Disability and Accessibility Presentations at CHI 2016


1. Designing Movement-based Play With Young People Using Powered Wheelchairs

    Young people using powered wheelchairs have limited access to engaging
    leisure activities. We address this issue through a two-stage project; 1)
    the participatory development of a set of wheelchair-controlled,
    movement-based games (with 9 participants at a school that provides
    education for young people who have special needs) and 2) three case
    studies (4 participants) exploring player perspectives on a set of three
    wheelchair-controlled casual games. Our results show that movement-based
    playful experiences are engaging for young people using powered
    wheelchairs. However, the participatory design process and case studies
    also reveal challenges for game accessibility regarding the integration
    of movement in games, diversity of abilities among young people using
    powered wheelchairs, and the representation of disability in games. In
    our paper, we explore how to address those challenges in the development
    of accessible, empowering movement-based games, which is crucial to the
    wider participation of young people using powered wheelchairs in play.


2. Crowdsourcing Accessibility: Human-Powered Access Technologies

    People with disabilities have always engaged the people around them in
    order to circumvent inaccessible situations, allowing them to live more
    independently and get things done in their everyday lives. Increasing
    connectivity is allowing this approach to be extended to wherever and
    whenever it is needed. Technology can leverage this human work force to
    accomplish tasks beyond the capabilities of computers, increasing how
    accessible the world is for people with disabilities. This article
    outlines the growth of online human support, outlines a number of
    projects in this space, and presents a set of challenges and
    opportunities for this work going forward. Program Description: A
    scholarly survey describing how technology can leverage the human work
    force to accomplish tasks beyond the capabilities of computers,
    increasing how accessible the world is for people with disabilities.


3. Designing for an Aging Population: Toward Universal Design

    This course describes age-related factors that affect ability to use the
    Web, and presents Web design guidelines that reflect the capabilities,
    usage patterns, and preferences of older Web users. The course also
    explains the value of testing websites on older adults.


4. The AT Effect: How Disability Affects the Perceived Social Acceptability
of Head-Mounted Display Use

    Wearable computing devices offer new possibilities to increase
    accessibility and independence for individuals with disabilities.
    However, the adoption of such devices may be influenced by social
    factors, and useful devices may not be adopted if they are considered
    inappropriate to use. While public policy may adapt to support
    accommodations for assistive technology, emerging technologies may be
    unfamiliar or unaccepted by bystanders. We surveyed 1200 individuals
    about the use of a head-mounted display in a public setting, examining
    how information about the user's disability affected judgments of the
    social acceptability of the scenario. Our findings reveal that observers
    considered head-mounted display use more socially acceptable if the
    device was being used to support a person with a disability.


5. "With most of it being pictures now, I rarely use it": Understanding
Twitter's Evolving Accessibility to Blind Users

    Social media is an increasingly important part of modern life. We
    investigate the use of and usability of Twitter by blind users, via a
    combination of surveys of blind Twitter users, large-scale analysis of
    tweets from and Twitter profiles of blind and sighted users, and analysis
    of tweets containing embedded imagery. While Twitter has traditionally
    been thought of as the most accessible social media platform for blind
    users, Twitter’s increasing integration of image content and users’
    diverse uses for images have presented emergent accessibility challenges.
    Our findings illuminate the importance of the ability to use social media
    for people who are blind, while also highlighting the many challenges
    such media currently present this user base, including difficulty in
    creating profiles, in awareness of available features and settings, in
    controlling revelations of one’s disability status, and in dealing with
    the increasing pervasiveness of image-based content. We propose changes
    that Twitter and other social platforms should make to promote fuller
    access to users with visual impairments.


6. Rethinking Mobile Interfaces for Older Adults

    This SIG advances the study of mobile user interfaces for the aging
    population. The topic is timely, as the mobile device has become the most
    widely used computer terminal and at the same time the number of older
    people will soon exceed the number of children worldwide. However, most
    HCI research addresses younger adults and has had little impact on older
    adults. Some design trends, like the mantra “smaller is smarter”,
    contradict the needs of older users. Developments like this may diminish
    their ability to access information and participate in society. This can
    lead to further isolation (social and physical) of older adults and
    increased widening of the digital divide. This SIG aims to discuss mobile
    interfaces for older adults. The SIG has three goals: (i) to map the
    state-of-art, (ii) to build a community gathering experts from related
    areas, and (iii) to raise awareness within the SIGCHI community.


7. Helping Hands: Requirements for a Prototyping Methodology for Upper-limb
Prosthetics Users

    This paper presents a case study of three participants with upper-limb
    amputations working with researchers to design prosthetic devices for
    specific tasks: playing the cello, operating a hand-cycle, and using a
    table knife. The goal of our study was to identify requirements for a
    design process that can engage the assistive technology user in rapidly
    prototyping assistive devices that fill needs not easily met by
    traditional assistive technology. Our study made use of 3D printing and
    other playful and practical prototyping materials. We discuss materials
    that support on-the-spot design and iteration, dimensions along which
    in-person iteration is most important (such as length and angle) and the
    value of a supportive social network for users who prototype their own
    assistive technology. From these findings we argue for the importance of
    extensions in supporting modularity, community engagement, and relatable
    prototyping materials in the iterative design of prosthetics.


8. Technology and the Politics of Mobility: Evidence Generation in Accessible
Transport Activism

    Digital technologies offer the possibility of community empowerment via
    the reconfiguration of public services. This potential relies on actively
    involved citizens engaging with decision makers to pursue civic goals. In
    this paper we study one such group of involved citizens, examining the
    evidencing practices of a rare disease charity campaigning for accessible
    public transport. Through fieldwork and interviews, we highlight the ways
    in which staff and volunteers assembled and presented different forms of
    evidence, in doing so reframing what is conceived as ‘valid knowledge’.
    We note the challenges this group faced in capturing experiential
    knowledge around the accessibility barriers of public transport, and the
    trade-offs that are made when presenting evidence to policy and decision
    makers. We offer a number of design considerations for future HCI
    research, focusing on how digital technology might be configured more
    appropriately to support campaigning around the politics of mobility.


CHI 2016 Program:
https://chi2016.acm.org/program