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• Modeling Accessibility: Characterizing What We Mean by "Accessible"

  Kelly Avery Mack, Jesse J Martinez, Aaleyah Lewis, Jennifer Mankoff, James Fogarty, Leah Findlater, Heather D. Evans, Cynthia L Bennett, Emma J McDonnell · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper tackles a fundamental gap in accessibility research: the field lacks a clear, shared characterization of what "accessibility" actually means. While accessibility research aims to use technology to make the world more accessible to disabled people, the concept itself…

  accessibility theory · models of disability · intersectionality · assistive technology · disability justice

• Access Beyond the Score: Understanding Notation Needs and Workflows of Low Vision Musicians

  William Christopher Payne, Yu Lee An · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how musicians with low vision acquire, adapt, and use music notation, an area that has received far less research attention than Braille Music for blind musicians. Through semi-structured interviews with 16 low vision musicians and 2 sighted Teachers of…

  low vision · music accessibility · notation · Modified Stave Notation · Braille Music

• "As Someone Who is Disabled, I am so thankful for Sex Work": Alternative Approaches to Access Among Disabled Sex-Workers

  Abigail Rodolitz, Vaughn Hamilton, Tamanna Tabassum, Jinny Lerner, Megan Hofmann · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the access strategies developed by disabled sex workers, a population at the intersection of multiple marginalized identities. Through 12 semi-structured interviews with disabled individuals engaged in various forms of sex work (escorts, webcam…

  disability disclosure · intersectionality · marginalized communities · sex work · systems of access

• Understanding Accessibility for Physically Disabled Users in VR: Interplay of Physical, Digital, and Experiential Layers

  Marvin Wolf, Kathrin Gerling, Dmitry Alexandrovsky, Merlin Steven Opp, Jan Ole Rixen · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a qualitative study with 16 physically disabled participants exploring how they engage with Virtual Reality across three interconnected layers: physical (hardware and interaction paradigms), digital (avatars and virtual world design), and experiential…

  virtual reality · physical disability · VR accessibility · avatar design · interaction paradigms

• Trying to Piece It Together: Exploring Accessible Error Detection in Emerging Privacy Techniques With Blind People

  Rahaf Alharbi, Angela D Cheong, Jaylin Herskovitz, Robin N. Brewer, Sarita Schoenebeck · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind people might detect errors in AI-enabled privacy techniques (obfuscation) used within visual assistance technologies (VAT). Blind people routinely use VAT apps like Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, Aira, and TapTapSee to access visual information, but…

  visual assistance technologies · privacy · obfuscation · AI error detection · assessment descriptors

• Characterizing Smart Home Technology Usage Among Users with Disabilities through Reddit

  Rebecca Moore, Jason Wiese · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This study examines how people with disabilities use smart home technology (SHT) by analyzing publicly available Reddit discussions across 12 disability-focused and technology-focused subreddits. The researchers collected 233 posts and comments from 28 discussion threads,…

  smart home technology · disability · accessibility · Reddit · qualitative research

• "I Want to Connect, But...": Exploring Socially Isolated Older Adults' Views on Social Engagement and Technology for Connecting

  Chia Hsin (Josette) Lee, Rachana Nataraj, Aqueasha Martin-Hammond · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a qualitative study examining how socially isolated older adults perceive social engagement and the role technology might play in supporting their connections. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 adults aged 60 to 84 recruited from…

  social isolation · older adults · aging · qualitative research · social technology

• "An Old Bastard in Bright Orange Satin!": Zuzenna's Aphasia Diary: And Lessons Learned from DIY Augmentative and Alternative Communication

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

  This paper presents a four-month qualitative study of Zuzenna, a stroke survivor living with aphasia in North London, and her self-made DIY communication diary that serves as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. Against a backdrop of widespread AAC…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · DIY assistive technology · single-subject study · stroke recovery

• "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

• "I'm treating it kind of like a diary": Characterizing How Users with Disabilities Use AI Chatbots

  Kayla Mullen, Wenhan Xue, Manasa Kudumu · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This study investigates how people with disabilities actually use LLM-based chatbots like ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude, and Perplexity in their daily lives. While previous research has focused primarily on identifying harms that LLMs impose on the disability community — such as…

  large language models · AI chatbots · disability representation · disability justice · assistive AI

• I Don't Want to Sound Rude, but It's None of Their Business: Exploring Security and Privacy Concerns around Assistive Technology Use in Educational Settings

  Alisha Marsh, Lauren R. Milne · 2024 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study investigates the security and privacy concerns of students with disabilities who use assistive technology (AT) in higher education settings. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 8 students who use various forms of AT (including screen…

  assistive technology · privacy · security · disability disclosure · higher education

• Digital Accessibility Education in Context: Expert Perspectives on Building Capacity in Academia and the Workplace

  Andy Coverdale, Sarah Lewthwaite, Sarah Horton · 2024 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This substantial qualitative study examines how socio-cultural contexts shape digital accessibility education in both academic and workplace settings. The researchers engaged 55 experienced accessibility educators through an expert panel method (30 participants across two…

  accessibility education · pedagogy · higher education · workplace training · communities of practice

• Experiences of Autistic Twitch Livestreamers: "I have made easily the most meaningful and impactful relationships"

  Terrance Mok, Anthony Tang, Adam McCrimmon, Lora Oehlberg · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper presents a reflexive thematic analysis of interviews with 10 autistic adult Twitch livestreamers, exploring how autism uniquely shapes their experiences as content creators on a live video platform. The researchers first conducted a formative observation phase,…

  autism · livestreaming · social accessibility · online communities · neurodiversity

• Understanding Noise Sensitivity through Interactions in Two Online Autism Forums

  Emani Dotch, Jazette Johnson, Rebecca W. Black, Gillian R Hayes · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This qualitative study examines how autistic people discuss and manage noise sensitivity by analyzing posts and comments from two online autism forums. Noise sensitivity is one of the most prevalent sensory processing challenges for autistic individuals, experienced by 50-70% of…

  autism · noise sensitivity · sensory processing · online communities · assistive technology

• Complex Dynamics: Disability, Assistive Technology, and the LGBTQIA+ Community Center Experience in the United States

  Kirk Andrew Crawford, Katta Spiel, Foad Hamidi · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper explores the experiences of LGBTQIA+ individuals with disabilities in community centers in the United States, focusing on the role of assistive technology (AT) in these spaces. The researchers conducted 11 semi-structured interviews (60-90 minutes each, conducted…

  assistive technology · intersectionality · LGBTQIA+ · disability identity · stigma

• "I just thought it was me": How Smartphones Fail Users with Mild-to-Moderate Dexterity Differences

  Molly Bowman, Jerry Robinson, Erin Buehler, Shaun Kane · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper examines the smartphone experiences of people with mild-to-moderate dexterity (MMD) challenges — a population largely overlooked by accessibility research that tends to focus on more severe motor disabilities requiring specialized assistive technology like switches.…

  motor disability · dexterity · mobile accessibility · smartphones · touch screen

• Understanding the Usages, Lifecycle, and Opportunities of Screen Readers' Plugins

  Farhani Momotaz, Md Ehtesham-Ul-Haque, Syed Masum Billah · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates why blind users rely on screen reader plugins and how these plugins are developed, distributed, and maintained. The researchers combined two methodological approaches: semi-structured interviews with 14 blind participants (ages 24-52, expert to beginner…

  screen readers · NVDA · JAWS · plugins · extensions

• How the Alt Text Gets Made: What Roles and Processes of Alt Text Creation Can Teach Us About Inclusive Imagery

  Emory James Edwards, Kyle Lewis Polster, Isabel Tuason, Emily Blank, Michael Gilbert, Stacy Branham · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates how alternative text is created in industry settings through a collaboration between UC Irvine researchers and Google's Avatar Project, an initiative to create inclusive stickers depicting people with disabilities. The research combines two studies: focus…

  alt text · image accessibility · inclusive imagery · disability representation · organizational practices

• It could be better. It could be much worse: Understanding Accessibility in User Experience Practice with Implications for Industry and Education

  Cynthia Putnam, Emma J. Rose, Craig M. MacDonald · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study examines how accessibility is understood and practiced within the UX profession through 58 interview sessions with 65 senior UX professionals conducted between 2017 and 2020. Using transitivity analysis from critical discourse analysis, the researchers…

  UX practice · design systems · accessibility education · industry practices · qualitative research

• Visualization of Speech Prosody and Emotion in Captions: Accessibility for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Users

  Caluã de Lacerda Pataca, Matthew Watkins, Roshan Peiris, Sooyeon Lee, Matt Huenerfauth · 2023 · Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '23)

  This CHI 2023 paper tackles a dimension of captioning that has gone largely unaddressed for four decades: captions depict words but strip out the prosody and emotion carried by a speaker's voice. The authors argue that while automatic speech recognition (ASR) has reduced word…

  captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · prosody · affective computing · videoconferencing accessibility

• Performing Qualitative Data Analysis as a Blind Researcher: Challenges, Workarounds and Design Recommendations

  O. Aishwarya · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This short paper provides a first-person account from a blind early-career researcher about the significant accessibility barriers encountered when trying to perform qualitative data analysis (QDA). The author, based at IIIT Bangalore, situates the work within the broader shift…

  blindness · screen readers · qualitative research · research accessibility · academic accessibility

• Mobile Phone Use by People with Mild to Moderate Dementia: Uncovering Challenges and Identifying Opportunities

  Mark Dixon, Jess Hartcher-O'Brien, Amanda Lazar, Leah Findlater · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper investigates how people with mild to moderate dementia use mobile phones in their daily lives, going beyond the common research focus on dementia-specific assistive apps to examine mainstream smartphone use. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 14…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · mobile phones · qualitative research · user interviews

• Understanding How Sensory Changes Experienced by Individuals with a Range of Age-Related Cognitive Changes Can Affect Technology Use

  Emma Dixon, Amanda Lazar · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study investigates how sensory changes experienced by people with age-related cognitive changes—including dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjective cognitive decline (SCD)—affect their technology use. The researchers conducted interviews with 22…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · mild cognitive impairment · sensory changes · older adults

• A Support Worker Perspective on Use of New Technologies by People with Intellectual Disabilities

  Saminda Sundeepa Balasuriya, Laurianne Sitbon, Margot Brereton · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study examines how support workers and managers at Australian disability community day centres perceive and facilitate technology use by people with intellectual disabilities. The researchers interviewed 15 support workers and 5 managers across four centres that…

  intellectual disability · support workers · technology adoption · disability services · co-design

• Methods for Evaluating the Fluency of Automatically Simplified Texts with Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Adults at Various Literacy Levels

  Oliver Alonzo, Jessica Trussell, Matthew Watkins, Sooyeon Lee, Matt Huenerfauth · 2022 · Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '22)

  This CHI 2022 paper is a methodological study, not a product evaluation: the authors ask how researchers should measure the fluency of Automatic Text Simplification (ATS) output when the evaluators are Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) adults spanning a wide range of English…

  automatic text simplification · deaf and hard of hearing · readability · reading accessibility · natural language processing