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• The Intersecting Liminality of Technology Adoption and Disability during Life Transitions

  Eliane Figueira, Chaima Jemmali, Kristen Shinohara · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces the concept of "intersecting liminality" to explain how people with disabilities navigate technology adoption during major life transitions. The research combines two complementary studies: semi-structured interviews with 22 blind and low vision (BLV) older…

  life transitions · liminality · technology adoption · blind and low vision · older adults

• Bridging the Digital Divide: Enhancing Digital Inclusion of Blind or Partially Sighted and Deaf or Hard of Hearing Individuals in Low- and Middle-Income Countries through Smartphones as Assistive Technology

  Maryam Bandukda, Mary Caroline Yuk, Giulia Barbareschi, Laxmi Gunupudi, Vinicius Ramos, Amit Prakash, Satish Mishra, Victoria Austin, Catherine Holloway · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This multi-country study evaluates a two-day scaffolded digital skills training intervention designed to improve smartphone proficiency among blind or partially sighted (BPS) and deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) individuals in Brazil, India, and Kenya. The research recruited 395…

  digital inclusion · digital literacy · LMIC · blind and low vision · deaf and hard of hearing

• Eyes on the Palm: Investigating a Ring-Shaped Camera for Seamless Accessible Tactile Exploration

  Ayaka Tsutsui, Xiyue Wang, Hironobu Takagi, Yoichi Ochiai, Chieko Asakawa · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Tsutsui and colleagues ask how the form factor of a camera-based assistive device shapes the way blind and low-vision (BLV) users coordinate their hands during tactile exploration of real museum exhibits. Smartphone apps such as Seeing AI and Be My AI are designed around a…

  wearable technology · assistive technology · blindness and low vision · visual impairment · tactile exploration

• AXECC: Benchmarking the Privacy and Accessibility Impact of Browser Extensions

  James Clarke, Maryam Mehrnezhad, Ehsan Toreini · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Privacy and Security

  This paper presents AXECC, a novel automated framework for jointly measuring the web-tracking behaviour and accessibility impact of browser extensions at scale. The authors argue that while browser extensions are widely installed to improve the browsing experience, including by…

  browser extensions · web tracking · privacy · accessibility testing · automated testing

• Robots for Older Adults: A Scoping Review

  Samuel A. Olatunji, Yao-Lin Tsai, Saathveek A. Gowrishankar, Megan A. Bayles, Wendy A. Rogers · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction

  This mixed-method scoping review in the ACM Journal of Human-Robot Interaction establishes the state of the science for robots supporting older adults, covering 205 empirical studies published from 2010 through 2022. The review follows PRISMA reporting guidelines and the Budgen…

  human-robot interaction · robots · older adults · aging · assistive technology

• Multi-Perspective Visual Contrastive Decoding for Reliable Assistance

  Bocheng Pan, Hailong Shi, Xingyu Gao · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Internet of Things

  This technical paper presents MPVCD (Multi-Perspective Visual Contrastive Decoding), a framework designed to address the reliability of AI-generated visual descriptions for people who are blind or have low vision (BLV). The core problem it tackles: when BLV users photograph…

  blindness and low vision · multimodal AI · image captioning · visual hallucination · assistive technology

• The EasyCog Dataset: Towards Easier Cognitive Assessment with Passive Video Watching

  Qingyong Hu, Yuxuan Zhou, Jinjian Wang, Yanbin Gong, Yizhen Zhang, Jingnan Sun, Jian Yao, Qijia Shao, Lili Qiu, Qian Zhang, Guihua Li · 2026 · Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies

  This paper introduces EasyCog, the first large-scale multimodal dataset designed for low-burden, low-cost cognitive assessment using passive visual engagement. The core motivation is to address well-documented limitations of standard clinical cognitive tests such as the Montreal…

  cognitive accessibility · cognitive assessment · EEG · eye tracking · dementia

• Rethinking Interdependence in HCI: A Systematic Literature Review for Understanding its Use in Accessibility Studies

  Zeynep Yildiz, Kathrin Gerling · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper presents a PRISMA-guided systematic literature review of 70 HCI accessibility papers that engage with the concept of interdependence, examining how the field has conceptualized and applied it. The authors started from 894 papers in the ACM Digital Library, screening…

  interdependence · disability studies · disability activism · systematic review · HCI

• A11y-CUA Dataset: Characterizing the Accessibility Gap in Computer Use Agents

  Ananya Gubbi Mohanbabu, Rosiana Natalie, Brandon Kim, Anhong Guo, Amy Pavel · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  A11y-CUA is an open dataset and benchmark designed to expose the accessibility gap in Computer Use Agents (CUAs) — AI systems like OpenAI Operator, Anthropic Computer Use, and Microsoft Copilot that operate computers by taking screenshots and performing mouse/keyboard actions.…

  blind and low vision · computer use agents · large language models · assistive technology · screen readers

• Accessibility-Driven Information Transformations in Mixed-Visual Ability Work Teams

  Yichun Zhao, Miguel A. Nacenta, Mahadeo A. Sukhai, Sowmya Somanath · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper presents a five-day diary study with follow-up interviews and two focus groups, examining how mixed-visual ability work teams perform accessibility-driven information transformations. The authors recruited 30 participants (18 BLV, 12 sighted) across seven teams…

  blind and low vision · workplace accessibility · mixed-ability teams · diary study · invisible work

• The Three Praxes Framework — A Thematic Review and Map of Social Accessibility Research

  JiWoong (Joon) Jang, Patrick Carrington, Andrew Begel · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper by Jang, Carrington, and Begel (Carnegie Mellon) offers a thematic review and conceptual map of fifteen years of "social accessibility" research in HCI—the body of work, inaugurated by Shinohara and Wobbrock in 2011, that studies how disability is experienced…

  social accessibility · disability justice · critical technical practice · research framework · literature review

• Finding the Signal in the Noise: An Exploratory Study on Assessing the Effectiveness of AI and Accessibility Forums for Blind Users' Support Needs

  Satwik Ram Kodandaram, Jiawei Zhou, Xiaojun Bi, IV Ramakrishnan, Vikas Ashok · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This exploratory interview study with 14 blind screen-reader users examines how they use accessibility-focused online forums (JFW, NVDA groups, AppleVis, r/Blind) and generative AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude) to troubleshoot computer-interaction problems, learn new assistive…

  blind users · screen readers · accessibility forums · generative AI · ChatGPT

• Shared Control for Game Accessibility: Understanding Current Human Cooperation Practices to Inform the Design of Partial Automation Solutions

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Matteo Manzoni, Filippo Corti, Sergio Mascetti · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper investigates 'shared control' in video games — an accessibility practice in which a player with a disability (the 'pilot') delegates inaccessible game actions to another agent (the 'copilot') so the pair jointly drive a single character. Shared control is…

  game accessibility · shared control · partial automation · human-AI collaboration · motor disability

• Improving Low-Vision Chart Accessibility via On-Cursor Visual Context

  Yotam Sechayk, Hennes Rave, Max Rädler, Mark Colley, Zhongyi Zhou, Ariel Shamir, Takeo Igarashi · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Charts remain largely inaccessible to Low-Vision Individuals (LVI) because reading them requires holding both fine-grained data details and the broader visual context — axes, legend, grid lines, overview — in view at the same time, a task that magnification and restricted fields…

  low vision · data visualization · chart accessibility · assistive technology · screen magnification

• I-VAMOS: Independent Voting with Accessible Multimodal Offline System for Visually Impaired Users

  Gyeongdeok Kim, Chungman Lim, Gyungmin Jin, Gunhyuk Park · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper introduces I-VAMOS, an offline multimodal voting assistance system designed to enable blind and low-vision (BLV) voters to cast paper ballots independently and secretly. The authors situate their work in the constitutional right to a secret ballot, noting that BLV…

  blind and low vision · voting · optical character recognition · multimodal feedback · auditory feedback

• Imagine, Interact: Eliciting Accessible Interactions from Users with Motor Impairments via Imagined Input Devices

  Radu-Daniel Vatavu, Ovidiu-Ciprian Ungurean · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper reports an end-user gesture elicitation study with eleven participants with upper-body motor impairments - including spinal cord injury, spina bifida, multiple sclerosis, cerebral palsy, Parkinson's, and traumatic brain injury - who were asked to imagine input devices…

  motor impairment · gesture input · end-user elicitation · imagined devices · ability-based design

• Resilience to Disruption: Accessible Navigation for People with Visual Impairment

  Trevor Cross, Ishani Pandey, Sophia S Jit, Robert Soden, Priyank Chandra · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper investigates how people with visual impairments (PwVI) actually navigate urban environments, especially during severe weather events such as snowstorms, high winds, and icy conditions, and how digital navigation technologies do or do not support those practices. The…

  blind and low vision · navigation · wayfinding · orientation and mobility · crisis informatics

• Towards Accessible Mobility Support: User-Centered Design of a Passive, Multi-Functional, Low-Cost Knee Exoskeleton

  Yuyu Lin, Yujia Liu, Emma Kim, Alexandra Ion · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Lin et al. (Carnegie Mellon) propose a fully passive, unpowered knee exoskeleton that aims to sit in the gap between two unsatisfying options currently available to people with mobility impairments: static knee-ankle-foot orthoses (KAFOs), which are cheap and light but lock the…

  exoskeleton · orthosis · knee brace · mobility · rehabilitation

• When Assistive Technologies become Provocations: Unpacking Access in HCI practices using Crip Technoscience, Mouth Interfaces, and XR

  Puneet Jain, Ayush Sharma, Sidharth Chaudhary, Vivek Rawat, Akhilesh Kumar Bhagat, Kratika Jain, Christian Bayerlein, Christopher Lloyd Salter, Gowdham Prabhakar · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reframes assistive technology as political provocation rather than technical fix. Developed in long-term collaboration with two disabled artists - Eric Desrosiers (muscular dystrophy) and Christian Bayerlein (spinal muscular atrophy), both mouth-operated…

  crip technoscience · extended reality · XR accessibility · mouth interface · provocation

• Infrastructuring for Access: Co-Designing Writing Tools with a Dyslexic Academic

  Emily Q. Wang, Aron S. Marie · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Wang and Marie propose Infrastructuring for Access, a design approach that weaves together HCI's infrastructuring theory (Star, Pipek, Ruhleder) with Disability Studies' critique of ableism and with Repair Studies. Unlike Universal Design and Ability-Based Design, which focus on…

  dyslexia · print disability · writing tools · spell checkers · infrastructuring

• "We Figure It Out Together": A Framework for Relational Communication in Disabled and Neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ Romantic Partnerships

  Kirk Andrew Crawford, Foad Hamidi · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Crawford and Hamidi investigate how disabled and neurodivergent LGBTQIA+ romantic partners collaboratively build and sustain communication practices over time, an area largely overlooked in HCI research that has tended to focus on single points in time or on specific…

  cognitive accessibility · neurodiversity · LGBTQIA+ · disability · intersectionality

• 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)

  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…

  technology-rich learning · accessibility · makerspaces · belonging · disability

• From Struggle to Success: Context-Aware Guidance for Screen Reader Users in Computer Use

  Nan Chen, Jing Lu, Zilong Wang, Luna K. Qiu, Siming Chen, Yuqing Yang · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Chen, Lu, Wang, Qiu, Chen and Yang present AskEase, an NVDA add-on that delivers on-demand, step-by-step, screen-reader-friendly guidance for blind and low-vision computer users tackling unfamiliar desktop software. The work responds to a persistent problem: mainstream tutorials…

  accessibility · screen readers · AI · LLM · assistive technology

• Do-It-Yourself AAC: Co-Designing User-Programmable AI Communication Tools with People with Aphasia

  Jong Ho Lee, Stephanie Valencia · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Lee and Valencia explore how people with aphasia (PWA) can become designers of their own AI-powered augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools rather than users of rigid, pre-built systems. The authors note that aphasia, a language disorder typically resulting from…

  aphasia · AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · end-user programming · generative AI

• I'm Always a Little Skeptical of It: Verification Practices of Blind Users When Working with Generative AI in Spreadsheets

  Minoli Perera, Swamy Ananthanarayan, Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper reports a remote study with 12 blind screen reader users (11 totally blind, 1 legally blind) examining how they verify outputs produced by Generative AI tools when working on accuracy-critical spreadsheet tasks. Spreadsheets are pervasive in workplace and…

  blindness · screen readers · Generative AI · spreadsheets · AI accessibility