Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
32 results found tagged disability studies.
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Disability and Technology: A Critical Realist Perspective
This theoretical paper argues that assistive technology (AT) research typically operates from a reductionist philosophical position, matching functional needs with technological opportunities while failing to address the full complexity of disabled e…
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Interdependence as a Frame for Assistive Technology Research and Design
This influential paper introduces interdependence as a complementary frame to the traditional focus on independence in assistive technology research and design. The authors argue that "independence" — long the unquestioned gold standard of AT design …
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Developing countries; developing experiences: approaches to accessibility for the real world
This paper critically examines the limitations of relying solely on technical accessibility guidelines like WCAG to achieve digital inclusion, particularly in the context of developing countries. The authors argue that the WAI model — which depends o…
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A Challenge to Web Accessibility Metrics and Guidelines: Putting People and Processes First
This influential paper argues that web accessibility is not an intrinsic property of a digital resource but a relational quality determined by the interaction between users, resources, and contexts — shaped by political, social, cultural, and technic…
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Understanding Mental Ill-health as Psychosocial Disability: Implications for Assistive Technology
This paper argues that mental ill-health — including depression, anxiety, and other mental, emotional, or cognitive experiences — should be understood as psychosocial disability and examined through a social model lens rather than exclusively through…
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Living Disability Theory: Reflections on Access, Research, and Design
This paper presents a reflexive autoethnographic analysis by three accessibility researchers (Hofmann, Mankoff, Bennett) and one disability studies scholar (Kasnitz), all of whom are disabled, examining how their lived experiences of disability inter…
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Deinstitutionalizing Independence: Discourses of Disability and Housing in Accessible Computing
This paper uses Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) to examine how the history of institutionalization and deinstitutionalization in the United States shapes contemporary Accessible Computing (AC) research focused on domestic spaces. The authors analyz…
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Chronically Under-Addressed: Considerations for HCI Accessibility Practice with Chronically Ill People
This paper argues that HCI accessibility research has largely overlooked people with chronic illnesses, typically approaching them through a medical lens focused on symptom tracking and treatment compliance rather than recognizing their broader acces…
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Should I Say "Disabled People" or "People with Disabilities"? Language Preferences of Disabled People Between Identity- and Person-First Language
This paper presents the largest empirical study to date on the language preferences of disabled people regarding identity-first language (IFL, e.g., "disabled people") versus person-first language (PFL, e.g., "people with disabilities"). The research…
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Performing Qualitative Data Analysis as a Blind Researcher: Challenges, Workarounds and Design Recommendations
This short paper provides a first-person account from a blind early-career researcher about the significant accessibility barriers encountered when trying to perform qualitative data analysis (QDA). The author, based at IIIT Bangalore, situates the w…