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• Accessibility in Textile Crafting: A Critical Reflection on Making Technology, Disability, and Community

  Shanel Wu, Audrey Girouard · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study examines what accessibility means for textile crafters with disabilities through a cross-sectional survey of 184 participants. The authors—both disabled/neurodivergent crafters themselves—use critical participatory action research (CPAR) to investigate how different…

  accessible making · textile crafts · DIY assistive technology · maker culture · chronic illness

• Accessibility in Textile Crafting: A Critical Reflection on Making Technology, Disability, and Community

  Shanel Wu, Audrey Girouard · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper examines what accessibility means in the context of textile crafting through a cross-sectional survey of 184 crafters with disabilities. The authors—both disabled/neurodivergent crafters and HCI researchers—adopt a critical participatory action research (CPAR)…

  textile crafts · crafting communities · online communities · accessibility · participatory action research

• Not Seeing the Whole Picture: Challenges and Opportunities in Using AI for Co-Making Physical, DIY-AT for People with Visual Impairments

  Ben Kosa, Hsuanling Lee, Jasmine Li, Sanbrita Mondal, Yuhang Zhao, Liang He · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper explores whether an LLM-based conversational agent can act as a co-making partner — not just a visual aid — when people with visual impairments (PVI) build their own physical assistive technology. The authors extended their prior A11yBits tangible toolkit…

  blindness · low vision · DIY assistive technology · tangible interaction · Generative AI

• Beyond the Manual: Mapping Peer-Generated Content about Wheelchair Care and Adaptation on YouTube

  Wen Mo, Aneesha Singh, Lan Xiao, Catherine Holloway · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper presents a content analysis of 290 YouTube videos (from 194 unique channels, 8,629 initial results narrowed via inclusion/exclusion) and 800 sampled comments from a total 10,781 harvested, examining how wheelchair users and their caregivers document, share,…

  wheelchair · DIY assistive technology · YouTube · content analysis · peer support

• Grassroots Maker Perspectives on Participation in Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology Development

  Saquib Sarwar, David Wilson, Khairul Mahbub · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sarwar, Wilson, and Mahbub interviewed 20 grassroots DIY assistive-technology (DIY-AT) makers in the U.S. between July 2021 and December 2023 to build a maker-centered account of the DIY-AT ecosystem. Participants were recruited from social media (Reddit r/AssistiveTechnology,…

  DIY assistive technology · assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · makerspace

• "It only needs to work for one of us": Rethinking DIY Deaf Tech Through Situated Co-Design

  Shuxu Huffman, Robin Angelini, Raja Kushalnagar, Katta Spiel · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '25)

  This experience report documents how a Deaf open water swimmer (Huffman, the first author) and their hearing kayak partner collaboratively designed and built DeafSwim, a vibration-based communication system for use during long-distance open water swims. The kayaker accompanies…

  deaf and hard of hearing · assistive technology · DIY assistive technology · co-design · participatory design

• Exploring Disability Culture Through Accounts of Disabled Innovators of Accessibility Technology

  Aashaka Desai, Jennifer Mankoff, Richard E. Ladner · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper explores how disability culture — the celebration of the positive aspects of disability experience including community, solidarity, and creativity — can inform the design and research of accessibility technologies. The authors first synthesize disability culture for…

  disability culture · disabled innovators · crip technoscience · DIY assistive technology · social model of disability

• Small Devices, Large Changes: Investigating the Impact of a University-Government 3D-Printed Assistive Technology Program on Residents with Disabilities

  Krystal Yangmengzi Zhang, Erin Higgins, Agnny Vannessa Morant, Foad Hamidi · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates a DIY Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) program created through a collaboration between a university makerspace at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the Maryland Department of Disabilities Assistive Technology (MDOD-AT) program. Using an…

  DIY assistive technology · 3D printing · action research · makerspace · university-government collaboration

• Exploring AI-Fabrication in Shaping the Future of DIY-AT Design: Insights from Makers

  Leila Aflatoony, Mixuan Li, Yiyun Zhang, Irene Jacob, Shujian Xu, Ziqi Tang, Andre Grossberg · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how generative AI can support Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (DIY-AT) design and fabrication. The researchers developed a web-based GenAI interface that combines text-to-image generation (via MidJourney) and image-to-3D model conversion (via Meshy…

  assistive technology · generative AI · digital fabrication · 3D printing · DIY assistive technology

• "An Old Bastard in Bright Orange Satin!": Zuzenna's Aphasia Diary: And Lessons Learned from DIY Augmentative and Alternative Communication

  Humphrey Curtis, Filip Bircanin, Timothy Neate · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a four-month qualitative study of Zuzenna, a stroke survivor living with aphasia in North London, and her self-made DIY communication diary that serves as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. Against a backdrop of widespread AAC…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · DIY assistive technology · single-subject study · stroke recovery

• Making and Accessibility: A Systematic Literature Review on the Multilayered Dimensions of Accessible Making

  Saquib Sarwar, David Wilson · 2025 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic literature review examines the intersection of making/fabrication and accessibility through analysis of 113 papers published at ACM conferences between 2010 and 2023. The authors investigate three research questions: which disability communities are represented,…

  systematic literature review · making · fabrication · DIY assistive technology · makerspaces

• Barriers and Benefits: The Path to Accessible Makerspaces

  Katherine H. Allen, Audrey K. Balaska, Reuben M. Aronson, Chris Rogers, Elaine Schaertl Short · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper investigates the intersection of makerspace culture and the disability community, exploring how makerspaces can better support the development of assistive technologies by and for disabled makers. The researchers conducted eleven semi-structured interviews with two…

  makerspaces · DIY assistive technology · co-design · inclusion · accessibility barriers

• Towards a Social Justice Aligned Makerspace: Co-designing Custom Assistive Technology within a University Ecosystem

  Higgins, Erin, Oliver, Zaria, Hamidi, Foad · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper explores how university makerspaces can serve as sites for co-designing custom Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (DIY-AT) while simultaneously engaging with social justice issues faced by students with disabilities. Conducted at the University of Maryland, Baltimore…

  DIY assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · makerspaces · co-design

• Supporting Social Inclusion with DIY-ATs: Perspectives of Kenyan Caregivers of Children with Cognitive Disabilities

  Foad Hamidi, Patrick Mbullo, Michaela Hynie, Melanie Baljko · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper examines how DIY assistive technologies (DIY-ATs) can support social inclusion for children with cognitive disabilities in Western Kenya, drawing on interviews with 12 female primary caregivers. The research is part of a multi-year participatory design project…

  DIY assistive technology · cognitive disabilities · AAC · social inclusion · low- and middle-income countries

• Creating 3D Printed Assistive Technology Through Design Shortcuts: Leveraging Digital Fabrication Services to Incorporate 3D Printing into the Physical Therapy Classroom

  Erin Higgins, William Berkley Easley, Karen L. Gordes, Amy Hurst, Foad Hamidi · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates how to integrate 3D printing into physical therapy (PT) education without requiring PT students to become experts in CAD or digital fabrication. Previous research showed that while 3D printing has great potential for creating customized assistive…

  3D printing · assistive technology · digital fabrication · physical therapy · education

• Low-Cost Tactile Coloring Page Fabrication on a Cutting Machine: Assembly and user experiences of cardstock-layered tangible pictures

  Nicole Johnson, Tom Yeh, Ann Cunningham · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This short paper presents a design inquiry into using a consumer-grade Cricut cutting machine to create tactile pictures and coloring pages by layering cardstock, as a low-cost alternative to traditional tactile image production methods. The technique, developed over three…

  tactile graphics · blindness · low vision · early learning · DIY assistive technology

• Teaching Digital Fabrication to Early Intervention Specialists for Designing Their Own Tools

  Florian Güldenpfennig, Peter Fikar, Roman Ganhör · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This demonstration paper describes a co-design project in which researchers from New Design University and TU Wien taught basic digital fabrication skills to four experienced early intervention therapists who work with children with cerebral visual impairment (CVI). CVI is an…

  digital fabrication · DIY assistive technology · co-design · early intervention · cerebral visual impairment

• Bespoke Reflections: Creating a One-Handed Braille Keyboard

  Kirsten Ellis, Ross De Vent, Reuben Kirkham, Patrick Olivier · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper documents an 18-month co-design process to build a one-handed braille keyboard for Ross, a blind person who lost the use of his right arm following a stroke at age five. Most assistive technologies are designed for single impairment groups, leaving people with…

  bespoke assistive technology · DIY assistive technology · braille · co-design · blindness

• Designing a Low-cost Finger Wearable Audio-tactile Device

  Arshad Nasser · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract describes the iterative design of ColorTact, a finger-worn wearable device that provides audio annotations when users explore tactile diagrams. The device addresses a fundamental limitation of conventional tactile graphics: they can only…

  assistive technology · tactile graphics · wearable technology · audio description · visual impairment

• Making Nonvisually: Lessons from the Field

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Abigale Stangl, Alexa F. Siu, Joshua A. Miele · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This experience report shares lessons from a team of researchers, activists, and blind makers who conducted workshops introducing Arduino electronics to blind hobbyists and guided assembly of an accessible voltmeter prototype. The authors — including blind HCI researcher Cynthia…

  maker movement · blind · DIY assistive technology · Arduino · participatory design

• Making "Making" Accessible

  Amy Hurst · 2018 · Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This keynote abstract presents Amy Hurst's research program on making DIY (Do-It-Yourself) assistive technology creation accessible to end-users, clinicians, and caregivers. The talk addresses a fundamental problem: a large percentage of assistive technologies end up unused or…

  DIY assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · assistive technology abandonment · maker movement

• Improving the Academic Inclusion of a Student with Special Needs at University Bordeaux

  John J. Kelway, Anke M. Brock, Pascal Guitton, Aurélie Millet, Yasushi Nakata · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This experience report describes a collaborative effort between accessibility researchers, student support services (PHASE), and a motor and speech-disabled student (YN) at the University of Bordeaux to improve his academic participation. YN, over 60 years old, acquired a severe…

  3D printing · assistive technology · text entry · motor disability · higher education

• "Wear It Loud": How and Why Hearing Aid and Cochlear Implant Users Customize Their Devices

  Halley P. Profita, Abigale Stangl, Laura Matuszewska, Sigrunn Sky, Raja Kushalnagar, Shaun K. Kane · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates why and how hearing aid and cochlear implant users aesthetically customize their devices, exploring the intersection of assistive technology, identity, and social acceptability. The research addresses a significant problem: hearing aid abandonment rates…

  hearing aids · cochlear implants · deafness · DIY assistive technology · social acceptability

• Cyborg Pride: Self-Design in e-NABLE

  Peregrine Hawthorn, Daniel Ashbrook · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This experience report documents the journey of Peregrine Hawthorn, born without fingers on his left hand, from being a recipient of a 3D-printed e-NABLE prosthetic hand to becoming an active designer, fabricator, and advocate for self-efficacy within the e-NABLE community.…

  3D printing · DIY assistive technology · prosthetics · disability identity · self-determination

• "But, I Don't Want/Need a Power Wheelchair": Toward Accessible Power Assistance for Manual Wheelchairs

  Dafne Zuleima Morgado Ramirez, Catherine Holloway · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper explores the needs, expectations, and experiences of manual wheelchair users regarding power assist devices — motorized attachments that augment a manual wheelchair's propulsion without converting it into a full power wheelchair. Manual wheelchair users face…

  wheelchair accessibility · assistive technology · participatory design · physical disability · spinal cord injury