from Independenceto InterdependenceA Social Narrative of Assistive Technology
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Stacy Branham
@branhammertim
e
Virginia Tech - BS in CS
Virginia Tech - PhD in HCI
UMBC - Lecturer in Info. Sys. & CSEE
where I’m coming from
COMP
101
what I do there
teaching, service research
Assistive Technology (AT) research and design
is universally motivated by independence
My research on everyday experiences of blind
people reveals misconceptions and limitations
of the independence frame in computing
I propose interdependence as a complementary
frame for AT research and design
the Independent Living Movement
civil rights violations,
e.g., US eugenics movement
calls from disabilities activists:
(1) for self-determination
(2) for end to institutionalization
the independence frame grew out of denial of basic civil rights to people with disabilities
protesting forced sterilization Ed Roberts, father ILM
V-Braille (Jayant et al., 2010)
Slide rule (Kane et al., 2008)
(McDonald et al., 2014)
independence tools,
aka Assistive Technology (AT)the 20th century saw development of AT that supports independence
the adoption of “independence” in HCI
“
(Wobbrock et al., 2011)
All accessible computing
approaches share a
common goal of improving
independence…”
in SIGCHI and particularly SIGACCESS, we agree that independence is a fundamental goal
the implicit interpretation of independence in HCIthe products of AT research and design suggest independence is interpreted narrowly
assumptions:
(1) this task is best donesolo, w/ tech.
(2) social context does NOT affect adoption / use
an exemplar of AT research & design in HCImany AT prototypes are meant for one user, studied in isolated / laboratory settings
(Oh, Branham, Findlater, Kane, 2015)
assumptions:
(1) this task is best donesolo, w/ tech.
(2) social context does NOT affect adoption / use
mobile AT in the wild(Kane et al., 2009)
stigma and AT adoption(Shinohara & Wobbrock, 2011)
collaboration on navigation tasks(Williams et al., 2014)
the beginnings of an “Assistive-CSCW”the products of AT research and design suggest independence is interpreted narrowly
Kenneth Jernigan’s “independence”a prominent blind individual explains independence is about self-determination
“
(Jernigan, 1993)
There are times when refusing
to take an arm that is offered
may constitute the very
opposite of independence.”
Assistive Technology (AT) research and design
is universally motivated by independence
collaborative accessibility, exhibit Aaccessibility is co-produced with others
(Branham & Kane, CHI 2015)
accessibility is co-produced with others
collaborative accessibility, exhibit B
(Branham & Kane, CHI 2015)
collaborative accessibility, exhibit Caccessibility is co-produced with others
(Branham & Kane, CHI 2015)
collaborative accessibility, exhibit D
“ In some cases, the social solution––as opposed
to a technical solution––is not only as adequate,
it can sometimes be better. It can be more
enjoyable to do something socially.”
social / collaborative solutions are sometimes preferable (if not unavoidable)
(Branham & Kane, CHI 2015)
assumption:
(1) this task is best accomplished solo, w/ tech
Participants regularly and naturally
practiced collaborative
accessibility with family and
friends. Often, that was preferred.
study finding:
invisible work, exhibit Ait can be challenging to practice collaborative accessibility with colleagues
(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)(Branham & Kane, CHI 2015)
invisible work, exhibit Bit can be challenging to practice collaborative accessibility with colleagues
“ It’s interruptive [for sighted
colleagues] … to keep the
VoiceOver on … so I’ll turn it off.”(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
invisible work, exhibit Csighted colleagues are relatively unaware of challenges faced by blind colleagues
(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
X
25%
invisible work, exhibit Csighted colleagues are relatively unaware of challenges faced by blind colleagues
(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
47%
?
invisible work, exhibit Csighted colleagues are relatively unaware of challenges faced by blind colleagues
(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
9%
invisible work, exhibit Csighted colleagues are relatively unaware of challenges faced by blind colleagues
(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
invisible work, exhibit Dworkplace access issues were resolved by reaching out to the blind community
“ Social networking offers one
kind of answer to [sharing tips and
tricks with other blind people].”(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)(Branham & Kane, ASSETS 2015)
(Branham, Abdolrahmani, Easley, Scheuerman, Ronquillo, & Hurst, ASSETS 2017)
(Abdolrahmani, Easley, Williams, Branham, & Hurst, CHI 2017)
(Scheuerman, Easley, Abdolrahmani, Hurt, Branham, CHI EA 2017)
(Abdolrahmani, Easley, Williams, Ronquillo, Branham, Chen, Hurst, ASSETS EA 2016)
(Easley, Williams, Abdolrahmani, Galbraith, Branham, Hurst, Kane, CHI EA 2016)
(Abdolrahmani, Easley, Williams, Branham, & Hurst, CHI 2017)
device errors, exhibit Awhen AT devices make errors, users were surprisingly accepting
“ [The device error] would call
attention to myself.
Friends or family … won’t judge.
[In other settings]––like school or
working or on a date––you don't
want to embarrass yourself....
“
”
”
(Abdolrahmani, Easley, Williams, Branham, & Hurst, CHI 2017)
device errors, exhibit A, (cont’d)users indicated lower acceptance when device errors made them conspicuous or projected disability
assumption:
(2) social context doesn’t affect adoption/use
Participants regularly had to stop
using assistive devices and
techniques that work in other
social settings.
study finding:
My research on everyday experiences of blind
people reveals misconceptions and limitations
of the independence frame in computing
This growing body of work shows that
accessibility is not embedded in the
device or even in the user’s interaction
with the device. It is produced socially.
independence inter
what about interdependence?how might an interdependence frame push to the center and the margins of AT design?
claim 1:
In HCI, independence is construed as “doing by oneself”, not as
“self-determination.” The term “independence” has baggage:
“Western industrial societies’ … understanding of
independence is influenced by views of …
personal autonomy stemming from the
Enlightenment philosophy… a reformulation of
the subject as both embedded and embodied,
bears better to a sociology of disablement.”
(Goggin & Newell, 2006; Carnaby, 1998; Reindal, 1999;
White et al., 2010)
claim 2:
No one is independent in the strict sense of the word:
“[There’s this] false idea that the 'able-
bodied' person is somehow radically self-
sufficient … we're all interdependent in all
sorts of ways” - Judith Butler
“Interdependency is not just me ‘dependent
on you.’ It is not you, the benevolent
oppressor, deciding to ‘help’ me. …
Interdependency is both “you and I” and
“we.” It is solidarity, in the best sense of
the word. … Because the truth is: we need
each other.” - Mia Mingus
claim 3:
The independence frame can reify isolating, disempowering
narratives, while interdependence can integrate and empower:
claim 4:
independence will not help us invent all the (assistive)
technologies we need:
claim 4:
independence will not help us invent all the (assistive)
technologies we need:
AT that
empowers
personal safety
management
AT that supports
protestors who
engage with law
enforcement
AT that
negatively
affects other
marginalized
groups
e.g., (Zolyomi et al., 2017)
e.g., (Branham & Kane, 2015) e.g., (Rector et al., 2015)
e.g., (Abdolrahmani et al., 2016)
Env. Safety &
Obstacle
AvoidanceEmergency
Services & Alarms
Health-Risk
Mediation
Device-Oriented
Safety
Interpersonal
Safety
overlooked opportunity A:
AT for Personal Safety Managementwhat opportunities are there to support physical interpersonal safety (for people with disabilities)?
(Branham, Abdolrahmani, Easley, Scheuerman, Ronquillo, & Hurst, ASSETS 2017)
overlooked opportunity A:
AT for Personal Safety Management (cont’d)what opportunities are there to support physical interpersonal safety (for people with disabilities)?
(Branham, Abdolrahmani, Easley, Scheuerman, Ronquillo, & Hurst, ASSETS 2017)
overlooked opportunity B:
AT for Engaging with Law Enforcementwhat opportunities are there to support safe, effective interactions with police (for activists with disabilities)?
overlooked opportunity C:
AT that oppresses other marginalized groups how do needs of, e.g., blind and gender-nonconforming communities overlap and conflict?
(Hamidi, Scheuerman, & Branham, CHI 2018)
Assistive Technology (AT) research and design
is universally motivated by independence
My research on everyday experiences of blind
people reveals misconceptions and limitations
of the independence frame in computing
I propose interdependence as a complementary
frame for AT research and design
"You all are only just temporarily
abled. You become us in the end."
thank you
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Stacy Branham
@branhammertime
Amy
Hurst
Morgan
Scheuerman
William
Easley
Ali
AbdolrahmaniErick
RonquilloStacy
BranhamShaun
Kane
fear and insecurity
rebellious independence
normal independence
a prominent blind individual’s take on independence
Kenneth Jernigan’s “stages of independence”
Amélie - “Helping A Blind Man”
but, “independence” doesn’t account for:
social solutions are OK sometimes
far less than 100% error-free solutions may be OK
consider how to facilitate (mixed-ability) collaboration
be aware of how your preconceptions, devices, andtesting methods impact the narratives people withdisabilities can tell with their assistive devices
for the builders: