DIY Assistive Software: End-User Programming for Personalized Assistive Technology

Existing assistive technologies often fail to support the unique and personalized needs of blind and visually impaired (BVI) people. Thus, BVI people have become domain experts in customizing and 'hacking' assistive technology in order to creatively suit their needs. However, current assistive technologies are difficult to hack and alter at the individual level due to the skill and resources required. Due to these challenges, new approaches to supporting Do-It-Yourself (DIY) technology creation are needed to make applying the DIY concept to high-tech assistive technologies for BVI people more feasible. Through my dissertation, I aim to better support DIY assistive software design and development, so that BVI people can design, create, and customize assistive software for themselves and their communities. To accomplish this, I plan to address three primary research goals. First, through qualitative interviews, I present an understanding of why and how BVI people engage in assistive technology customization and adaptation, and the challenges and opportunities that arise from this practice. Second, I aim to investigate how end-user programming can be applied as an approach to DIY assistive technology creation, by designing, building, and evaluating a prototype end-user programming tool. Finally, I aim to understand and improve the real-world feasibility of end-user programming in this domain, by designing tools to improve the accessibility of debugging visual technologies. By addressing these primary research questions, my planned dissertation contributes to the HCI and accessibility community's understanding of DIY assistive software, accessible end-user programming, and accessible debugging techniques. By supporting BVI in creating and modifying their assistive software, this research aims to promote the democratization of technology creation and support BVI people in having greater control over AI-based technologies in their lives.