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) · doi:10.1145/3772318.3790732
Summary
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 accessibility as a retrofit or a periodic 'sensory-friendly day.' Framing makerspaces as potentially democratising but historically exclusionary spaces, the authors ground the study in long-term community-based participatory design partnerships in Baltimore with the Digital Harbor Foundation Tech Center (an urban afterschool non-profit), Kennedy Krieger Institute (a special-education high school of ~180 students aged 14–21), and GWWO Architects. Between February and July 2025 they gathered data from 12 expert participants using three complementary methods: remote semi-structured interviews with four special-education high school staff (assistant teacher, social worker, classroom assistant, speech-language pathologist); two on-site focus groups (three architects, two special educators) held at the intended future makerspace locations to ground discussion in the physical environment; and a public panel at a STEM Day museum event with three invited experts including a self-identifying autistic designer/disability advocate. Transcripts were analysed with Braun and Clarke's inductive thematic analysis, with open coding by three researchers and iterative theme refinement. The paper positions makerspaces as 'infrastructures of belonging and empowerment' rather than neutral technical facilities.
Key findings
Six interconnected themes emerged, which the authors cluster into four overarching strategies: structuring environments for predictability; supporting multimodal and technology-enabled engagement; fostering equitable belonging; and sustaining learning via community and culture. (1) Visual and environmental cues — picture schedules, Velcro icons, color-zoned work areas, consistent signage, tactile wayfinding cues — operate as autism-specific predictability supports that reduce ambiguity and cognitive load in tool-dense spaces. (2) Multimodal instruction (verbal + visual + tactile + interactive) combined with tools like Nearpod, iPads, and token boards sustains engagement for learners with varying processing speeds and limited verbal communication. (3) AAC devices are most effective when embedded in daily routines and coordinated across educators, speech-language pathologists, families (including parent training on 'guided access' and personalising vocabulary), and multi-stakeholder care teams. (4) Movement, flexible seating (ball chairs, rocking chairs, trampolines, tennis-ball chair legs), and outdoor connections are framed as core design principles, not optional extras; architects add height-adjustable tables and daylight-controlled courtyards. (5) Belonging requires rejecting tokenised 'autism days'; one autistic panelist invoked 'nothing about us without us,' emphasising equitable entries and decompression zones over segregated accommodations. (6) Sustainability depends on durable materials, flexible programming responsive to student feedback, and culturally grounded 'story-based design' that integrates local art, traditions, and cross-disciplinary practice (e.g., IT students 3D-printing planters for the horticulture program).
Relevance
For educators and designers of learning spaces, this study offers a clear, stakeholder-grounded playbook for moving beyond compliance toward makerspaces that work for neurodivergent youth. The four overarching strategies — predictability, multimodal engagement, equitable belonging, and community-grounded sustainability — translate directly into practical choices: visual-scaffold tool labels, redundant instruction modes, embedded regulation zones, AAC-compatible tool safety rules, equitable entrances without 'round-the-back' accessible routes, durable reconfigurable furniture, and story-based programming tied to local culture. The paper is also a useful example of transdisciplinary participatory research combining special-education, architectural, and autistic self-advocate perspectives. Limitations: all 12 participants were expert stakeholders rather than youth with autism themselves; no team members identify as neurodivergent; findings are situated in a specific Baltimore urban context. The authors flag a planned follow-up co-design phase directly involving youth with autism and their families — worth tracking. Relevant for practitioners working on inclusive STEM/STEAM education, library makerspaces, museum learning programs, and DIY-AT initiatives.
Tags: technology-rich learning · accessibility · makerspaces · belonging · disability · autism · neurodiversity · assistive technology · AAC · participatory design · special education · architecture · STEM education · DIY-AT