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• Robot Characters: Co-Designing Dynamic Personalities for Cognitively Assistive Robots

  Dagoberto Cruz-Sandoval, Alyssa Kubota, Connie Guan, Soyon Kim, Laurel D. Riek · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction

  The paper introduces the concept of a "robot character" — a holistic, context-sensitive framing of robot personality that extends beyond trait-based models such as Big Five by incorporating shared interests, cultural background, lived experiences, and environmental factors. To…

  cognitively assistive robots · robot personality · co-design · inclusive design · dementia

• Exploring the Role of Generative AI in Dementia Resilience Building Activities: Uncovering Opportunities and Challenges

  Sushant Kot, Margi Engineer, Elizabeth Gilman, Christopher Flathmann, Alisha Pradhan, Emma Dixon · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

  This qualitative HCI study examines how people with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild-to-moderate dementia envision using commercially available generative AI applications in everyday life. Rather than designing for this population from the outside, the researchers…

  dementia · generative AI · large language models · resilience · cognitive accessibility

• 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

• Challenges in Automatic Speech Recognition for Adults with Cognitive Impairment

  Michelle Cohn, Alyssa Lanzi, Yui Ishihara, Chen-Nee Chuah, Georgia Zellou, Alyssa Weakley · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper quantifies how well state-of-the-art automatic speech recognition (ASR) handles voice commands produced by older adults with cognitive impairment, and asks which acoustic features actually predict transcription accuracy. The authors draw on the Voice…

  automatic speech recognition · ASR · dementia · Alzheimer's disease · mild cognitive impairment

• Let's Make a Community [of Practice]: Using Community-Based Participatory Design to Support Interdependence

  Elaine Czech, Dan Bennett, Grace Jane Stangroome, Vanessa Aisyahsari Hanschke, Amy Ingold, Paul Marshall, Oussama Metatla · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Accessibility and HCI research on dementia has moved away from the medical-model framing of 'recipients of care' toward dementia-friendly communities, interdependence, and person-centred support. But Czech and colleagues note a gap: most of this work designs interventions…

  dementia · aging · participatory design · community-based participatory design · interdependence

• Shared Stories, Shared Bonds: People with Dementia Exploring Generative AI Together

  Teis Arets, Maarten Houben, Fleur van Haeren, Wijnand IJsselsteijn, Giulia Perugia · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This paper reports on a qualitative workshop study examining how people living with mild to moderate dementia engage with three generative AI tools - Microsoft Copilot (text), Midjourney (images), and Suno (music) - in a group setting, and what forms of social connectedness…

  dementia · generative AI · social connectedness · cognitive accessibility · aging

• Collaborative AI Scaffolding for Structured Drawing in Dementia Care: A Feasibility Study

  Hui-Lien Huang, I-Ping Chen · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstract reports a one-on-one feasibility study of a tablet-based AI drawing tool for older adults with dementia, conducted at a day-care centre in Taiwan. The system pairs a Google Gemini vision-language model (VLM) with Azure text-to-speech to deliver…

  dementia · older adults · human-AI collaboration · human-in-the-loop · vision-language model

• Adapting UX Research for People Living with Alzheimer's, Dementia, and MCI: Improving the UX Research Process for Participants

  Krista D. Kleban · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This practitioner-focused paper shares first-hand lessons from conducting UX research with people living with Alzheimer's disease, other forms of dementia, and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). The author, a UX researcher at the Alzheimer's Association with four years of…

  cognitive accessibility · dementia · Alzheimer's · UX research · usability testing

• Exploring Videoconferencing for Older Adults with Cognitive Concerns Using a Dramaturgical Lens

  Ruipu Hu, Ge Gao, Amanda Lazar · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper examines how older adults with cognitive concerns — ranging from subjective cognitive complaints to diagnosed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and early-stage dementia — experience videoconferencing platforms like Zoom. Using Erving Goffman's dramaturgical framework…

  cognitive accessibility · older adults · videoconferencing · mild cognitive impairment · dementia

• Cognitive Accessibility of Digital Payments: A Literature Review

  Jiamin Dai, John Miedema, Sebastian Hernandez, Alexandra Sutton-Lalani, Karyn Moffatt · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This literature review examines 30 scholarly publications (2012-2022) to characterize the cognitive accessibility challenges and design strategies for digital payments, focusing on the experiences of older adults and people with neurodiverse needs including dementia,…

  cognitive accessibility · financial technology · digital payments · banking accessibility · older adults

• Enriching Social Sharing for the Dementia Community: Insights from In-Person and Online Social Programs

  Jiamin Dai, Karyn Moffatt · 2023 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents a comparative study of in-person and virtual social programs for people with dementia, examining how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed community-based social engagement. The research centers on "Tales & Travels," a storytelling program hosted by the Westmount…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · social computing · videoconferencing · caregivers

• Applying Technology in a Hybrid-Fashion to Create Dementia-Inclusive Community Spaces

  Elaine Czech · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents PhD research exploring how technology can improve accessibility to community spaces and social programs for people living with dementia (PLWD) and their informal carers. The work is grounded in the growing practice of social prescribing —…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · social prescribing · community-based design · hybrid spaces

• "Just like meeting in person" - Examination of interdependencies in dementia-friendly virtual activities

  Elaine Czech, Paul Marshall, Oussama Metatla · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper examines how dementia-friendly social programs delivered by cultural and social organizations were adapted to virtual formats during the COVID-19 pandemic, and what this reveals about the interdependencies that make such programs successful. The researchers apply and…

  dementia · social inclusion · virtual programs · interdependence · COVID-19

• Mobile Phone Use by People with Mild to Moderate Dementia: Uncovering Challenges and Identifying Opportunities

  Mark Dixon, Jess Hartcher-O'Brien, Amanda Lazar, Leah Findlater · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper investigates how people with mild to moderate dementia use mobile phones in their daily lives, going beyond the common research focus on dementia-specific assistive apps to examine mainstream smartphone use. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with 14…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · mobile phones · qualitative research · user interviews

• Understanding How Sensory Changes Experienced by Individuals with a Range of Age-Related Cognitive Changes Can Affect Technology Use

  Emma Dixon, Amanda Lazar · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study investigates how sensory changes experienced by people with age-related cognitive changes—including dementia, mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and subjective cognitive decline (SCD)—affect their technology use. The researchers conducted interviews with 22…

  dementia · cognitive accessibility · mild cognitive impairment · sensory changes · older adults

• Inclusive Improvisation: Exploring the Line between Listening and Playing Music

  Alon Ilsar, Gail Kenning, Sam Trolland, Ciaran Frame · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper explores how Digital Musical Instruments (DMIs) designed for professional performance can be adapted into Accessible Digital Musical Instruments (ADMIs) with minimal hardware and software changes. The authors present the AirSticks, a gestural instrument originally…

  accessible digital musical instruments · ADMI · gesture recognition · music accessibility · improvisation

• Investigating Best Practices for Remote Summative Usability Testing with People with Mild to Moderate Dementia

  Rachel Wood, Emma Dixon, Salma Elsayed-Ali, Ekta Shokeen, Amanda Lazar, Jonathan Lazar · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study is the first to examine best practices for conducting remote summative usability testing with people who have mild to moderate dementia, independent of their caregivers. The research included 15 participants (5 pilot, 10 main study) with an average age of 64,…

  dementia · usability testing · remote research · cognitive accessibility · older adults

• The Role of Sensory Changes in Everyday Technology use by People with Mild to Moderate Dementia

  Emma Dixon, Amanda Lazar · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This qualitative study investigates how sensory changes associated with dementia interact with everyday technology use — a topic almost entirely overlooked in prior research, which has focused predominantly on cognitive support such as memory aids, task simplification, and…

  dementia · sensory changes · everyday technology · personalization · cognitive accessibility

• Inclusive improvisation through sound and movement mapping: from DMI to ADMI

  Alon Ilsar, Gail Kenning · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents a case study of adapting the AirSticks, a gestural Digital Musical Instrument (DMI) designed for expert percussionists, into an Accessible Digital Musical Instrument (ADMI) for people with disabilities. The AirSticks use Razer Hydra virtual reality gaming…

  music accessibility · accessible digital musical instruments · gesture interaction · inclusive design · dementia

• Designing Personalized Therapy Tools for People with Dementia

  Sérgio Alves, Filipa Brito, Andreia Cordeiro, Luís Carriço, Tiago Guerreiro · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the iterative design and clinical deployment of Scrapbook, a web platform that supports psychologists in conducting personalized reminiscence therapy and cognitive stimulation sessions for people with dementia using biographical materials. The work is…

  dementia · cognitive stimulation · reminiscence therapy · personalization · caregivers

• Narratives of Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment and Their Caregivers

  Galina Madjaroff, Helena Mentis · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper examines how the narratives — the stories people tell about their lives and experiences — of older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their spousal caregivers shape and are shaped by technology in the home. MCI is defined as a noticeable decrement in…

  cognitive impairment · dementia · caregiving · aging · home-based technology

• AMI: An Adaptable Music Interface to Support the Varying Needs of People with Dementia

  P. Frazer Seymour, Justin Matejka, Geoff Foulds, Ihor Petelycky, Fraser Anderson · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper presents AMI (Adaptable Music Interface), a tangible, modular music player designed to be reconfigured by caregivers to match the changing needs and preferences of individuals with dementia. Over 46 million people worldwide live with dementia, a progressive syndrome…

  dementia · tangible interaction · music accessibility · personalization · aging

• Speech Interaction with Personal Assistive Robots Supporting Aging at Home for Individuals with Alzheimer's Disease

  Frank Rudzicz, Rosalie Wang, Momotaz Begum, Alex Mihailidis · 2015 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This study examines speech-based interaction between older adults with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and a mobile assistive robot called ED, designed to help with activities of daily living. The research addresses a critical healthcare challenge: many nations lack capacity to support…

  Alzheimer's disease · dementia · assistive robotics · speech recognition · aging in place

• Friendsourcing the Unmet Needs of People with Dementia

  João Martins, José Carilho, Oliver Schnell, Carlos Duarte, Francisco M. Couto, Luís Carriço, Tiago Guerreiro · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a system that combines automatic smartphone-based lifelogging with friendsourcing — a form of crowdsourcing limited to a trusted social network — to create a cognitive prosthesis for people with dementia (PwD). With an estimated 35 million people affected…

  dementia · cognitive prosthesis · friendsourcing · crowdsourcing · reminiscence therapy

• Automatic Task Assistance for People with Cognitive Disabilities in Brushing Teeth - A User Study with the TEBRA System

  Christian Peters, Thomas Hermann, Sven Wachsmuth, Jesse Hoey · 2014 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents TEBRA (TEeth BRushing Assistance), an Assistive Technology for Cognition (ATC) system that supports people with moderate cognitive disabilities in brushing their teeth independently. The research addresses a fundamental challenge: people with cognitive…

  cognitive disability · assistive technology · activities of daily living · dementia · intellectual disability