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• Belonging in the Making: Investigating Inclusive Makerspace Design for Youth with Autism

  Krystal Yangmengzi Zhang, Marie Sakowicz, Emily Wingeart, Foad Hamidi · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Zhang, Sakowicz, Wingeart, and Hamidi investigate how makerspaces — the hands-on, technology-rich learning environments that have become common in libraries, schools, and community centres — can be designed to genuinely include youth with autism, rather than treating…

  technology-rich learning · accessibility · makerspaces · belonging · disability

• 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

• LingoLift: Supporting Educators in Personalized Oral Language Teaching for Autistic Children through Content Generation

  Jiawen Zhang, Dongyijie Primo Pan, Li Wang, Pan Hui, Xin Tong · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper presents LingoLift, a generative AI system that supports special-education teachers and speech-language pathologists in preparing and delivering personalized oral language lessons for autistic children. The authors argue that existing autism-language tech…

  autism spectrum disorder · personalized learning · generative AI · oral language learning · human-AI collaboration

• CollaDrum: Designing a Tangible Interactive Sonic System to Foster Collaboration in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  Yinhan Gao, Yalong Luo, Wenwei Jiang, Wanling Cai, Yucheng Jin · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  CollaDrum is a co-designed tangible sonic system intended to scaffold task-based peer collaboration for autistic children in classroom settings, with explicit attention to not adding cognitive overhead from novel interaction paradigms. The authors interviewed five educators…

  autism · autistic children · tangible interfaces · classroom technology · collaboration

• Digital Musical Instruments in Special Educational Needs Schools: Requirements from the Music Teachers' Perspective and the Status Quo in Germany

  Andreas Förster, Steffen Lepa · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study presents the first comprehensive survey of digital musical instrument (DMI) use in special educational needs (SEN) schools, covering 745 schools across 12 of Germany's 16 federal states with a 41.5% response rate. The researchers surveyed 750 music teachers to…

  digital musical instruments · music education · special education · cognitive disabilities · music accessibility

• Socio-Technical Aspirations for Children with Special Needs: A Study in Two Locations – India and Finland

  Sumita Sharma, Krishnaveni Achary, Saurabh Srivastava, Blessin Varkey, Jaakko Hakulinen, Markku Turunen · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This cross-cultural qualitative study proposes extending Boujarwah et al.'s three-part framework for assistive technology design by adding a fourth dimension: socio-technical aspirations. The authors define this as "individual- or community-driven ambition and desire to own or…

  assistive technology design · cross-cultural research · special education · autism · ADHD

• Interactive Technologies Designed for Children with Autism: Reports of Use and Desires from Parents, Teachers, and Therapists

  Cynthia Putnam, Christina Hanschke, Jennifer Todd, Jonathan Gemmell, Mia Kollia · 2019 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper examines how parents, teachers, and therapists use, perceive, discover, and desire interactive technologies for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The research combined 19 semi-structured interviews and 230 survey responses from caregivers across the United…

  autism · children · interactive technology · assistive technology · stakeholder perspectives

• Designing Gesture-Based Applications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Guidelines from User Studies in India

  Sumita Sharma, Blessin Varkey, Krishnaveni Achary, Jaakko Hakulinen, Markku Turunen, Tomi Heimonen, Saurabh Srivastava, Nitendra Rajput · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents the design, evaluation, and resulting guidelines from three gesture-based applications created for individuals with developmental disabilities in India, developed through a long-term collaboration with Tamana, an NGO and special education school in New Delhi.…

  developmental disabilities · gesture interaction · special education · inclusive design · Global South accessibility

• Feedback and Guidance to Support Children with Intellectual Disabilities in Discovery Learning with a Tangible Interactive Tabletop

  Taciana Pontual Falcão · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This research investigates how tangible interactive technology can support discovery-based learning for children with intellectual disabilities—a population for whom unstructured exploration is particularly challenging due to difficulties with abstract thinking, attention, and…

  intellectual disability · children · tangible interfaces · discovery learning · educational technology

• WeLi: A Smartwatch Application to Assist Students with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

  Hui Zheng, Vivian Genaro Motti · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This poster paper presents WeLi (Wearable Life), a smartwatch application designed to assist students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDDs) in post-secondary educational environments. The system was developed for and deployed at Mason Life, a programme at…

  wearable technology · intellectual disability · developmental disability · special education · self-regulation

• Evaluating an iPad Game to Address Overselectivity in Preliterate AAC Users with Minimal Verbal Behavior

  LouAnne E. Boyd, Kathryn E. Ringland, Heather Faucett, Alexis Hiniker, Kimberley Klein, Kanika Patel, Gillian R. Hayes · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper evaluates Go Go Games, an iPad-based therapeutic game suite designed to teach Multiple Cue Responding (MCR) to preliterate, minimally verbal children who exhibit overselectivity — a learning challenge where individuals attend to only one or a few features of a…

  augmentative and alternative communication · autism spectrum disorder · children · cognitive accessibility · game accessibility

• Tablet-Based Activity Schedule in Mainstream Environment for Children with Autism and Children with ID

  Charles Fage, Léonard Pommereau, Charles Consel, Emilie Balland, Hélène Sauzéon · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents Classroom Schedule+ (CS+), a tablet-based activity schedule application designed to support the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream school environments. Developed through participatory design with mainstream teachers,…

  autism spectrum disorder · intellectual disability · mainstream inclusion · activity schedule · tablet

• Investigating the Implications of 3D Printing in Special Education

  Erin Buehler, Niara Comrie, Megan Hofmann, Samantha McDonald, Amy Hurst · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates the use of 3D printing in special education settings through case studies at three sites serving students with cognitive, motor, and visual impairments, and presents GripFab, a simplified 3D modeling tool designed for occupational therapists (OTs) to…

  3D printing · digital fabrication · special education · assistive technology · DIY assistive technology

• Social Predictors of Assistive Technology Proficiency Among Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments

  Valerie S. Morash, Yue-Ting Siu · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates why only about 40% of Teachers of students with Visual Impairments (TVIs) integrate assistive technology into their practice, despite AT being critical for K-12 students' educational engagement and predictive of positive postsecondary outcomes. Previous…

  assistive technology · visual impairment · special education · teacher training · community of practice

• ABC and 3D: Opportunities and Obstacles to 3D Printing in Special Education Environments

  Erin Buehler, Shaun K. Kane, Amy Hurst · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents a formative study exploring how 3D printing can support special education across three diverse sites: a school for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities (Site A), a school for blind and visually impaired students (Site B), and the technology…

  3D printing · special education · assistive technology · digital fabrication · STEM education

• Coming to Grips: 3D Printing for Accessibility

  Erin Buehler, Amy Hurst, Megan Hofmann · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents a case study of using consumer-grade 3D printing to create custom assistive devices for a student with limited hand motor ability at a special education facility. The work grew out of a six-month evaluation of making and DIY technology in…

  assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · motor impairment · special education

• Detecting the Hand-Mouthing Behavior of Children with Intellectual Disability Using Kinect Imaging Technology

  Tzu-Wei Wei · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This short paper presents a system that uses Microsoft Kinect depth-sensing technology to automatically detect hand-mouthing behavior in children with severe intellectual disabilities. Hand-mouthing — the repetitive placement of fingers into the mouth — affects approximately 17%…

  intellectual disability · stereotypic behavior · self-injurious behavior · Kinect · behavior detection

• Detecting Hunchback Behavior in Autistic Children with Smart Phone Assistive Devices

  Shu-Hsien Lin · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This short demonstration paper presents a low-cost assistive system that uses a smartphone's built-in accelerometer to detect hunchback posture in an autistic student at the Kaohsiung Municipal Renwu Special Education School (KRSES) in Taiwan. The student frequently exhibited…

  autism · assistive technology · wearable technology · posture detection · special education

• ZigADL: An ADL Training System Enabling Teachers to Assist Children with Intellectual Disabilities

  Zhi-Zhan Lu · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper presents ZigADL, a wireless sensor network system based on ZigBee technology designed to assist teachers in training children with severe intellectual disabilities to perform Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) independently. The system addresses a practical…

  intellectual disability · independent living · assistive technology · special education · sensors

• ZigAlert: A ZigBee Alert for Toileting Training Children with Developmental Delay in a Public School Setting

  Yi-Chien Chen · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper presents ZigAlert, a wireless sensor network system based on ZigBee technology designed to assist with toilet training for children with severe developmental delays in a public school setting. The system addresses a practical challenge: children with conditions…

  assistive technology · developmental disabilities · intellectual disability · wireless sensor network · special education

20 results.