Reviews

Search results

• As Content and Layout Co-Evolve: TangibleSite for Scaffolding Blind People's Webpage Design through Multimodal Interaction

  Jiasheng Li, Zining Zhang, Zeyu Yan, Matthew Wong, Arnav Mittal, Ge Gao, Huaishu Peng · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper investigates how blind designers can author webpages end-to-end — generating content and arranging layout iteratively — rather than being limited to either content entry or layout inspection. The authors ran two rounds of co-design with three blind…

  accessible web design · blindness · tangible user interface · multimodal interaction · web authoring

• Fluid Independence: Powered Wheelchair Users' Perspectives on Autonomy, Care, and Assistive Technology

  Md Tanzil Shahria, Nayan Banik, Md Samiul Haque Sunny, Mohammad H Rahman · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reports a large qualitative study of 55 powered-wheelchair users (PWUs) across ten U.S. states, using 45-minute semi-structured interviews and Braun-and-Clarke thematic analysis to examine how independence is experienced, negotiated, and mediated by assistive…

  powered wheelchair · assistive technology · participatory design · independence · caregiving

• TouchScribe: Augmenting Non-Visual Hand-Object Interactions with Automated Live Visual Descriptions

  Ruei-Che Chang, Rosiana Natalie, Wenqian Xu, Jovan Zheng Feng Yap, Tiange Luo, Venkatesh Potluri, Anhong Guo · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  TouchScribe is a wearable, camera-based assistive system that delivers live, hierarchical visual descriptions of physical objects in response to a blind or low vision (BLV) user's hand-object interactions. The authors argue that existing AI assistants such as Seeing AI, Be My…

  blind and low vision · assistive technology · visual descriptions · hand-object interactions · gestures

• Understanding Nature Engagement Experiences of Blind People

  Mengjie Tang, Xinman Li, Juxiao Zhang, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Zhuying Li · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This mixed-methods study investigates how blind people in mainland China experience and relate to natural environments, a domain the authors argue has been almost entirely overlooked by Human-Nature Interaction (HNI) research and by accessibility tooling, which has focused…

  nature engagement · blind and low vision · human-nature interaction · multisensory · wellbeing

• How Multimodal Large Language Models Support Access to Visual Information: A Diary Study With Blind and Low Vision People

  Ricardo E. Gonzalez Penuela, Crescentia Jung, Sharon Lin, Ruiying Hu, Shiri Azenkot · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reports a two-week diary study with 20 Blind and Low Vision (BLV) participants (ages 19–75, 11 female/9 male, 13 blind/7 low vision) investigating how multimodal large language models (MLLMs) support real-world access to visual information. The authors built…

  AI · accessibility · multimodal large language models · MLLM · visual question answering

• From Autonomy to Sovereignty — A New Telos for Socially Assistive Technology

  JiWoong (Joon) Jang, Patrick Carrington, Andrew Begel · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 theory paper argues that assistive-technology (AT) research has long treated 'independence' as its primary goal — a framing codified in the 1988 U.S. Technology-Related Assistance Act — even though disabled people's lived experience is saturated with…

  social accessibility · assistive technology · relational sovereignty · interdependence · independence

• Advancing Inclusive Digital Well-Being Tools: How Neurodivergent Students Use Distraction Blockers

  Marvel Chrismatheo Hariadi, Kevin Chow, Joanna McGrenere · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper asks whether digital distraction blockers — Apple Screen Time, Forest, Freedom, StayFocusd, and similar tools — actually serve the neurodivergent post-secondary students who are arguably their most marginal audience, or whether blocker design silently…

  neurodivergence · ADHD · autism spectrum disorder · generalized anxiety disorder · distraction blockers

• From Selfie Stick to Virtual Cane: Enabling Blind Exploration through Mobile Virtual Reality

  Hao Tang, Hong Zhao, Xinpeng Liu, Zhenchao Xia, William Seiple, Zhigang Zhu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Consumer VR is a visual-first medium, which in practice shuts out blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Tang and colleagues argue that existing accessible VR systems do help BLV users explore virtual environments (VEs), but they depend on head-mounted displays, external tracking…

  blind and low vision · virtual reality · mobile accessibility · orientation and mobility · white cane

• Lost in Instructions: Study of Blind Users' Experiences with DIY Manuals and AI-Rewritten Instructions for Assembly, Operation, and Troubleshooting of Tangible Products

  Monalika Padma Reddy, Aruna Balasubramanian, Jiawei Zhou, Xiaojun Bi, IV Ramakrishnan, Vikas Ashok · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Blind users increasingly reach for AI tools like Be My AI (Be My Eyes' GPT-4-powered assistant) and ChatGPT to interpret the printed and PDF product manuals that accompany consumer goods - flat-pack furniture, alarm clocks, timers, ring lights, smart thermostats. Prior…

  blind and low vision · generative AI · large language model · assistive technology · document accessibility

• Beyond Descriptions: A Generative Scene2Audio Framework for Blind and Low-Vision Users to Experience Vista Landscapes

  Chitralekha Gupta, Jing Peng, Ashwin Ram, Shreyas Sridhar, Christophe Jouffrais, Suranga Nanayakkara · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Scene description apps (Seeing AI, Be My AI, Envision) do a reasonable job of telling blind and low-vision (BLV) users what is in front of them, but they are built for utility - 'there is a chair'. They fail at the aesthetic, leisure, emotional experience of distant landscapes:…

  blind and low vision · sonification · spatial audio · generative AI · psychoacoustics

• Grassroots Maker Perspectives on Participation in Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology Development

  Saquib Sarwar, David Wilson, Khairul Mahbub · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sarwar, Wilson, and Mahbub interviewed 20 grassroots DIY assistive-technology (DIY-AT) makers in the U.S. between July 2021 and December 2023 to build a maker-centered account of the DIY-AT ecosystem. Participants were recruited from social media (Reddit r/AssistiveTechnology,…

  DIY assistive technology · assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · makerspace

• Supporting Money Management among Adults with Down Syndrome: A Multi-Technology Probe Study

  Hailey L. Johnson, Heidi Spalitta, Callie Y. Kim, Bilge Mutlu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Johnson, Spalitta, Kim, and Mutlu designed three cash-based budgeting technology probes for adults with Down syndrome (AwDS) and ran a comparative usage study with seven participants aged 19-39. The work is motivated by a gap between special-education financial curricula (which…

  Down syndrome · intellectual disability · assistive technology · financial accessibility · augmented reality

• Towards LLM-powered Assistive Drone for Blind and Low Vision Users

  Yize Wei, Ibnu Taimiyyah Bin Adam, Hanjun Wu, Moritz Messerschmidt, Wei Tsang Ooi, Christophe Jouffrais, Suranga Nanayakkara · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Wei and colleagues built and evaluated a voice-based assistive drone prototype for blind and low-vision (BLV) users that leverages GPT-4o in two stages: generating step-by-step Python drone-control code from natural-language commands, and interpreting images captured by the…

  blind and low vision · assistive technology · drone · LLM · large language models

• "It's trained by non-disabled people": Evaluating How Image Quality Affects Product Captioning with Vision-Language Models

  Kapil Garg, Xinru Tang, Jimin Heo, Dwayne R. Morgan, Darren Gergle, Erik B. Sudderth, Anne Marie Piper · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Garg and colleagues investigate how well Vision-Language Models (VLMs) caption product images taken by blind and low-vision (BLV) people — a high-stakes everyday task that increasingly depends on tools like Be My AI, Microsoft Seeing AI, and general-purpose assistants such as…

  blind and low vision · vision-language models · image captioning · product identification · hallucinations

• GenRole: Personalizing Role Play for Educators Supporting Autistic Students' Social Interaction Learning

  Yixuan Li, Keyi Zeng, Jiaqi Zong, Yingying Zhang, Hongzhu Deng, Li Wang, Xin Tong · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper introduces GenRole, a generative-AI system that helps educators build personalised role-play activities for teaching social interaction skills to autistic children. Motivated by the gap between role-play as a well-evidenced teaching method for autistic…

  generative AI · personalization · social skills training · autistic children · role play

• MoveTogether: Exploring Physical Co-op Gameplay in Mixed-Reality

  Pin Chun Lu, Wen-Fan Wang, Che Wei Wang, Ting-Ying Lee, TsaiHsuan Lin, Duo-Jie Hsiao, CheHan Hsieh, YuTing Tseng, Neng-Hao Yu, Mike Y. Chen · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper introduces MoveTogether, a mixed-reality (MR) co-op gameplay mechanic in which two co-located players jointly operate a single tracked physical prop that is virtually transformed inside a Meta Quest 3 MR scene (a ring, a trampoline, a bubble nozzle). The core…

  mixed reality · shared haptic controller · co-located collaboration · tangible interaction · accessible gaming

• GuideMe: A VLM-Based System Assisting Independent Smartphone Learning for Older Adults

  Kairong Fang, Jiesi Zhang, Shi-Ting Ni, Pan Hui, Yuyang Wang · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  GuideMe tackles a problem familiar to anyone who has watched an older relative struggle to learn a new smartphone app: the combined weight of declining vision, memory, and motor function plus unfamiliar terminology makes independent learning extremely difficult, while in-person…

  older adults · aging · cognitive accessibility · vision-language model · conversational agent

• ElectroGrasp: Electrotactile Aids for Visually Impaired Individuals in Anticipatory Planning and Control of Grasp

  Hechuan Zhang, Rufei Song, Ruoyan Liu, Shengsheng Jiang, Xiaohui Tan, Tianren Luo, Yulin Jin, Hongnan Lin, Teng Han, Feng Tian · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sighted people pre-shape their hand before touching an object - a visually-driven anticipatory grasp plan that visually impaired (VI) users cannot form, leading to the characteristic 'double grip' (initial contact followed by compensatory regrasp) that is slower, less confident,…

  blind and low vision · electrotactile feedback · haptic technology · assistive technology · wearable technology

• Collaboration and Assistive Technology: Facilitating Joint Awareness for Noise Sensitivity

  Emani Hicks, Luc Rieffel, Ariya Gowda, Aehong Min, Gillian R Hayes · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  People with noise sensitivity (PWNS) - including those with misophonia, hyperacusis, and tinnitus, and overlapping strongly with the autistic community (estimated 45% prevalence) - experience everyday sounds as painful, distressing, or overwhelming. Existing supports are patchy:…

  noise sensitivity · misophonia · hyperacusis · sensory processing · autism

• AI That Moves With You: A Review of Interactive Technologies Powered by Large Foundation Models for Mobility Impairment

  Duosi Dai, Yuchong Zhang, Yong Ma, Danica Kragic · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper is a scoping review (PRISMA-ScR) of how large foundation models - LLMs, large vision models, and vision-language models - are being woven into interactive assistive technologies for people with mobility impairments, covering publications from January 2020 to May 2025.…

  foundation model · large language model · vision-language model · literature review · scoping review

• Say It My Way: Exploring Control in Conversational Visual Question Answering with Blind Users

  Farnaz Zamiri Zeraati, Yang Cao, Yuehan Qiao, Hal Daumé III, Hernisa Kacorri · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper investigates how blind users can exert control over responses generated by conversational visual question answering (VQA) systems built on vision-language models. While prompting and steering techniques are well established in general-purpose generative AI,…

  blind users · generative AI · visual question answering · VQA · personalization

• Bridging Visual Asymmetry: Exploring AI-Mediated Communication Support for Parents with Visual Impairments and Their Sighted Children in Outdoor Informal Learning

  Yutong Jiang, Zixuan Zhang, Jiaying Xu, Qingyun Zheng, Qian Guo, Qinyang Wang, Qi Wang, Guanhong Liu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper investigates how AI-mediated communication can support parents with visual impairments (PVI) in engaging their sighted children during outdoor informal learning - settings like parks, insect houses, and museums where unplanned, visually-driven discovery is…

  parents with visual impairments · mixed-ability collaboration · family informal learning · large language model · conversational guidance

• The Perceptual Gap: Why We Need Accessible XAI for Assistive Technologies

  Shadab H. Choudhury · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Choudhury (University of Maryland, Baltimore County) presents a position paper and targeted literature review arguing that explainable AI (XAI) — the body of methods that help users understand why a black-box model produced a particular output — is fundamentally inaccessible to…

  explainable AI · XAI · artificial intelligence · blind and low vision · deaf and hard of hearing

• Camera-Based Closed-Loop Fingertip Deflection Guidance: Pilot Demonstrations in Target Acquisition and Object Retrieval

  Tomasz P. Trzpit, Gregory Reardon, Elizabeth M. Gerber, Pedro Lopes, Michael A. Peshkin, J. Edward Colgate · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts poster from the Northwestern/University of Chicago team behind the NURing project presents a camera-enabled evolution of their fingertip-deflection guidance wearable. The authors argue that most eyes-free guidance systems for blind and…

  haptics · wearable technology · assistive technology · blindness and low vision · eyes-free interaction

• SoundSpace: What and Where Through Sound

  Amber Maimon, Iddo Yehoshua Wald, Rahaf Sobh, Carol Sliman, Yarah Nassar, Joel Lanir · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  SoundSpace is a real-time sensory substitution system designed to give blind and visually impaired users simultaneous awareness of what objects are present in a scene and where they are located, without relying exclusively on verbal scene descriptions. The authors argue that…

  blind and low vision · sensory substitution · spatial audio · sonification · assistive technology