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• Accessibility Research and Users with Multiple Disabilities or Complex Needs

  Arthur Theil, Craig Anderton, Chris Creed, Nasrine Olson, Raymond John Holt, Sayan Sarcar · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This workshop paper argues that accessibility research has historically oversimplified disability by focusing on single categories of impairment, and calls for a fundamental shift toward inclusive research that addresses the needs of people living with multiple disabilities or…

  multiple disabilities · complex needs · assistive technology · research methodology · inclusive design

• Reimagining Machine Learning's Role in Assistive Technology by Co-Designing Exergames with Children Using a Participatory Machine Learning Design Probe

  Jared Duval, Laia Turmo Vidal, Elena Márquez Segura, Yinchu Li, Annika Waern · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper fundamentally reframes the role of machine learning in assistive technology, arguing that ML models do not need to be accurate to be valuable — they can serve as sources of play and motivation rather than diagnostic tools. The researchers developed Cirkus, a…

  machine learning · participatory design · exergames · children · sensory processing

• Towards a Social Justice Aligned Makerspace: Co-designing Custom Assistive Technology within a University Ecosystem

  Higgins, Erin, Oliver, Zaria, Hamidi, Foad · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper explores how university makerspaces can serve as sites for co-designing custom Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (DIY-AT) while simultaneously engaging with social justice issues faced by students with disabilities. Conducted at the University of Maryland, Baltimore…

  DIY assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · makerspaces · co-design

• Jod: Examining Design and Implementation of a Videoconferencing Platform for Mixed Hearing Groups

  Mittal, Anant, Gupta, Meghna, Poddar, Roshni, Naik, Tarini, Kuppuraj, Seethalakshmi, Fogarty, James, Kumar, Pratyush, Jain, Mohit · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents the design, implementation, and evaluation of Jod (a Hindi word meaning "link"), a web-based videoconferencing platform purpose-built for mixed hearing group communication. Current platforms like Zoom, Teams, and Google Meet present significant accessibility…

  deaf and hard of hearing · videoconferencing · sign language · mixed hearing groups · visual layout

• User Perceptions and Preferences for Online Surveys in American Sign Language: An Exploratory Study

  Rachel Boll, Shruti Mahajan, Tish Burke, Khulood Alkhudaidi, Brittany Henriques, Isabelle Cordova, Zoey Walker, Erin T. Solovey, Jeanne Reis · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents SL-Surveys, an interactive prototype survey tool designed from the ground up for American Sign Language (ASL) rather than retrofitting text-based survey platforms with ASL video content. The research team, which included Deaf ASL-signing researchers,…

  deaf and hard of hearing · American Sign Language · survey design · user experience · ASL-centric design

• Supporting Social Inclusion with DIY-ATs: Perspectives of Kenyan Caregivers of Children with Cognitive Disabilities

  Foad Hamidi, Patrick Mbullo, Michaela Hynie, Melanie Baljko · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper examines how DIY assistive technologies (DIY-ATs) can support social inclusion for children with cognitive disabilities in Western Kenya, drawing on interviews with 12 female primary caregivers. The research is part of a multi-year participatory design project…

  DIY assistive technology · cognitive disabilities · AAC · social inclusion · low- and middle-income countries

• Nonverbal Communication through Expressive Objects

  Stephanie Valencia, Mark Steidl, Michael L. Rivera, Cynthia L. Bennett, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Henny Admoni · 2023 · Communications of the ACM

  This paper explores how physical motion through an expressive object — a "sidekick" — can support nonverbal communication for augmented communicators (ACs) who use AAC devices. The work centres on Mark, a co-author with cerebral palsy who has used AAC for over 19 years and…

  AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · cerebral palsy · nonverbal communication · co-design

• PathFinder: Designing a Map-less Navigation System for Blind People in Unfamiliar Buildings

  Masaki Kuribayashi, Tatsuya Ishihara, Daisuke Sato, Jayakorn Vongkulbhisal, Karnik Ram, Seita Kayukawa, Hironobu Takagi, Shigeo Morishima, Chieko Asakawa · 2023 · Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  Map-based indoor navigation systems for blind travellers (CaBot, NavCog, BLE-beacon apps) work well when a prebuilt map exists, but building and maintaining those maps is labour-intensive and has only been done for a tiny fraction of the world's buildings. Engel et al. reported…

  map-less navigation · blind navigation · indoor navigation · intersection detection · sign recognition

• Sounds and (Braille) Cells: Co-Designing Music Technology with Blind and Visually Impaired Musicians

  William Payne · 2022 · Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper outlines a three-phase dissertation addressing the accessibility barriers that blind and visually impaired (BVI) musicians face when using music creation technologies. Music software has democratized composition, production, and songwriting for…

  visual impairment · blindness · music technology · braille music · co-design

• Applying Technology in a Hybrid-Fashion to Create Dementia-Inclusive Community Spaces

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

  This doctoral consortium paper presents PhD research exploring how technology can improve accessibility to community spaces and social programs for people living with dementia (PLWD) and their informal carers. The work is grounded in the growing practice of social prescribing —…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · social prescribing · community-based design · hybrid spaces

• 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

• Designing with and for People with Intellectual Disabilities

  Leandro Soares Guedes, Ryan Colin Gibson, Kirsten Ellis, Laurianne Sitbon, Monica Landoni · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This workshop paper proposes a half-day community-building event at ASSETS '22 focused on sharing expertise in designing technologies with and for people with intellectual disabilities. The authors identify that while assistive technologies can significantly support the…

  intellectual disability · co-design · participatory design · assistive technology · inclusive design

• Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Designing Accessible Systems for Users with Multiple Impairments: Grand Challenges and Opportunities for Future Research

  Arthur Theil, Chris Creed, Mohammed Shaqura, Nasrine Olson, Raymond John Holt, Sayan Sarcar, Stuart Murray · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 22)

  This workshop paper from ASSETS 2022 challenges a fundamental assumption in accessibility research: that designing for one impairment category at a time is sufficient. The authors argue that this single-impairment approach, while practical and widespread, oversimplifies…

  multiple impairments · assistive technology · disability studies · multidisciplinary design · inclusive design

• A Workshop on Disability Inclusive Remote Co-Design

  Maryam Bandukda, Giulia Barbareschi, Aneesha Singh, Dhruv Jain, Maitraye Das, Tamanna Motahar, Jason Wiese, Lynn Cockburn, Amit Prakash, David Frohlich, Catherine Holloway · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 22)

  This workshop paper addresses how the COVID-19 pandemic forced accessibility researchers to adapt co-design methods from in-person to remote formats, and the unique challenges this created for research involving disabled and aging participants. While the shift to online…

  co-design · remote research · participatory design · disability inclusion · COVID-19

• Designing a Customizable Picture-Based Augmented Reality Application For Therapists and Educational Professionals Working in Autistic Contexts

  Tooba Ahsen, Christina Yu, Amanda O'Brien, Ralf W. Schlosser, Howard C. Shane, Dylan Oesch-Emmel, Eileen T. Crehan, Fahad Dogar · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents CustomAR, a mobile augmented reality application designed to allow therapists and educational professionals to create and customize picture-based AR experiences for use in autism-related learning activities. The work addresses a critical gap: while prior…

  augmented reality · autism · visual supports · customization · therapy

• State of the Art in AAC: A Systematic Review and Taxonomy

  Humphrey Curtis, Timothy Neate, Carlota Vazquez Gonzalez · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents the first systematic review and taxonomy of high-tech augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and interventions within the ACM literature. The authors analyzed 562 articles from the ACM Digital Library and SCOPUS databases spanning 43 years…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · systematic review · taxonomy · complex communication needs

• Expressive Bodies Engaging with Embodied Disability Cultures for Collaborative Design Critiques

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

  This experience report explores how embodied approaches — using physical bodies to express critique rather than relying solely on spoken or signed language — can produce richer, more direct feedback when designing technologies with disabled communities. The authors, both based…

  disability culture · participatory design · crip methodologies · embodied critique · autism

• Socially Connecting Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Through Inclusive Co-Design of Tangible and Visual Technology

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

  This doctoral consortium paper presents an in-progress PhD research program exploring how tangible and visual technologies can be co-designed with adults who have intellectual disabilities to foster social connections at non-residential learning hubs. The research is motivated…

  intellectual disability · co-design · tangible technology · social connection · participatory design

• Designing Spellcasters from Clinician Perspectives: A Customizable Gesture-Based Immersive Virtual Reality Game for Stroke Rehabilitation

  Jared Duval, Rutul Thakkar, Delong Du, Kassandra Chin, Sherry Luo, Aviv Elor, Magy Seif El-Nasr, Michael John · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This research presents Spellcasters, an immersive virtual reality game adapted from entertainment for stroke rehabilitation. More than 800,000 people suffer strokes annually in the US, with two-thirds requiring rehabilitation. Stroke survivors often experience hemiparesis…

  stroke rehabilitation · virtual reality · serious games · telehealth · gesture recognition

• A Participatory Design Approach to Creating Echolocation-Enabled Virtual Environments

  Ronny Andrade, Steven Baker, Jenny Waycott, Frank Vetere · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This participatory design study investigates how echolocation can be implemented in virtual environments to make them accessible to people with visual impairment. The researchers worked with three expert echolocators—people who have developed the ability to use sound and its…

  echolocation · virtual reality · participatory design · visual impairment · game accessibility

• A Systematic Review of User Studies as a Basis for the Design of Systems for Automatic Sign Language Processing

  Soraia Prietch, J. Alfredo Sánchez, Josefina Guerrero · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic literature review examines how user studies have been conducted in the design of Automatic Sign Language Processing (ASLP) systems. The authors searched seven repositories plus Google Scholar, identifying 2,486 papers and ultimately selecting 37 primary studies…

  sign language · automatic sign language processing · user studies · participatory design · Deaf community

• Anticipate and Adjust: Cultivating Access in Human-Centered Methods

  Kelly Mack, Emma McDonnell, Venkatesh Potluri, Maggie Xu, Jailyn Zabala, Jeffrey Bigham, Jennifer Mankoff, Cynthia Bennett · 2022 · CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This paper investigates how accessibility experts make human-centered research methods accessible for both disabled participants and disabled facilitators. Through 17 interviews with US and Canadian accessibility experts (13 researchers and 4 community organizers, 14 of whom…

  research methods · accessibility · disability · participatory design · user research

• Remotely Co-Designing Features for Communication Applications using Automatic Captioning with Deaf and Hearing Pairs

  Matthew Seita, Sooyeon Lee, Sarah Andrew, Kristen Shinohara, Matt Huenerfauth · 2022 · Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '22)

  This CHI 2022 paper addresses two intertwined problems. First, methodologically, how can co-design research involving both Deaf/Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) and hearing participants be conducted remotely during and beyond COVID-19, when in-person sessions are not possible and masks…

  automatic speech recognition · deaf and hard of hearing · participatory design · co-design · videoconferencing

• Implementing an Accessible Conversational User Interface: Applying Feedback from University Students and Disability Support Advisors

  Francisco Iniesto, Tim Coughlan, Kate Lister · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents results from a beta trial of the ADMINS (Assistants for the Disclosure and Management of Information about Needs and Support) virtual assistant, developed at The Open University (UK) to help students disclose disabilities and receive guidance about available…

  conversational user interfaces · disability disclosure · higher education · participatory design · chatbots

• Making the Elusive More Tangible: Remote Tools & Techniques for Teaching Web Development to Screen Reader Users

  Claire Ferrari, Chancey Fleet, Keita Ohshiro, Veronica Alfaro Arias, Amy Hurst · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper describes the design, implementation, and evaluation of a free, remote web development workshop for 12 screen reader users, conducted over nine Saturday sessions between August and October 2020. The workshop was a collaboration between New York University and the New…

  education accessibility · screen readers · web development · STEM accessibility · blindness