Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
37 results found tagged DIY assistive technology.
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Grassroots Maker Perspectives on Participation in Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology Development
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 (Re…
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Beyond the Manual: Mapping Peer-Generated Content about Wheelchair Care and Adaptation on YouTube
This CHI 2026 paper presents a content analysis of 290 YouTube videos (from 194 unique channels, 8,629 initial results narrowed via inclusion/exclusion) and 800 sampled comments from a total 10,781 harvested, examining how wheelchair users and their …
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Not Seeing the Whole Picture: Challenges and Opportunities in Using AI for Co-Making Physical, DIY-AT for People with Visual Impairments
This CHI 2026 paper explores whether an LLM-based conversational agent can act as a co-making partner — not just a visual aid — when people with visual impairments (PVI) build their own physical assistive technology. The authors extended their prior …
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The Flote: An Instrument for People with Limited Mobility
This paper introduces the Flote, a digital wind instrument designed to enable people with limited mobility to play music using only head movement and breath control. Developed at Stanford University through a collaboration between computer science an…
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Empowering Individuals with Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology
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 t…
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Touchplates: Low-Cost Tactile Overlays for Visually Impaired Touch Screen Users
This paper introduces touchplates — inexpensive, unpowered, customizable tactile overlays that can be placed on touch screens to provide physical guides and tactile feedback for blind and visually impaired users. Unlike prior approaches that either o…
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Coming to Grips: 3D Printing for Accessibility
This demonstration paper presents a case study of using consumer-grade 3D printing to create custom assistive devices for a student with limited hand motor ability at a special education facility. The work grew out of a six-month evaluation of making…
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ABC and 3D: Opportunities and Obstacles to 3D Printing in Special Education Environments
This paper presents a formative study exploring how 3D printing can support special education across three diverse sites: a school for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities (Site A), a school for blind and visually impaired students…
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littleBits go LARGE: Making Electronics More Accessible to People with Learning Disabilities
This demo paper presents "littleBits go LARGE," a project that adapts littleBits electronic modules — small, magnetic snap-together electronic components designed to simplify electronics for general audiences — to make them more accessible to people …
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Supporting Social Inclusion with DIY-ATs: Perspectives of Kenyan Caregivers of Children with Cognitive Disabilities
This paper examines how DIY assistive technologies (DIY-ATs) can support social inclusion for children with cognitive disabilities in Western Kenya, drawing on interviews with 12 female primary caregivers. The research is part of a multi-year partici…