Accessibility research has grown substantially in the past few decades, yet there has been no literature review of the field. To understand current and historical trends, we created and analyzed a dataset of accessibility papers appearing at CHI and ASSETS since ASSETS’ founding in 1994. We qualitatively coded areas of focus and methodological decisions for the past 10 years (2010-2019, N=506 papers), and analyzed paper counts and keywords over the full 26 years (N=836 papers). Our findings highlight areas that have received disproportionate attention and those that are underserved—for example, over 43% of papers in the past 10 years are on accessibility for blind and low vision people. We also capture common study characteristics, such as the roles of disabled and nondisabled participants as well as sample sizes (e.g., a median of 13 for participant groups with disabilities and older adults). We close by critically reflecting on gaps in the literature and offering guidance for future work in the field.

What Do We Mean by “Accessibility Research”?: A Literature Survey of Accessibility Papers in CHI and ASSETS from 1994 to 2019

Accessibility research has grown substantially in the past few decades, yet there has been no literature review of the field. To understand current and historical trends, we created and analyzed a dataset of accessibility papers appearing at CHI and ASSETS since ASSETS' founding in 1994. We qualitatively coded areas of focus and methodological decisions for the past 10 years (2010-2019, N=506 papers), and analyzed paper counts and keywords over the full 26 years (N=836 papers). Our findings highlight areas that have received disproportionate attention and those that are underserved--for example, over 43% of papers in the past 10 years are on accessibility for blind and low vision people. We also capture common study characteristics, such as the roles of disabled and nondisabled participants as well as sample sizes (e.g., a median of 13 for participant groups with disabilities and older adults). We close by critically reflecting on gaps in the literature and offering guidance for future work in the field.

What Do We Mean by "Accessibility Research"? A Literature Survey of Accessibility Papers in CHI and ASSETS from 1994 to 2019

Artificial Intelligence (AI) education is an increasingly popular topic area for K-12 teachers. However, little research has investigated how AI education can be designed to be more accessible to all learners. We organized co-design workshops with 15 K-12 teachers to identify opportunities to integrate AI education into core curriculum to leverage learners' interests. During the co-design workshops, teachers and researchers co-created lesson plans where AI concepts were embedded into various core subjects. We found that K-12 teachers need additional scaffolding in the curriculum to facilitate ethics and data discussions, and value supports for learner engagement, collaboration, and reflection. We identify opportunities for researchers and teachers to collaborate to make AI education more accessible, and present an exemplar lesson plan that shows entry points for teaching AI in non-computing subjects. We also reflect on co-designing with K-12 teachers in a remote setting.

Engaging Teachers to Co-Design Integrated AI Curriculum for K-12 Classrooms.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) education is an increasingly popular topic area for K-12 teachers. However, little research has investigated how AI curriculum and tools can be designed to be more accessible to all teachers and learners. In this study, we take a Value-Sensitive Design approach to understanding the role of teacher values in the design of AI curriculum and tools, and identifying opportunities to integrate AI into core curriculum to leverage learners’ interests. We organized co-design workshops with 15 K-12 teachers, where teachers and researchers co-created lesson plans using AI tools and embedding AI concepts into various core subjects. We found that K-12 teachers need additional scaffolding in AI tools and curriculum to facilitate ethics and data discussions, and value supports for learner evaluation and engagement, peer-to-peer collaboration, and critical reflection. We present an exemplar lesson plan that shows entry points for teaching AI in non-computing subjects and reflect on co-designing with K-12 teachers in a remote setting.

Engaging Teachers to Co-Design Integrated AI Curriculum for K-12 Classrooms

"The quest for youth—so futile. Age and wisdom have their graces too."— Jean Luc Picard

It is an increasingly global phenomenon that societies promote the notion of youth as the preferred state.a In stark contrast to the "wise elder" of ages past, today old age is assumed to be marked by loss of physical and cognitive ability, diminished relevance, and as we are sadly seeing with the COVID-19 pandemic, devalued humanity.18 In many ways, it is not surprising that such stereotypes are reflected in our technologies: tech companies compete for territory in an already overcrowded youth market; whereas older adults,b if considered users at all, are offered little more than fall alarms, activity monitors, and senior-friendly (often lower functionality) versions of existing tools. Meanwhile, there is a growing trend of workers aging out of the tech industry as early as their mid-40s,17 reflecting the higher value placed on the perspectives of those who represent the default target demographic.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3431280

The harm in conflating aging with accessibility

Despite improvements in the accessibility of digital technologies and growing numbers of tools designed specifically for older adults, adoption of such tools remains low for this demographic. This workshop aims to explore the contextual factors that contribute to reduced uptake among older adults in order to understand how to design digital technologies that will be appealing to and work for them, fitting with recent calls for more holistic approaches to designing for older adults. Going beyond standard accessibility considerations, and aiming to inform design of technologies for the general population rather than the design of senior-friendly variants of such tools, we will generate a set of principles for developing tools that older adults can and will use.

https://dl.acm.org/doi/pdf/10.1145/3290607.3299025

HCI and Aging: Beyond Accessibility

We seek to engage a broad and diverse audience in discussing emerging challenges in HCI technologies that have potential for significant social impact. In a town hall forum, members of the ACM Technology Policy Council will introduce four emerging challenges for discussion: ethical HCI in global contexts; privacy protection in human-AI interaction; accessible interactions in HCI design; and the environmental impact of HCI. Discussion will be launched with a question from the panel; additional questions will be posted and ranked from the audience. The session will support digital and remote audience participation, and participants will have access to a summary report when the session concludes. These discussions provide an opportunity for CHI members to contribute to emerging policy and governing environments to facilitate ethical, accessible, and environmentally sensitive HCI research, design, and development.

/pdf/hci-ethics-privacy-accessibility-and-the-environment-a-town-3c6k33dvfu.pdf

HCI Ethics, Privacy, Accessibility, and the Environment: A Town Hall Forum on Global Policy Issues

Care home residents are key stakeholders in residential care homes and yet are rarely included in decision making. This study’s objective was to capture the opinions of care home residents ...

Vicki L. Hanson

Papers

The harm in conflating aging with accessibility

HCI and Aging: Beyond Accessibility

HCI Ethics, Privacy, Accessibility, and the Environment: A Town Hall Forum on Global Policy Issues

Effectively including the voice of residents in care home design