Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) has shown promise in expanding access to customized, low-cost devices, particularly for individuals whose needs are not met by professionally manufactured assistive technologies. In this paper, we present a study of the structure and impact of a DIY-AT program launched through a collaboration between a university makerspace and the Maryland department of disability Assistive Technology program. Using an Action Research approach, we examine how the program's institutional, technical, and informational infrastructure evolved over time and how recipients experienced and responded to the 3D-printed devices. Our findings demonstrate that university-government partnerships can enable the large-scale production and distribution of DIY-AT, while also fostering trust, advocacy, and interest in future participation among recipients and others in their communities. We also highlight ongoing barriers to design participation and identify new stakeholder roles that extend existing models of DIY-AT ecosystems.
Improperly installed tactile paving may cause confusion or accidents for visually impaired pedestrians. This preliminary study investigates an automated approach to identifying such installation errors. We adopt DeepLabV3+, a semantic segmentation model, to distinguish between two types of tactile blocks-warning and guiding blocks-thereby facilitating visual assessment of improper layouts by human observers. The model achieved a mean Intersection over Union (mIoU) of 0.937 +/- 0.005 across 5 cross-validation folds, demonstrating promising segmentation performance. We further discuss the effectiveness of this segmentation-based approach in enhancing the detectability of improper installations.
Daily life presents several barriers for people with visual impairments. Modern computers and smartphones alleviate some of these barriers by providing assistive software that can magnify content, adjust visuals, and read text aloud. However, such software is limited to digital contexts; when it interacts with the physical world, it is often too general to support tasks such as reading a physical book, document, or sign. We hypothesize that modern spatial computing devices enable a new generation of assistive technologies. We introduce Spatial Continuity as a novel method for making physical reality accessible to users with visual impairments. Spatial Continuity allows visually impaired readers to engage with physical experiences by transferring physical objects into a virtual environment. We present a prototype in which a smartphone, functioning as a handheld magnifying glass, streams its camera feed to a head-worn augmented reality device. We evaluated the impact of Spatial Continuity in an informal user study, focusing on its usability and potential as an accessibility enabler.
Social Virtual Reality (VR) is emerging as a promising technology for individuals with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). However, we still need to explore how practitioners perceive and envision its integration into their clinical practice. This study presents findings from semi-structured interviews with six practitioners (clinicians, therapists, and clinical professors) experienced in ADHD and VR interventions. Our findings reveal practitioners see significant therapeutic potential in social VR for supporting cognitive skills, impulse control, and creating emotionally safe environments. However, they also highlight challenges, including difficulties with social communication in VR, ensuring skill transfer to real-life, and managing overstimulation.
Expressive computer science (CS) learning environments teach coding through the creation of an artifact, such as audio or video output. EarSketch is an expressive CS learning environment designed to teach computing through music production, mixing and arranging sounds using code. In this paper, we explore the accessibility challenges of using EarSketch for learners who are Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI). We present key findings from co-design studies with teachers and students at an institution specializing in BVI education, focused on gathering both groups' unique perspectives about EarSketch's ability to support teachers' curricula, students' workflows using the system with accessibility software, and challenges faced by users who are BVI.
