Being the Curriculum

This article is a work of creative non-fiction. Part of the work is my reflections on one systemically awkward experience of introducing my neurodivergence, autism, to my classmates in my graduate program in neuroscience. Part of the work engages with theory and neuroscientific/cognitive findings that I either shared during the presentation or encountered since but would have been relevant to the experience. The two parts are intertwined, because life isn\u27t neatly separable

Representations of Violence, Representations as Violence: When the News Reports on Homicides of Disabled People

Ableist necropolitics can be seen no more starkly than in news portrayals of the murders of disabled people by family or caregivers. When such murders are reported in the news, disabled people as full subjects fade away, portrayed as objects of care and suffering; their murders are routinely presented as an understandable if tragic response by ‘overwhelmed’ carers. This article examines Australian news reporting on four cases of family murder–suicide involving disabled victims to explore news framings of violence as violence. We situate these representations within a spectrum of connected and overlapping ableist violence and conceptualise the harms they can produce and sanction. We argue that news portrayals of homicides involving disabled victims not only are frequently ableist and legitimising but also constitute a form of ableist epistemic violence that scaffolds ontological, structural and direct violence against disabled people

What difference does tech make? Conceptualizations of Disability and Assistive Technology among Kenyan Youth: Conceptualizations of Disability and AT

Most research which investigates stigma towards with people with disabilities and the use of Assistive Technology (AT) are based in the Global North and focus on the experiences of people with disabilities and the consequences that stigma has on choices surrounding AT. However, stigma is a societal construct rooted in the attitude and beliefs that people without disabilities hold on disability and AT. Furthermore, the portrayal of people with disabilities and AT is dependent on the social context. In this paper, we examine how young Kenyans without disabilities view people with disabilities and AT users. Findings show that while the portrayal of disability is often shaped by negative emotion, participants felt that many of the barriers affecting people with disabilities were created by society. Perceptions of AT differed-devices were not only seen as a mark of disability but also as a sign of access to resources. Therefore, what we see is an emergent picture where social barriers can be reinforced by poverty, and where poverty reinforces social barriers faced by people with disabilities. We conclude that access to appropriate technology alongside societal interventions tackling incorrect beliefs about disability can help to overcome the stigma faced by people with disabilities

On Activism and Academia: Reflecting Together and Sharing Experiences Among Critical Friends

In recent years HCI and CSCW work has increasingly begun to address complex social problems and issues of social justice worldwide. Such activist-leaning work is not without problems. Through the experiences and reflections of an activist becoming academic and an academic becoming an activist, we outline these difficulties such as (1) the risk of perpetuating violence, oppression and exploitation when working with marginalised communities, (2) the reception of activist-academic work within our academic communities, and (3) problems of social justice that exist within our academic communities. Building on our own experiences, practices and existing literature from a variety of disciplines we advocate for the possibility of an activist-academic practice, outline possible ways forward and formulate questions we need to answer for HCI to contribute to a more just world

Social sensemaking with AI: Designing an open-ended AI experience with a blind child

AI technologies are often used to aid people in performing discrete tasks with well-defned goals (e.g., recognising faces in images). Emerging technologies that provide continuous, real-time information enable more open-ended AI experiences. In partnership with a blind child, we explore the challenges and opportunities of designing human-AI interaction for a system intended to support social sensemaking. Adopting a research-through-design perspective, we refect upon working with the uncertain capabilities of AI systems in the design of this experience. We contribute: (i) a concrete example of an open-ended AI system that enabled a blind child to extend his own capabilities; (ii) an illustration of the delta between imagined and actual use, highlighting how capabilities derive from the human-AI interaction and not the AI system alone; and (iii) a discussion of design choices to craft an ongoing human-AI interaction that addresses the challenge of uncertain outputs of AI systems

The development of a Modular Accessible Musical Instrument Technology Toolkit using action research

Within the field of digital musical instruments, there have been a growing number of technological developments aimed at addressing the issue of accessibility to music-making for disabled people. This study summarizes the development of one such technological system—The Modular Accessible Musical Instrument Technology Toolkit (MAMI Tech Toolkit). The four tools in the toolkit and accompanying software were developed over 5 years using an action research methodology. A range of stakeholders across four research sites were involved in the development. This study outlines the methodological process, the stakeholder involvement, and how the data were used to inform the design of the toolkit. The accessibility of the toolkit is also discussed alongside findings that have emerged from the process. This study adds to the established canon of research around accessible digital musical instruments by documenting the creation of an accessible toolkit grounded in both theory and practical application of third-wave human–computer interaction methods. This study contributes to the discourse around the use of participatory and iterative methods to explore issues with, and barriers to, active music-making with music technology. Outlined is the development of each of the novel tools in the toolkit, the functionality they offer, as well as the accessibility issues they address. The study advances knowledge around active music-making using music technology, as well as in working with diverse users to create these new types of systems

UNLOCKING LEARNING: A STUDY OF READING HABITS AND ATTITUDES TOWARDS CHINESE THEMED BOOKS IN PAKISTAN

Reading have always been a very important activity, which further paves the way for excellence in life both academically and non-academically. It is a fundamental skill that unlocks learning and provides individual’s benefits. Reading habit and attitude become an interest topic to discuss because it can be the key success in learning. This study aimed to examine the reading habits and attitudes of big city residents in Pakistan towards books with Chinese themes, available in Chinese, English, or Urdu language. Using a survey design and simple random sampling, data was collected from 300 respondents through a pre-tested questionnaire based on Smith's (1991) Adult Survey of Reading Attitude. The study analyzed data from 11 online bookstores and publishers in Pakistan used to provide recent insights. We used two keywords (China, Chinese: چائ نا , چائ ن یز ) to collect data from online bookstores. The results of the study, with a reliability test score of 0.79, showed that the participants had a positive attitude towards reading Chinese themed books. The findings of this study can inform the development of educational programs to enhance reading skills and cultural understanding for users of Chinese-themed books in Pakistan

Understanding everyday experiences of reminiscence for people living with blindness: Practices, tensions and probing new design possibilities

There is growing attention in the HCI community on how technology could be designed to support experiences of reminiscence on past life experiences. Yet, this research has largely overlooked people living with blindness. I present a study that aims to understand everyday experiences of reminiscence for people living with blindness. I conducted a qualitative study with 9 participants living with blindness to understand their personal routines, wishes and desires, and challenges and tensions regarding the experience of reminiscence. Findings are interpreted to discuss new possibilities that offer starting points for future design initiatives and openings for collaboration aimed at creating technology to better support the practices of capturing, sharing, and reflecting on significant memories of the past

Making Spaces: Mapping Opportunities for Improved Equity in Makerspaces and Virtual Reality

The promise of "making"—that is, learning, experimenting, DIY, creation, reappropriation, or otherwise—has become a popular topic in human-computer interaction (HCI) research, and a subject of interest for public institutions like libraries and schools for their potential to engage the public in STEM-related learning, to build their confidence, and potentially inspire new career paths. However, embedded in the individualist ethos of these spaces are problems of inclusion: who counts as a maker, and what types of projects count as making. As a result, makerspaces can be uninviting to marginalized groups, and in this thesis I focus on women, specifically. Opportunities to improve equity in these environments by using technology exist, but run their own risks of amplifying inequities by porting in systemic biases as artifacts of the cultures in which they were produced. In my thesis I address three main research questions: (1) What can we learn from gender-imbalanced maker groups in order to support the diverse needs of makers in STEM-focused environments? (2) What systemic barriers exist that prevent successful adoption of novel technologies to support the needs of diverse makers, and specifically women? (3) What ethical and methodological considerations do we have to take into account as human-computer interaction researchers when working to design, develop, or appropriate digital technologies with, in, or for maker communities? To address these questions, I conducted an ethnographic field study with diverse makers (Chapter 3), a systematic review (Chapter 4), and continuing research with makers in a post-COVID environment (Chapter 5). The study presented in Chapter 3 was undertaken in a pre-pandemic world, when the default for maker groups was assumed to be large in-person gatherings. In that context, makers' needs coalesced around diversity in their goals contrasting to a narrow archetype of what makerspaces can or should offer. I also contribute a new understanding of what a makerspace even is, whereby such a space is not defined by a sign above the door, but by the presence of makers themselves. Opportunities were identified to leverage virtual reality (VR) technology to address some of the unmet needs among makers, aiming to increase feelings of autonomy, competence, and relatedness. With an eye towards increasing satisfaction and self-efficacy, I hoped this work would help to keep makers coming back to the space to keep developing their skills, confidence, and curiosity. But: what happens when the makers are removed from the space? In response to public health restrictions, makerspaces worldwide suddenly became inaccessible. After having witnessed deep levels of personal investment and emotional connection within maker groups, I noted that belonging constituted part of makers' personal identities, moreso than whether they were actively making or not. This called for a re-evaluation of the ends to which we might design new systems in VR. However, jumping from "building systems to engage in making activities" to "building systems to support social connectedness in the context of making" faces the same barrier that cannot be ignored, that is, that VR technology remains inaccessible for, inter alia, women, people of colour, and people with disabilities. Imposing the use of a system that in itself minoritizes people by rendering itself unusable would run against the grain of the feminist methodology underpinning this work. Thus, I conducted a systematic review to address a gap in HCI research around how VR research is designed, conducted, and reported in ways that systematically are biased against women. Evaluating systems of production (through maker environments) and the objects produced within those value systems (VR technology itself) offers two ways to call into question the norms that, when invisible, can stand in the way of making progress towards improved equity. As a reflection of the embedded and interdependent nature of this work, I lean on maker culture and re-appropriate one of the concepts I discovered through this work: the unfinished object, or UFO. I offer this methodological approach to researchers continuing community-based work with makers in order to overcome challenges faced in eliciting visions for more equitable futures, and for mapping opportunities for improved equity in makerspaces and virtual reality