Enhancing social connections through automatically-generated online social network messages

Social isolation and loneliness are important challenges faced by people with certain physical disabilities. Technical and complexity issues may prevent some people from participating in online social networks that otherwise may address some of these issues. We propose to generate social network messages automatically from within assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication software. These messages will help users post some of their daily activities with the software to online social networks. Based on our initial user studies, the inclusion of social networking connections may help improve engagement and interaction between users with disabilities and their friends, families and caregivers, and this increased interest can lead to the desire to use the assistive technology more fully.