Individuality over function: the role of technology in disability identity

When designing or investigating technology use among people with disabilities, researchers often overstate the importance of functional aspects at the expenses of identity. We present three case studies that showcase how people with disabilities use, or aspire to use, technology to advertise, reframe or hide their identities

MAPEAMENTO SISTEMÁTICO DE LITERATURA SOBRE ESTUDOS DE INTERFACES DE USUÁRIO EM TECNOLOGIA ASSISTIVA

The article presents, through a Systematic Literature Review, the state-of-the-art of research on User Interfaces (UI) applied in Assistive Technology (TA) for users with motor and /or visual impairment, presenting patterns, trends and new gaps of research in this field of study of human-computer interactionO artigo apresenta, através de um Mapeamento Sistemático de Literatura, o estado da arte da pesquisa sobre as diversas Interfaces de Usuário (IU) aplicadas em Tecnologia Assistiva (TA) para usuários com deficiência motora e/ou visual, apresentando padrões, tendências e novos espaços de pesquisa nesse campo de estudo da interação humano-computador

“Another Eye For the Visually Impaired”: A Study Exploring the Experience of Using Camera-based Mobile Assistive Applications

More and more visually impaired people rely on assistive technology to live independently, and camera-based applications are a typical technology used to capture and recognize objects. While the researchers have provided ample information on this technology, more studies are needed on user experience. To explore how visually impaired people perceive and resolve the issues in daily use and what factors may affect their usage intention, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 visually impaired participants based in London, and all the data was transcribed through thematic analysis. We identified three main themes in the study: i) recognition, ii) encouragement, and iii) adjustment and change. These interviewees expect to improve their social attributes (identity, interpersonal communication, learning ability) through specific mobile applications. We suggest that the user acceptance of the camera-based app is determined by intrinsic factors (self-ability, emotional needs) and external factors (learning behaviour, attitude)

Getting there together professional development course: shared-decision making in wheelchair evaluations

The wheelchair evaluation process is complicated for clinicians and consumers alike. Consumers report feeling uninvolved in the wheelchair evaluation process resulting in feeling uniformed and dissatisfied and in some cases, being prescribed wheelchairs that do not meet their needs. Consequently, consumers may abandon the recommended wheelchair which may impact participation in Mobility-Related Activities of Daily Living (M-RADLs). Shared-Decision Making (SDM), used in healthcare encounters, may be used by clinicians to facilitate a collaborative process when recommending wheelchairs. This project proposes a continuing education course designed to teach the principles of SDM and guide clinicians’ implementation of SDM into their practices

Assistive technologies, educational engagement and psychosocial outcomes among students with disabilities in higher education

Purpose: Increasing numbers of students with disabilities are accessing higher education each year, yet little is known about their assistive technology (AT) needs and its influence on relevant outcomes. The aim of this study was to examine met/unmet AT needs on educational engagement, academic self-efficacy and well-being and the impact of AT use in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem for students with disabilities in higher education in Ireland. Methods: 111 students with disabilities completed a cross-sectional online survey comprising the College Learning Effectiveness Inventory, the Student Course Engagement Questionnaire, the Self-Efficacy for Learning Form Abridged, the Psychosocial Impact of Assistive Devices Scale, and the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale. Results: AT use was found to have a positive psychosocial impact in the areas of competence, adaptability and self-esteem. Those whose AT needs were fully met scored significantly higher on academic self-efficacy, well-being, and on 4 of the 10 educational engagement subscales compared to those who had unmet AT needs. Met/unmet AT needs were not predictive of educational engagement. Conclusion: These findings highlight the importance of AT from both educational engagement and psychosocial perspectives for students with a wide variety of disability diagnoses. The wide-reaching benefits of AT must be considered by governmental departments when making funding allocations to disability services within higher education institutions

The Social Network: How People with Visual Impairment use Mobile Phones in Kibera, Kenya

Living in an informal settlement with a visual impairment can be very challenging resulting in social exclusion. Mobile phones have been shown to be hugely beneficial to people with sight loss in formal and high-income settings. However, little is known about whether these results hold true for people with visual impairment (VIPs) in informal settlements. We present the findings of a case study of mobile technology use by VIPs in Kibera, an informal settlement in Nairobi. We used contextual interviews, ethnographic observations and a co-design workshop to explore how VIPs use mobile phones in their daily lives, and how this use influences the social infrastructure of VIPs. Our findings suggest that mobile technology supports and shapes the creation of social infrastructure. However, this is only made possible through the existing support networks of the VIPs, which are mediated through four types of interaction: direct, supported, dependent and restricted

“I can do everything but see!” – How People with Vision Impairments Negotiate their Abilities in Social Contexts

This research takes an orientation to visual impairment (VI) that does not regard it as fixed or determined alone in or through the body. Instead, we consider (dis)ability as produced through interactions with the environment and configured by the people and technology within it. Specifically, we explore how abilities become negotiated through video ethnography with six VI athletes and spectators during the Rio 2016 Paralympics. We use generated in-depth examples to identify how technology can be a meaningful part of ability negotiations, emphasizing how these embed into the social interactions and lives of people with VI. In contrast to treating technology as a solution to a ‘sensory deficit’, we understand it to support the triangulation process of sense-making through provision of appropriate additional information. Further, we suggest that technology should not try and replace human assistance, but instead enable people with VI to better identify and interact with other people in-situ

The Care Work of Access

Current approaches to AI and Assistive Technology (AT) often foreground task completion over other encounters such as expressions of care. Our paper challenges and complements such task-completion approaches by attending to the care work of access—the continual affective and emotional adjustments that people make by noticing and attending to one another. We explore how this work impacts encounters among people with and without vision impairments who complete tasks together. We find that bound up in attempts to get things done are concerns for one another and how well people are doing together. Reading this work through emerging disability studies and feminist STS scholarship, we account for two important forms of work that give rise to access: (1) mundane attunements and (2) noninnocent authorizations. Together these processes work as sensitizing concepts to help HCI scholars account for the ways that intelligent ATs both produce access while sometimes subverting people with disabilities

Value beyond function: Analyzing the perception of wheelchair innovations in Kenya

Innovations in the field of assistive technology are usually evaluated based on practical considerations related to their ability to perform certain functions. However, social and emotional aspects play a huge role in how people with disabilities interact with assistive products and services. Over a five months period, we tested an innovative wheelchair service provision model that leverages 3D printing and Computer Aided Design to provide bespoke wheelchairs in Kenya. The study involved eight expert wheelchair users and five healthcare professionals who routinely provide wheelchair services in their community. Results from the study show that both users and providers attributed great value to both the novel service delivery model and the wheelchairs produced as part of the study. The reasons for their appreciation went far beyond the practical considerations and were rooted in the fact that the service delivery model and the wheelchairs promoted core values of agency, empowerment and self-expression

“But, I Don’t Want/Need a Power Wheelchair”: Toward Accessible Power Assistance for Manual Wheelchairs

Power assist devices help manual wheelchair users to propel their wheelchair thus increasing their independence and reducing the risk of upper limb injuries due to excessive use. These benefits can be invaluable for people that already have upper limb joint pain and reduced muscular strength. However, it is not clear if the way that assistance is provided by such devices is what manual wheelchair users need and expect. 12 manual wheelchair users were interviewed to understand: the situations in which they find it difficult to propel their wheelchairs; situations they considered paramount to have power assistance; their experience or knowledge of power assist devices; and likes and dislikes of commercially available power assist devices. Finally, they were asked to comment on their ideal form factor of a power assist device. Users have suggested improvements of the devices' accessibility and visualized new ways in which they could interact with the technology. These interactions involve "chairable" devices independent from, but not excluding, wearable devices and mobile applications. We have identified the need of monitoring emotions and the need for designing an open source do-it-yourself wheelchair propelling assistance device which we believe is required equally in developed and in developing countries