the first author, Atieh Taheri, a disabled researcher with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) who has used a wheelchair her entire life. Each project emerged from personal need and…

  disability studies · autoethnography · crip technoscience · participatory design · disability justice

• Executive Dysfunction by Design: A Cognitive Accessibility Analysis of AI Support vs. Healthcare Barriers

  Meredith Moore · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This first-person autoethnographic experience report examines the paradox of how generative AI tools have become effective assistive technology for executive dysfunction while healthcare systems designed to provide ADHD treatment actively undermine the cognitive functions they…

  executive dysfunction · cognitive accessibility · ADHD · generative AI · assistive technology

• Life as an International Computer Science PhD Student with Cerebral Palsy

  Tianchi Mo, Humphrey Curtis, Timothy Neate · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a longitudinal autoethnographic study of Tianchi, an international PhD student with cerebral palsy (CP) navigating the final stages of his doctoral journey in Computer Science at Stony Brook University. Born in China in 1990, Tianchi experienced medical…

  cerebral palsy · autoethnography · assistive technology · augmentative and alternative communication · graduate education

• Temp access: Reflecting on multimodal GAI as an accessibility technology for temporary disability

  Kate S. Glazko · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an autoethnographic account of using multimodal generative AI (GAI) tools as accessibility technology during a period of temporary disability. The author, an accessibility researcher, experienced an illness that simultaneously impacted verbal communication,…

  generative AI · temporary disability · assistive technology · autoethnography · multimodal AI

• Sonic Agency: A Group Autoethnography of Technology-mediated Performance Practice by Deaf and Hard of Hearing Musicians

  Doga Cavdir, Dillon Simone, Myles de Bastion, Shawn Trail, Nate Hergert · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a 15-month group autoethnography conducted by a mixed-hearing team of five researchers and musicians affiliated with CymaSpace, a Deaf-owned music and culture institution in Portland, Oregon. The study examines how d/Deaf and Hard of Hearing musicians…

  deaf and hard of hearing · musical accessibility · autoethnography · haptic feedback · assistive music technology

• Dude, Where's My Luggage? An Autoethnographic Account of Airport Navigation by a Traveler with Residual Vision

  Cameron Tyler Cassidy, Stacy Marie Branham · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an autoethnographic study of airport navigation by a legally blind traveler with residual vision, conducted across eight round-trips through six U.S. airports. The first author, Cameron, who has Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy resulting in approximately…

  visual impairment · low vision · residual vision · indoor navigation · wayfinding

• "Slipping through the cracks": A Duoethnography of Web Accessibility

  Shira Abramovich, Elizabeth Patitsas · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This position paper uses duoethnography — a collaborative qualitative method where two researchers examine a shared topic through their contrasting personal experiences — to explore the practical labour of doing web accessibility work. The authors, Shira Abramovich (a…

  web accessibility · professional practice · accessibility management · organizational accessibility · qualitative research

• "Seven Stitches Later": A Technologically Interdependent Travel Experience From The Perspective Of A Visually Impaired Individual

  Aziz N Zeidieh · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This autoethnographic experience report presents a technologically interdependent travel framework developed from over ten years of first-hand travel experience by the author, a visually impaired individual. The paper's title references a real injury — seven stitches from…

  visual impairment · travel · navigation · orientation and mobility · autoethnography

• Not a "Typical Expat": An Autoethnographic Account on Accessible Relocation

  Zeynep Yildiz, Caroline Karmann, Kathrin Gerling · 2024 · ASSETS 2024: 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This experience report presents an autoethnographic account of the first author Zeynep Yildiz’s relocation from Turkey to Germany as a postdoctoral researcher with a mobility disability caused by a rare myopathy. Using reflexive thematic analysis of a handwritten relocation…

  autoethnography · relocation · mobility disability · accessible housing · language barriers

• "I Am Human, Just Like You": What Intersectional, Neurodivergent Lived Experiences Bring to Accessibility Research

  Lindy Le · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This paper uses critical autoethnography to examine how intersectional identities shape the experience of neurodivergence, drawing on the author's personal journey of discovering, accepting, and valuing their autism and ADHD diagnoses as a cisgender, Southeast Asian American,…

  neurodiversity · intersectionality · autism · ADHD · critical disability studies

• Me, the Web and Digital Accessibility

  Reinaldo Ferraz · 2024 · Companion Proceedings of the ACM Web Conference 2024 (WWW)

  This personal essay traces the parallel trajectories of Reinaldo Ferraz's career and the evolution of the web in Brazil, from his first encounter with computers in 1992 through his current role at NIC.br (the Brazilian Network Information Center). Born in 1977 in a São Paulo…

  autoethnography · web accessibility · Brazil · web standards · digital accessibility history

• Banal Autistic Social Media: A Found Footage Autoethnography

  Kay Kender, Katta Spiel · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This position paper argues for designing social media platforms that support thriving neurodiverse online communities, moving beyond deficit-focused approaches that treat autistic users as needing to be "fixed" to match neurotypical social norms. The authors introduce "Banal…

  autism · neurodiversity · social media · design justice · autoethnography

• An Autoethnographic Case Study of Generative Artificial Intelligence's Utility for Accessibility

  Kate S. Glazko, Momona Yamagami, Aashaka Desai, Kelly Avery Mack, Venkatesh Potluri, Xuhai Xu, Jennifer Mankoff · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper presents an autoethnographic case study in which seven accessibility researchers—both with and without disabilities—explored generative artificial intelligence (GAI) tools over a three-month period to assess their potential for supporting accessibility needs. The team…

  generative AI · accessibility · autoethnography · assistive technology · disability

• Maintaining the Accessibility Ecosystem: a Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of Accessibility in Higher Education

  Kelly Avery Mack, Natasha A. Sidik, Aashaka Desai, Emma J. McDonnell, Kunal Mehta, Christina Zhang, Jennifer Mankoff · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This short paper examines how accessibility is created and maintained in higher education through the interactions of three key stakeholder groups: disabled students, professors, and disability service (DS) offices. The author team—comprising disabled students and faculty…

  higher education · accommodations · disability services · accessibility barriers · organizational accessibility

• A Case for Improving the Accessibility of Electrical and Computer Engineering Education -- Starting with a Blind Student's Autoethnography

  Trisha Kulkarni, Gene S-H Kim, Aya Mouallem · 2023 · ASSETS 2023: The 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This short paper presents an autoethnographic account of Trisha Kulkarni, the first blind student to complete the introductory electrical and computer engineering (ECE) and making course (E40M) at Stanford University. The course is a required eight-to-ten-week course for…

  STEM accessibility · electrical engineering · blind and low vision · autoethnography · higher education

• Depending on Independence: An Autoethnographic Account of Daily Use of Assistive Technologies

  Felix Fussenegger, Katta Spiel · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This experience report uses autoethnography to examine the daily realities of depending on assistive technologies (AT) from the first-person perspective of Felix Fussenegger, a person living with a high spinal cord injury (C6 level) resulting in complete sensory and motor…

  assistive technology · autoethnography · disability studies · independence · interdependence

• Chronically Under-Addressed: Considerations for HCI Accessibility Practice with Chronically Ill People

  Kelly Mack, Emma J. McDonnell, Leah Findlater, Heather D. Evans · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper argues that HCI accessibility research has largely overlooked people with chronic illnesses, typically approaching them through a medical lens focused on symptom tracking and treatment compliance rather than recognizing their broader accessibility needs. The authors —…

  chronic illness · disability studies · accessibility frameworks · autoethnography · consequence-based accessibility

• Mixed Abilities and Varied Experiences: a group autoethnography of a virtual summer internship

  Kelly Mack, Maitraye Das, Dhruv Jain, Danielle Bragg, John Tang, Andrew Begel, Erin Beneteau, Josh Urban Davis, Abraham Glasser, Joon Sung Park, Venkatesh Potluri · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a group autoethnography of Microsoft Research's Ability Team during the summer 2020 virtual internship — the company's first all-remote intern cohort. Eleven team members (6 authors, 5 meta-authors) journaled their experiences over three to four months,…

  remote work · mixed-ability teams · autoethnography · virtual collaboration · workplace accessibility

• Smooth Sailing? Autoethnography of Recreational Travel by a Blind Person

  Kate Stephens, Matthew Butler, Leona M Holloway, Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott · 2020 · ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents the first autoethnographic study of a blind traveller, documenting Kate Stephens' (the first author) experience planning and undertaking a 28-day cruise around Australia with her vision-impaired husband. Kate, a 63-year-old who has been blind all her life, is…

  visual impairments · travel · autoethnography · orientation and mobility · tactile maps

• Living Disability Theory: Reflections on Access, Research, and Design

  Megan Hofmann, Devva Kasnitz, Jennifer Mankoff, Cynthia L. Bennett · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a reflexive autoethnographic analysis by three accessibility researchers (Hofmann, Mankoff, Bennett) and one disability studies scholar (Kasnitz), all of whom are disabled, examining how their lived experiences of disability intersect with and challenge…

  disability studies · ableism · autoethnography · disability theory · accessibility research

• Navigating Graduate School with a Disability

  Dhruv Jain, Venkatesh Potluri, Ather Sharif · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This paper presents a three-person autoethnography by computer science Ph.D. students at the University of Washington, each with a different disability: Dhruv Jain (hard of hearing, congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss), Venkatesh Potluri (congenitally blind with…

  education accessibility · disability identity · autoethnography · accommodation · STEM accessibility

• Autoethnography of a Hard of Hearing Traveler

  Dhruv Jain, Audrey Desjardins, Leah Findlater, Jon E. Froehlich · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a 2.5-year autoethnographic account of the recreational travel experiences of Jain, a hard of hearing individual with severe-to-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss who wears behind-the-ear hearing aids. The account draws on retrospective journals…

  hard of hearing · Deaf and hard of hearing · autoethnography · accessible tourism · disability disclosure