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• Steering Generative Models for Accessibility: EasyRead Image Generation

  Nicolas Dickenmann, Yanis Merzouki, Sonia Laguna, Thy Nowak-Tran, Emanuele Palumbo, Julia E. Vogt, Gerda Binder · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Dickenmann and colleagues (ETH Zurich and UNICEF Digital Impact Division) present the first open-source pipeline for generating Easy Read-style pictograms using a fine-tuned diffusion model. Easy Read pairs short sentences with simple, high-contrast pictograms to support…

  diffusion models · stable diffusion · LoRA · generative AI · cognitive accessibility

• From Compliance to Decision Confidence: A Scoping Review of Accessible E-Commerce for Blind and Low-Vision People

  Bektur Ryskeldiev, Matthew Gillingham, Norimasa Kobori · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Ryskeldiev, Gillingham, and Kobori (Mercari R4D and University of Tsukuba) present a scoping review of 21 papers (14 directly about e-commerce accessibility for blind and low-vision (BLV) users, 7 adjacent) published 2010-2025, drawn from ACM DL, Google Scholar, and…

  e-commerce accessibility · blind and low vision · scoping review · online shopping · C2C marketplaces

• Keeping Community-in-the-Loop: A Novel Methodology for UX Research

  M C, Clara Caldeira, Talita Pagani, Vinita Tibdewal · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts poster from a Google research team introduces Community-in-the-Loop (CoLoop), a research and design methodology aimed at correcting the shortcomings of transactional, short-term UX research when working with people with disabilities (PwD) in the…

  UX research · participatory design · co-design · community-based participatory research · disability rights

• Reassurance Robots: OCD in the Age of Generative AI

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

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts paper by Grace Barkhuff (Georgia Tech) is an exploratory qualitative study of how generative AI tools, particularly ChatGPT, are reshaping the lived experience of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD). OCD is a mental health disorder characterized…

  OCD · Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder · generative AI · ChatGPT · mental health

• NarrAid: Supporting Storytelling of People with Aphasia via Generative Visual Scene Displays

  Xiangfei Hu, Xiuqi Zheng, Qi Liu, Zejian Li, Ying Zhang, Lu Wang, Xipei Ren · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  NarrAid is a generative AI-driven Visual Scene Display (VSD) system designed to support storytelling, not just basic wants and needs, for people with aphasia (PWA). The authors argue that existing AAC tools, including traditional VSDs, support functional communication well but…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · visual scene display · storytelling · generative AI

• From Cluttered to Clear: Improving the Web Accessibility Design for Screen Reader Users in E-commerce With Generative AI

  Yaman Yu, Bektur Ryskeldiev, Ayaka Tsutsui, Matthew Gillingham, Yang Wang · 2025 · ASSETS '25: Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper explores how Generative AI (GenAI) can be used to automatically restructure the HTML of shopping websites to improve accessibility for screen reader users. Blind and low vision users face persistent barriers on e-commerce sites — complex layouts, inconsistent heading…

  screen readers · web accessibility · generative AI · e-commerce · blind and low vision

• Rethinking Productivity with GenAI: A Neurodivergent Students' Perspective

  Hira Jamshed, Mustafa Naseem, Venkatesh Potluri, Robin N. Brewer · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '25)

  This qualitative study examines how 19 neurodivergent university students (including those with ADHD, autism, OCD, dysgraphia, and auditory processing disorder) use LLM-based generative AI tools like ChatGPT in their academic work. Through semi-structured interviews, the…

  neurodiversity · generative AI · cognitive accessibility · higher education · disability studies

• 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

• Helping or Homogenizing? GenAI as a Design Partner to Pre-Service SLPs for Just-in-Time Programming of AAC

  Cynthia Zastudil, Christine Holyfield, Christine Kapp, Kate Hamilton, Kriti Baru, Liam Newsam, June A. Smith, Stephen MacNeil · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the integration of generative AI into augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, specifically examining how AI-suggested hotspots affect the creation of visual scene displays (VSDs). VSDs are image-based communication tools that embed…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · visual scene displays · generative AI · autism

• CapTune: Adapting Non-Speech Captions With Anchored Generative Models

  Jeremy Zhengqi Huang, Caluã De Lacerda Pataca, Saelyne Yang Wu, Dhruv Jain · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  CapTune is a system that enables customization of non-speech captions—descriptions of environmental sounds, music, and other audio cues—for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) viewers. Current captioning practices follow a one-size-fits-all model based on standardized guidelines like…

  closed captioning · non-speech information · caption customization · deaf and hard of hearing · generative AI

• VizXpress: Towards Expressive Visual Content by Blind Creators Through AI Support

  Lotus Zhang, Zhuohao (Jerry) Zhang, Gina Clepper, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Patrick Carrington, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Leah Findlater · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind individuals engage with and desire to create expressive visual content — moving beyond the functional accessibility tasks (like privacy preservation or layout correction) that prior research has focused on. The authors conducted a two-stage…

  blindness · visual expression · creativity support · AI accessibility · image editing

• 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

• Generative AI for Teachers with Vision Impairments in the Global South: A Bridge Too Far?

  Manohar Swaminathan, Tarini Naik · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This mixed-methods study examines the readiness and capacity of teachers with vision impairments (TVIs) in India to leverage generative AI technologies in their teaching practice. The research combines in-depth interviews with 15 TVIs from 10 schools in Karnataka and a…

  generative AI · vision impairment · education · Global South · India

• Exploring AI-Fabrication in Shaping the Future of DIY-AT Design: Insights from Makers

  Leila Aflatoony, Mixuan Li, Yiyun Zhang, Irene Jacob, Shujian Xu, Ziqi Tang, Andre Grossberg · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how generative AI can support Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (DIY-AT) design and fabrication. The researchers developed a web-based GenAI interface that combines text-to-image generation (via MidJourney) and image-to-3D model conversion (via Meshy…

  assistive technology · generative AI · digital fabrication · 3D printing · DIY assistive technology

• SoundNarratives: Rich Auditory Scene Descriptions to Support Deaf and Hard of Hearing People

  Liang-Yuan Wu, Dhruv Jain · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces SoundNarratives, a real-time system that generates rich, contextual auditory scene descriptions tailored to deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users. Existing sound recognition technologies typically classify sounds into predefined categories like "door…

  deaf and hard of hearing · sound awareness · generative AI · audio-language models · prompt engineering

• "Before, I Asked My Mom, Now I Ask ChatGPT": Visual Privacy Management with Generative AI for Blind and Low-Vision People

  Tanusree Sharma, Yu-Yun Tseng, Lotus Zhang, Ayae Ide, Kelly Avery Mack, Leah Findlater, Danna Gurari, Yang Wang · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2025)

  This paper presents the first in-depth empirical study of how blind and low vision (BLV) individuals use generative AI (GenAI) tools to manage visual privacy across diverse everyday contexts. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 BLV participants in the…

  blind and low vision · visual privacy · generative AI · privacy management · impression management

• "I Felt Listened to": Evaluating an AI-Powered Reflection Tool for Care Partners

  Jazette Johnson, Hira Jamshed, Rachael Zuppke, Amanda Leggett, Emily Mower Provost, Robin N. Brewer · 2025 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study evaluates CareJournal, an Amazon Alexa skill designed to support communication between older adult care receivers and their family caregivers through AI-assisted daily reflection. The research addresses the challenge of "articulation work"—the often invisible effort…

  voice assistants · generative AI · caregiving · older adults · reflection

• Painting with Cameras and Drawing with Text: AI Use in Accessible Creativity

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Renee Shelby, Negar Rostamzadeh, Shaun K. Kane · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper explores how disabled creatives intentionally use and choose not to use generative AI (GAI) tools in their artistic practices. Through interviews with 10 creatives with disabilities — whose work spans audio engineering, leathercraft, visual art, photography, music…

  generative AI · creativity · disability · responsible AI · access hacks

• Exploring Older Adults' Reminiscing with ChatGPT and Text-to-Image Technology

  Yuxiang Zhai, Jiawen Zhang, Jihong Jeung · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This short paper explores the potential of generative AI technologies — specifically ChatGPT for conversational elicitation and text-to-image generation (DALL-E) — as tools to support reminiscence storytelling by older adults. Reminiscence, the act of recalling and sharing…

  older adults · generative AI · reminiscence therapy · well-being · storytelling

• MAIDR Meets AI: Exploring Multimodal LLM-Based Data Visualization Interpretation by and with Blind and Low-Vision Users

  JooYoung Seo, Sanchita S. Kamath, Aziz Zeidieh, Saairam Venkatesh, Sean McCurry · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) users interact with large language models to interpret data visualizations, building on the authors' previously developed MAIDR (Multimodal Access and Interactive Data Representation) framework. MAIDR already provides…

  blind and low vision · data visualization · large language models · generative AI · sonification

• EditScribe: Non-Visual Image Editing with Natural Language Verification Loops

  Ruei-Che Chang, Yuxuan Liu, Lotus Zhang, Anhong Guo · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces EditScribe, a prototype system that makes image editing accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users through natural language interaction powered by large multimodal models (LMMs). Image editing is inherently visual and iterative — users need to see the…

  blind and low vision · image editing · generative AI · large multimodal models · natural language interaction

• "I look at it as the king of knowledge": How Blind People Use and Understand Generative AI Tools

  Rudaiba Adnin, Maitraye Das · 2024 · ASSETS 2024: 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This study investigates how blind individuals use and make sense of mainstream generative AI tools, based on semi-structured interviews with 19 blind participants who regularly use tools like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, Claude, and Be My AI (the GenAI-powered…

  generative AI · blindness · visual impairment · ChatGPT · mental models

• AltCanvas: A Tile-Based Editor for Visual Content Creation with Generative AI for Blind or Visually Impaired People

  Seonghee Lee, Maho Kohga, Steve Landau, Sile O'Modhrain, Hari Subramonyam · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents AltCanvas, a generative AI-powered illustration tool that enables blind or visually impaired (BVI) users to create visual content through a novel tile-based interface. The system addresses a fundamental gap between two existing approaches: accessible…

  visual impairment · generative AI · image creation · tactile graphics · sonification

• Exploring the Role of Social Support When Integrating Generative AI in Small Business Workflows

  Quentin Romero Lauro, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Yasmine Kotturi · 2024 · Companion Publication of the 2024 Conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing (CSCW Companion '24)

  This paper investigates how small business owners from resource-constrained communities leverage their offline social networks to integrate generative AI technologies into their business workflows. The researchers interviewed 11 participants — seven entrepreneurs and four…

  generative AI · entrepreneurship · social support · technology adoption · digital divide

• 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