Understanding, Designing, and Building Adaptable Technology for Fluctuating Accessibility Needs in Group Settings

Abstract

Many people with disabilities have access needs that must be met to have fully accessible group interactions. Accessible technologies often offer a one-size-fits-all solution, or they require the user to perform a calibration process to adjust the technology to meet their needs, which can be time consuming and burdensome. In this dissertation, I demonstrate that creating an ``accessible experience'' for a group is a constantly fluctuating ideal, since several dynamic factors impact access provisioning. These factors include variations in individual ability, social contexts, spatial contexts, and the visibility of a disability. Through three studies, I characterize these factors and how they interact to impact what it means to make a group interaction accessible. Finally, I demonstrate how to design a system that accounts for fluctuations in access provisioning. I designed and tested this system in the domain of slide deck presentations, finding that technology allowed multiple people's access needs to be met at once, which was previously infeasible due to a lack of presenter time and expertise.