Literature Reviews

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

• (In)Visibility in Disability and Assistive Technology

  Heather A. Faucett, Kate E. Ringland, Amanda L. L. Cullen, Gillian R. Hayes (2017) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents a meta-analysis examining how visibility operates in the experience of disability and the design of assistive technologies. The authors analyze data from three of their previous studies—Autcraft (a Minecraft server for children wi…

  • invisible disability
  • hidden disability
  • stigma
  • assistive technology design
  • identity
  • social interactions
  • disclosure
  • mainstreaming
  • chronic illness

• Understanding Mental Ill-health as Psychosocial Disability: Implications for Assistive Technology

  Kathryn E. Ringland, Jennifer Nicholas, Rachel Kornfield, Emily G. Lattie, David C. Mohr, Madhu Reddy (2019) — Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  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…

  • psychosocial disability
  • mental health
  • depression
  • anxiety
  • social model of disability
  • stigma
  • assistive technology
  • disability studies
  • self-management
  • invisible disability

• Living Disability Theory: Reflections on Access, Research, and Design

  Megan Hofmann, Devva Kasnitz, Jennifer Mankoff, Cynthia L. Bennett (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  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…

  • disability studies
  • ableism
  • autoethnography
  • disability theory
  • accessibility research
  • chronic illness
  • invisible disability
  • intersectionality
  • critical theory

• Mixed Abilities and Varied Experiences: a group autoethnography of a virtual summer internship

  Kelly Mack, Maitraye Das, Dhruv Jain, Danielle Bragg, John Tang, Andrew Begel, Erin Beneteau, Josh Urban Davis, Abraham Glasser, Joon Sung Park, Venkatesh Potluri (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a group autoethnography of Microsoft Research's Ability Team during the summer 2020 virtual internship — the company's first all-remote intern cohort. Eleven team members (6 authors, 5 meta-authors) journaled their experiences ove…

  • remote work
  • mixed-ability teams
  • autoethnography
  • virtual collaboration
  • workplace accessibility
  • access labor
  • allyship
  • invisible disability
  • accommodation
  • video conferencing

• 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

• Navigating STEM Doctoral Programs with ADHD: Barriers, Workflow Challenges, and Adaptive Strategies

  Paul Ezeamii, Kristen Shinohara (2025) — ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how PhD students with ADHD navigate the structural barriers of STEM doctoral programs through a mixed-methods study with 13 participants. The research addresses a significant gap: while the 2023 Survey of Earned Doctorates rep…

  • ADHD
  • neurodiversity
  • cognitive accessibility
  • graduate education
  • executive function
  • disability disclosure
  • accommodation
  • assistive technology
  • invisible disability

• "I Try to Represent Myself as I Am": Self-Presentation Preferences of People with Invisible Disabilities through Embodied Social VR Avatars

  Ria J. Gualano, Lucy Jiang, Kexin Zhang, Tanisha Shende, Andrea Stevenson Won, Shiri Azenkot (2024) — ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how people with invisible disabilities want to represent their disability identity through avatars in social virtual reality environments. While prior research has explored avatar-based disability disclosure for blind and d/De…

  • invisible disability
  • virtual reality
  • avatars
  • self-presentation
  • disability disclosure
  • identity
  • social VR
  • ADHD
  • chronic conditions
  • neurodiversity

• Is it Part of Me? Exploring Experiences of Inclusive Avatar Use For Visible and Invisible Disabilities in Social VR

  Katrin Angerbauer, Phoenix Van Wagoner, Tim Halach, Jonas Vogelsang, Natalie Hube, Andria Smith, Ksenia Keplinger, Michael Sedlmair (2024) — ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the lived experiences of people with disabilities (PWD) using inclusive avatars — avatars featuring disability signifiers — in the social VR platform VRChat. While prior research has documented accessibility barriers and haras…

  • virtual reality
  • avatars
  • invisible disability
  • visible disability
  • social VR
  • identity
  • self-representation
  • harassment
  • inclusion