Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• A Support Worker Perspective on Use of New Technologies by People with Intellectual Disabilities

  Saminda Sundeepa Balasuriya, Laurianne Sitbon, Margot Brereton (2022) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study examines how support workers and managers at Australian disability community day centres perceive and facilitate technology use by people with intellectual disabilities. The researchers interviewed 15 support workers and 5 mana…

  • intellectual disability
  • support workers
  • technology adoption
  • disability services
  • co-design
  • qualitative research
  • caregivers

• Understanding Disability Services Toward Improving Graduate Student Support

  Murtaza Tamjeed, Vinita Tibdewal, Madison Russell, Michael McQuaid, Tae Oh, Kristen Shinohara (2021) — ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  While approximately 19.5% of U.S. undergraduate students have disabilities, only about 7% of graduate students self-identify as disabled, and just 5.5% of computing doctorate recipients report disabilities. This steep drop-off suggests systemic barri…

  • higher education
  • disability services
  • graduate students
  • ableism
  • accommodations
  • invisible disability
  • institutional barriers
  • computing education

• Accessible Communication and Materials in Higher Education

  Kelly Mack (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This doctoral consortium paper from a researcher at the University of Washington proposes a dissertation addressing two core areas of inaccessibility in higher education: inaccessible course materials (particularly slideshow presentations) and the br…

  • higher education
  • accommodations
  • document accessibility
  • slideshows
  • automated repair
  • disability services
  • universal design for learning
  • accessibility testing

• Maintaining the Accessibility Ecosystem: a Multi-Stakeholder Analysis of Accessibility in Higher Education

  Kelly Avery Mack, Natasha A. Sidik, Aashaka Desai, Emma J. McDonnell, Kunal Mehta, Christina Zhang, Jennifer Mankoff (2023) — Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This short paper examines how accessibility is created and maintained in higher education through the interactions of three key stakeholder groups: disabled students, professors, and disability service (DS) offices. The author team—comprising disable…

  • higher education
  • accommodations
  • disability services
  • accessibility barriers
  • organizational accessibility
  • stakeholder communication
  • autoethnography

• Small Devices, Large Changes: Investigating the Impact of a University-Government 3D-Printed Assistive Technology Program on Residents with Disabilities

  Krystal Yangmengzi Zhang, Erin Higgins, Agnny Vannessa Morant, Foad Hamidi (2025) — ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  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…

  • DIY assistive technology
  • 3D printing
  • action research
  • makerspace
  • university-government collaboration
  • assistive technology distribution
  • disability services
  • digital fabrication
  • community advocacy

• An Ecosystem of Support: A U.S. State Government-Supported DIY-AT Program for Residents with Disabilities

  Erin Higgins, Marie E Sakowicz, Foad Hamidi (2024) — ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  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…

  • assistive technology
  • DIY
  • digital fabrication
  • 3D printing
  • makerspaces
  • action research
  • government policy
  • disability services
  • ecosystem model