In Progress
Ableism on Social Media
With growing disability advocacy on social media, disabled people are susceptible to discrimination, harassment, and
harm, especially implicit and subtle forms of harm. We studied how people with disabilities experience microaggressions (e.g., patronization, invalidation) on social media platforms,
shedding light into technology-mediated ableism.
[ASSETS '22]
Lead by:
Sharon Heung, Cornell Tech
Supervised by:
Dr. Aditya Vashistha, Cornell University
Dr. Megh Marathe, Michigan State
Video Accessibility for Blind People
We explored ways to improve contextual and 360° video accessibility for blind and low vision viewers with immersion and engagement as key pillars, facets not provided by current-day audio descriptions (AD). We conducted design workshops and synthesized key accessibility guidelines through discussions with professional describers, voice actors, sound designers, and AD users. [ASSETS '23, CHI '24]
Lead by:
Lucy Jiang, University of Washington
Supervised by:
Dr. Abigail Stangl, Georgia Tech
Dr. Shiri Azenkot, Cornell Tech
Accessible Chatbot for nyc.gov
I designed and prototyped an accessible and assistive chatbot for the NYC government website. Powered by state-of-the-art LLMs, and compatible with assistive technologies (i.e., screen readers, voice input), the chatbot ensured equitable access to information for website visitors with disabilities. [PiTech '23]
Supervised by:
Arthur Jacobs, NYC OTI
Tactile Materials by TVIs
Mid-air haptic interfaces enable rich 3D interactions but are inaccessible to users with disabilities. We designed an interactive simulation of a contactless elevator control panel with mid-air touch feedback and accessibility considerations. Despite being fully contactless, the controls are tactile, they emit braille, and closely resemble the mental model of ordinary elevator buttons. [CHI EA '21]
Collaborators:
Tanay Singhal, University of Waterloo
Hands-Free Virtual Reality
People with neuromotor impairments have difficulty operating virtual reality controllers, especially if they use a wheelchair. They may lower fine motor ability, or have spasticity in their muscles. Working with a physiotherapist, we developed the functionality of using head orientation to onboard the Oculus and navigate menus in virtual reality. [Presentation to XR Access '21]
Supervised by:
Dr. Steven Feiner, Columbia University
Accessible Mid-Air Haptics Design
Mid-air haptic interfaces enable rich 3D interactions but are inaccessible to users with disabilities. We designed an interactive simulation of a contactless elevator control panel with mid-air touch feedback and accessibility considerations. Despite being fully contactless, the controls are tactile, they emit braille, and closely resemble the mental model of ordinary elevator buttons. [CHI EA '21]
Collaborators:
Tanay Singhal, University of Waterloo