Sense and Accessibility

Abstract

Sensing technologies that implicitly and explicitly mediate digital experiences are an increasingly pervasive part of daily living; it is vital to ensure that these technologies work appropriately for people with physical disabilities. We conducted on online survey with 40 adults with physical disabilities, gathering open-ended descriptions about respondents' experiences with a variety of sensing systems, including motion sensors, biometric sensors, speech input, as well as touch and gesture systems. We present fndings regarding the many challenges status quo sensing systems present for people with physical disabilities, as well as the ways in which our participants responded to these challenges. We conclude by refecting on the signifcance of these fndings for defning a future research agenda for creating more inclusive sensing systems. CCS CONCEPTS • Human-centered computing → Ubiquitous and mobile computing; Accessibility; • Computing methodologies → Artifcial intelligence; • Social and professional topics → People with disabilities.

Telehealth and digital health innovations: A mixed landscape of access

“…Physical interfaces and apps provided with these technologies may be partly or wholly accessible to people with disabilities. In addition, they may encode hidden assumptions, such as not allowing for certain heights above a certain age, excluding people with dwarfism [46]. They demarcate "what it means to be a legible human and whose bodies, actions, and lives fall outside.…”

“…Home monitoring apps and devices such as Fitbit, Strava, and Continuous Glucose Monitors are another important example of inaccessible telehealth technologies. For example, Fitbits may not count exercise in a wheelchair as fitness time [46], encoding activity assumptions about what behaviors count. Furthermore, when digital health technologies are introduced, they often fail to reach the audience who would benefit from them the most due to limited awareness, resource or infrastructure constraints to support the technologies, and perceived benefits to adopt and continue use.…”