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• Race, Disability, and Technology: A Call to Action for Accessibility Researchers

  Aashaka Desai, Aaleyah Lewis, Sanika Moharana, Anne Spencer Ross, Jennifer Mankoff, Christina Harrington · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents a framework for accessibility researchers to meaningfully engage with race and disability as intersecting identity dimensions. Building on Kimberlé Crenshaw's foundational work on intersectionality—which originated to address how Black women experienced…

  intersectionality · race · disability studies · research methods · critical theory

• “I’ve Become More Myself”: Challenges and Benefits of Engaging with ADHD Short-Form Video Content and Communities

  Nathalie Alexandra Tcherdakoff, Anna L. Cox, Jon Bird, Paul Marshall · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

  This qualitative interview study explores how 32 adult ADHDers relate to ADHD-focused Short-Form Video Content (SFVC) on TikTok, Instagram Reels, and YouTube Shorts. The lead author — herself an ADHDer and SFVC user — uses reflexive thematic analysis grounded in feminist…

  ADHD · neurodivergence · neurodiversity · social media · online communities

• Rethinking Interdependence in HCI: A Systematic Literature Review for Understanding its Use in Accessibility Studies

  Zeynep Yildiz, Kathrin Gerling · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper presents a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of 70 HCI accessibility papers that engage with the concept of interdependence, examining how the field has conceptualized and applied it. The authors started from 894 papers in the ACM Digital Library, screening…

  interdependence · disability studies · disability activism · systematic review · HCI

• 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

• Infrastructuring for Access: Co-Designing Writing Tools with a Dyslexic Academic

  Emily Q. Wang, Aron S. Marie · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Wang and Marie propose Infrastructuring for Access, a design approach that weaves together HCI's infrastructuring theory (Star, Pipek, Ruhleder) with Disability Studies' critique of ableism and with Repair Studies. Unlike Universal Design and Ability-Based Design, which focus on…

  dyslexia · print disability · writing tools · spell checkers · infrastructuring

• "I followed what felt right, not what I was told": Autonomy, Coaching, and Recognizing Bias Through AI-Mediated Dialogue

  Atieh Taheri, Hamza El Alaoui, Patrick Carrington, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 experimental study tests whether brief AI-mediated dialogue can shift people's recognition of ableist microaggressions, and whether the direction of AI coaching (biased, inclusive, or absent) changes the nature of that shift. The authors built a custom web platform…

  ableism · microaggressions · bias recognition · AI-mediated dialogue · large language models

• "I Don't Trust Any Professional Research Tool": A Re-Imagination of Knowledge Production Workflows by, with, and for Blind and Low-Vision Researchers

  Omar Khan, JooYoung Seo · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper is an autoethnographically-grounded, mixed-methods study of how blind and low-vision (BLV) researchers actually do research inside an ecosystem of tools built with sighted workflows in mind. Written by two BLV researchers (one totally blind, one low vision),…

  meta-research · blind and low vision · research workflows · academic accessibility · activity theory

• Access Is Not Enough: Toward Developmental Flourishing

  Yuanyang (YY) Teng, Darren Gergle · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Teng and Gergle (Northwestern University) present an opinion paper arguing that the dominant 'access' framing in accessibility research - measuring success through task completion and outcome equivalence within visual-first activities - is fundamentally insufficient. They…

  accessibility theory · assistive technology · blind and low vision · flourishing · disability studies

• 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

• Expanding Norms, Negotiating Bodies: How Artists with Disabilities Perceive and Use Creative Tools

  Miriam Brody, Izabella Rodrigues, Jane L. E, Jingyi Li · 2025 · ASSETS '25: Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This qualitative study explores how 12 artists with disabilities use, reject, or modify tools in their creative practice, applying a crip technoscience lens to inform the design of future creativity support tools (CSTs). The artists spanned a wide range of disabilities…

  disability arts · crip technoscience · creativity support tools · embodiment · interdependence

• 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

• Participant Recruitment in Accessibility Research

  Lloyd May, Saad Hassan, Khang Dang, Sooyeon Lee, Oliver Alonzo · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This workshop paper addresses the critical but underexplored challenge of recruiting participants with disabilities for accessibility research. Grounded in the principle "Nothing about us without us," the paper argues that including people with disabilities as research…

  research methods · participant recruitment · disability studies · ethics · intersectionality

• Envisioning Collective Communication Access: A Theoretically-Grounded Review of Captioning Literature from 2013-2023

  Emma J. McDonnell, Leah Findlater · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper synthesises thinking from four fields — disability studies, Deaf studies, disability justice, and communication studies — into a framework of collective communication access, then uses it to analyse a decade of HCI captioning research (2013–2023). The authors argue…

  captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · collective access · disability justice · disability studies

• Misfitting With AI: How Blind People Verify and Contest AI Errors

  Rahaf Alharbi, Pa Lor, Jaylin Herskovitz, Sarita Schoenebeck, Robin N. Brewer · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an in-depth qualitative study with 26 blind participants examining how they encounter, verify, and contest errors produced by AI-enabled visual assistance technologies (AI VAT) such as Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, and ChatGPT. While blind people increasingly rely…

  blind users · artificial intelligence · visual assistance technology · explainable AI · AI errors

• Tackling the Lack of a Practical Guide in Disability-Centered Research

  Emma J. McDonnell, Kelly Avery Mack, Kathrin Gerling, Katta Spiel, Cynthia L. Bennett, Robin N. Brewer, Rua Mae Williams, Garreth W. Tigwell · 2023 · ASSETS '23: Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This workshop paper proposes a structured effort to develop a practical guide for conducting disability-centered accessibility research. The authors — a team of eight researchers across multiple institutions, several of whom are disabled scholars — argue that while the HCI and…

  disability justice · research methods · participatory design · power dynamics · disability studies

• A11yFutures: Envisioning the Future of Accessibility Research

  Jennifer Mankoff, Kelly Avery Mack, Jason Wiese, Kirk Andrew Crawford, Foad Hamidi · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This workshop paper proposes a framework for understanding the evolution of accessibility research through three "waves" and argues that the field needs to broaden significantly into what the authors call "third wave accessibility." The first wave of accessibility research was…

  accessibility research · disability studies · inclusive design · intersectionality · research methodology

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Should I Say "Disabled People" or "People with Disabilities"? Language Preferences of Disabled People Between Identity- and Person-First Language

  Ather Sharif, Aedan Liam McCall, Kianna Roces Bolante · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents the largest empirical study to date on the language preferences of disabled people regarding identity-first language (IFL, e.g., "disabled people") versus person-first language (PFL, e.g., "people with disabilities"). The researchers surveyed 519 disabled…

  disability language · identity-first language · person-first language · disability identity · survey research

• 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

• Deinstitutionalizing Independence: Discourses of Disability and Housing in Accessible Computing

  Kevin M. Storer, Stacy M. Branham · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how the history of institutionalization and deinstitutionalization in the United States shapes contemporary Accessible Computing (AC) research focused on domestic spaces. The authors analyzed 101 peer-reviewed AC…

  disability studies · critical discourse analysis · institutionalization · independent living · housing

• 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

• Understanding Mental Ill-health as Psychosocial Disability: Implications for Assistive Technology

  Kathryn E. Ringland, Jennifer Nicholas, Rachel Kornfield, Emily G. Lattie, David C. Mohr, Madhu Reddy · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper argues that mental ill-health — including depression, anxiety, and other mental, emotional, or cognitive experiences — should be understood as psychosocial disability and examined through a social model lens rather than exclusively through the medical model that…

  psychosocial disability · mental health · depression · anxiety · social model of disability