Blog by Esha Dhabuwala and Zoya Mir Eight seconds. Two hundred and eighty characters. Ten pictures. That is all the time you have to capture the attention of the average social media user before they move on to the next piece of content. Advertisers are well aware of this and have been creative in their […]
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The Shipping Community and Health Emergencies: Reflections from the Past
Blog by Anna Batzeli During the COVID-19 pandemic, the shipping community collaborated with national and international organizations to implement health and safety protocols on ships. Additionally, it contributed to managing the crisis by ensuring the delivery of essential goods to regions in need, such as medical supplies, medicines, and vaccines. 1 The COVID-19 pandemic is […]
Deaf futurity: designing and innovating hearing aids
Article Summary by Jaipreet Virdi What does the future of hearing aids look like once we shift our ableist conceptions of deafness as a condition to be masked with invisible devices? That deaf people should feel compelled to disguise their impairment with technologies concealable against their bodies says a lot about how deafness is stigmatized. […]
Why Robot Embodiment Matters: Questions of Disability, Race and Intersectionality in the Design of Social Robots
Article Summary by Mark Paterson Unlike AI, smart speakers, or industrial robots, the way social robots look, how they appear and interact with us, really matters because social robots are specifically made to work with people. There are engineers with good intentions who are designing robots to assist people. These assistive robots are designed to […]
Exploring cultural imaginaries of robots with children with brittle bone disease: a participatory design study
Article Summary by Christina E. Stimson This ongoing study is working with children with brittle bone disease and their families to explore accessible ways of getting ordinary people involved in the design of robots and assistive technology. Using science fiction and other popular culture as a common frame of reference for designers and non-technical stakeholders […]
Disability, Digital Technologies and the Ambivalent Allure of Posthumanist / Transhumanist Futures
Article Summary by Margrit Shildrick Technologies have always played a major role in the lives of people with a range of disabilities that are assumed to impede personal autonomy. Whether mechanical aides, organic – and often internal – supplements, or digital enhancements, the widely accepted claim is that such technologies have a clear therapeutic value. […]
Beyond the Fingertips: Imagining Technologies for a Deafblind Future
Article Summary by Raymond Holt This paper explores some of the challenges faced by one of the authors (Russ, who is deafblind) and imagines how future haptic technology could enhance experiences for people with deafblindness. We consider three of Russ’ experiences related to his interest in space: a visit to the Kennedy Space Centre to […]
Towards a Critical Posthumanist Perspective on Participatory Design
Article Summary by Tony Prescott Participatory design is a popular approach to developing assistive technologies. It focuses on involving users in the design process to ensure the technology meets their needs. However, this approach often relies on traditional human-centred design principles. Critical posthumanism offers a different perspective. It challenges the idea of a single, fixed […]
“That’s Me at My Best”: Perspectives of Older Adults on Involvement in Technology Research
Article Summary by Susanna Martin Creating assistive technology for older adults means understanding their needs, wants and values. Researchers can achieve this by collaborating with older adults during the development process. Unfortunately, opportunities for collaboration are limited. We also know little about what older adults think about being involved in technology research. To gain a […]
Hybrid Performances in Sport: Cybathlon Spectatorship for Critically Imagining Technologies for Disability Futures
Article Summary by Edmund Barker and Harry Parker Assistive technologies, such as wheelchairs and prosthetic legs, have been helping some people participate in Sport who wouldn’t be able to otherwise. In some ways these technologies have helped to make disability more present and visible across many sporting cultures. For the most part, however, differently abled […]