Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
19 results found tagged digital fabrication.
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Low-Cost Tactile Coloring Page Fabrication on a Cutting Machine: Assembly and user experiences of cardstock-layered tangible pictures
This short paper presents a design inquiry into using a consumer-grade Cricut cutting machine to create tactile pictures and coloring pages by layering cardstock, as a low-cost alternative to traditional tactile image production methods. The techniqu…
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Creating 3D Printed Assistive Technology Through Design Shortcuts: Leveraging Digital Fabrication Services to Incorporate 3D Printing into the Physical Therapy Classroom
This paper investigates how to integrate 3D printing into physical therapy (PT) education without requiring PT students to become experts in CAD or digital fabrication. Previous research showed that while 3D printing has great potential for creating …
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Towards a Social Justice Aligned Makerspace: Co-designing Custom Assistive Technology within a University Ecosystem
This paper explores how university makerspaces can serve as sites for co-designing custom Do-It-Yourself assistive technology (DIY-AT) while simultaneously engaging with social justice issues faced by students with disabilities. Conducted at the Univ…
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Barriers and Benefits: The Path to Accessible Makerspaces
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-stru…
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Exploring AI-Fabrication in Shaping the Future of DIY-AT Design: Insights from Makers
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 m…
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Small Devices, Large Changes: Investigating the Impact of a University-Government 3D-Printed Assistive Technology Program on Residents with Disabilities
This paper investigates a DIY Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) program created through a collaboration between a university makerspace at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC) and the Maryland Department of Disabilities Assistive Technolog…
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Investigating the Implications of 3D Printing in Special Education
This paper investigates the use of 3D printing in special education settings through case studies at three sites serving students with cognitive, motor, and visual impairments, and presents GripFab, a simplified 3D modeling tool designed for occupati…
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Designing Accessible Adaptations for an Electronic Toolkit with Blind and Low Vision Users
This paper presents the co-design and evaluation of accessible adaptations to an existing modular electronic toolkit (Bricktronics) to make electronics learning accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users. Computational and electronics toolkits ar…
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An Ecosystem of Support: A U.S. State Government-Supported DIY-AT Program for Residents with Disabilities
This paper documents an Action Research study in which the authors collaborated with the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD) to launch and study a state-level Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) program. The program connected people w…