Audio-media, such as radio and podcasts, are a vital means to engage with global events, access education, or offer entertainment. However, for people with complex communication needs, such as aphasia, there can be accessibility challenges. While accessibility research has largely focused on audiovisual media, little work has considered audio-media, particularly for users with complex communication needs. To address this gap, we undertook six co-design workshops with 10 people with aphasia to re-imagine access to audio-media. We uncover how our co-designers perceive audio-media as more than a tool, but a part of daily intimacies; shaping social relationships and contributing to therapeutic recovery. Through a Research-through-Design process culminating in one low-fidelity and three high-fidelity technology probes that embody novel accessibility interventions, our findings further challenge conventional approaches to audio-media accessibility and signal new directions for future design.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3714000
3D printing is a mainstream technology enabling the affordable production of 3D models that may enhance access and understanding of graphics for students who are blind or have low vision (BLV). However, the potential usefulness of a new technology does not guarantee its adoption. This paper presents a case study in the adoption of 3D printing as an accessible format for BLV education in Australia and New Zealand. Over the last six years, a community-driven research project engaged in awareness raising, created a community of practice and developed guidelines for the use of 3D printing in education. We evaluate the success of the project using an Implementation Science lens with the RE-AIM framework and identify the key factors for successful adoption. We hope this work will guide the adoption of 3D printing for BLV students and serve as an exemplar for the adoption of other assistive technologies.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713689
Recent years have witnessed a growing interest in using robots to support Blind and Low Vision (BLV) people in various tasks and contexts. However, the Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) community still lacks a shared understanding of what, where, and how robots can benefit BLV users in their daily lives. In light of this, we conducted a systematic literature review to help researchers navigate the current landscape of this field through an HCI lens. We followed a systematic multi-stage approach and carefully selected a corpus of 76 papers from premier HCI venues. Our review provides a comprehensive overview of application areas, embodiments, and interaction techniques of the developed robotic systems. Further, we identified opportunities, challenges, and key considerations in this emerging field. Through this systematic review, we aim to inspire researchers, developers, designers, and HCI practitioners, to create a more inclusive environment for the BLV community.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713438
Sign languages are essential for the Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) community. Sign language generation systems have the potential to support communication by translating from written languages, such as English, into signed videos. However, current systems often fail to meet user needs due to poor translation of grammatical structures, the absence of facial cues and body language, and insufficient visual and motion fidelity. We address these challenges by building on recent advances in LLMs and video generation models to translate English sentences into natural-looking AI ASL signers. The text component of our model extracts information for manual and non-manual components of ASL, which are used to synthesize skeletal pose sequences and corresponding video frames. Our findings from a user study with 30 DHH participants and thorough technical evaluations demonstrate significant progress and identify critical areas necessary to meet user needs.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713855
In impoverished regions, limited resources, economic constraints, and low psychological health literacy among guardians often prevent timely support for children's mental health. The absence of migrant worker parents further exacerbates these issues, as they remain unaware of their children's psychological states. Existing AI advancements in psychological tools often overlook the specific needs of left-behind children and lack parental involvement. To address this, we developed DiSandbox, a low-cost AI-powered sandbox system that supports children in creating sandbox works for mental health assessments and engages parents in counseling. DiSandbox uses AI to guide children in sandbox play, analyze creations for psychological insights, and help parents understand their children's mental health, enabling timely intervention. By integrating large language models with sandbox play, DiSandbox is a scalable, reliable, and accessible tool for home use. Qualitative and quantitative studies confirm its usability and provide guidance for future AI applications in children's mental health.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713660
Generative AI (AI) has become ubiquitous in both daily and professional life, with emerging research demonstrating its potential as a tool for accessibility. Neurodivergent people, often left out by existing accessibility technologies, develop their own ways of navigating normative expectations. GAI offers new opportunities for access, but it is important to understand how neurodivergent “power users”—successful early adopters—engage with it and the challenges they face. Further, we must understand how marginalization and intersectional identities influence their interactions with GAI. Our autoethnography, enhanced by privacy-preserving GAI-based diaries and interviews, reveals the intricacies of using GAI to navigate normative environments and expectations. Our findings demonstrate how GAI can both support and complicate tasks like code-switching, emotional regulation, and accessing information. We show that GAI can help neurodivergent users to reclaim their agency in systems that diminish their autonomy and self-determination. However, challenges such as balancing authentic self-expression with societal conformity, alongside other risks, create barriers to realizing GAI's full potential for accessibility.
Social care systems are increasingly adopting personalisation schemes that empower individuals with disabilities and their families to directly purchase services,from assistive technologies to daily living support. Central to this shift are institutions like the National Disability Insurance Scheme, where annual negotiations shape care delivery and social benefits. Drawing on interviews with parents of children with intellectual disabilities, individuals with intellectual disabilities, service managers -- alongside the use of a technology probe -- this paper examines the communication dynamics within these planning processes, identifying critical design opportunities. We explore the issues of communication control, obscured agency, and tokenistic engagement that arise in bureaucratic support planning. As a contribution, we highlight the barriers and facilitators reshaping these interactions, offering key implications for future design interventions.
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3706598.3713117