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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

• 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

• Embroidered Braille: Towards Accessible and Inclusive Educational Tools and Everyday Applications

  Pouya M Khorsandi, Sara Nabil · 2026 · CHI EA '26: Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This short CHI Extended Abstracts paper by Khorsandi and Nabil (Queen's University iStudio) stakes out digitally embroidered Braille as a design space for DIY making of accessible everyday artefacts, rather than as another institutional assistive-technology pipeline. The authors…

  braille · digital embroidery · tactile graphics · blind and low vision · DIY

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Transcribing Across the Senses: Community Efforts to Create 3D Printable Accessible Tactile Pictures for Young Children with Visual Impairments

  Abigale Stangl, Chia-Lo Hsu, Tom Yeh · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This formative study investigates how different stakeholder communities approach designing 3D printable accessible tactile pictures (3DP-ATPs) for young children with visual impairments. While 3D printing offers potential to democratize tactile material production—traditionally…

  3D printing · tactile graphics · visual impairment · children · emergent literacy

• Empowering Individuals with Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology

  Amy Hurst, Jasmine Tobias · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates the potential of Do-It-Yourself (DIY) approaches to address the persistent problem of assistive technology abandonment, where 35% or more of purchased AT devices end up unused. The authors argue that empowering non-engineers to create, modify, or build…

  assistive technology · DIY assistive technology · maker culture · 3D printing · rapid prototyping

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