Giulia Barbareschi

Keio University · Graduate School of Media Design

The quest for enhanced cognition has been a driving force behind human advancement, fostering innovation and personal fulfillment. Cognition Altering Technologies (CAT) holds immense promise in elevating the quality of life across diverse domains including education, decision-making, healthcare, and fitness. The current proliferation of Artificial...

The development of novel computer interfaces has led to the possibility of integrating inputs from multiple individuals into a single avatar, fostering collaboration by combining skills and sharing the cognitive load. However, the collaboration dynamic and its effectiveness may vary depending on the individuals involved. Particularly in scenarios w...

In this paper we explore the potential of utilizing Virtual Reality (VR) as a therapeutic tool for supporting individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, who often face elevated risks of mental health issues. Specifically, we investigated the effectiveness of using pre-existing avatars compared to allowing individuals to create their own avatars through a...

This Special Interest Group (SIG) explores the transformative impact of Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) on Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research processes. The theme here is to answer “question zero”: when to use and when to refrain from using AI tools during the research cycle? The discussion is guided by five research phases common...

Most research on Location-Based Games (LBGs) has been conducted on non-disabled players, meaning the experiences of disabled players are not well understood and potentially overlooked. As such, this research aimed to address the following questions: 1). What are the barriers and needs of disabled LBGs players? 2). How can LBGs be made more inclusiv...

Autism research is primarily targeted toward children and at normalizing autistic traits. We conducted a literature review of computing research on adult autism, focusing on identifying research priorities set by autistic adults and their allies, determining participation levels, identifying how autism is conceptualized, and the types of technologi...

Wheelchair dance is an important form of disability art that is still subject to significant levels of ableism and art exclusion. Wheelchair dancers face challenges finding teachers and choreographers who can accommodate their needs, documenting and sharing choreographies that suit their body shapes and their assistive technologies. In turn, this h...

Assistive technology (AT) is a human right, supporting meaningful participation for disabled people in society. However, systematic failures prevent the equitable provision of AT globally. This chapter explores the opportunities and challenges in developing a policy framework ensuring people have access to high-quality, affordable AT. We review the...

Critical voices within and beyond the scientific community have pointed to a grave matter of concern regarding who is included in research and who is not. Subsequent investigations have revealed an extensive form of sampling bias across a broad range of disciplines that conduct human subjects research called "WEIRD": Western, Educated, Industrial,...

Robotic avatars can help disabled people extend their reach in interacting with the world. Technological advances make it possible for individuals to embody multiple avatars simultaneously. However, existing studies have been limited to laboratory conditions and did not involve disabled participants. In this paper, we present a real-world implement...

Diversity, equality, and inclusion (DEI) are critical factors that need to be considered when developing AI and robotic technologies for people. The lack of such considerations exacerbates and can also perpetuate existing forms of discrimination and biases in society for years to come. Although concerns have already been voiced around the globe, th...

Critical voices within and beyond the scientific community have pointed to a grave matter of concern regarding who is included in research and who is not. Subsequent investigations have revealed an extensive form of sampling bias across a broad range of disciplines that conduct human subjects research called “WEIRD”: Western, Educated, Industrial,...

Novel technological systems enabling people to control multiple robotic avatars simultaneously could support more accessible ways to multitask. An implementation of a parallel avatar system in a cafe shows that, leveraging their existing skills, remote workers with disabilities were able to utilize the system to control up to four robots, each with...

Figure 1: The optical see-through Visual Impairment Simulation Glasses Prototype a) for a user with normal vision b) demonstrates peripheral vision loss e) or central vision loss and c&d) modifies peripheral vision loss from moderate to severe or f&g) modifies central vision loss from moderate to severe. ABSTRACT As the population ages, many will a...

As the population ages, many will acquire visual impairments. To improve design for these users, it is essential to build awareness of their perspective during everyday routines, especially for design students. Although several visual impairment simulation toolkits exist in both academia and as commercial products, analog, and static visual impair...

Art has deep connections with both disability and HCI research. From disabled bodies becoming avatars of novel forms of expression, to artistic work being created as an act of resistance, art has been a powerful tool to subvert ableist narratives. Artistic practices have also helped to inspire, innovate and push the boundaries of HCI, giving rise t...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced researchers to find new ways to continue research, as universities and laboratories experienced closure due to nationwide lockdowns in many countries worldwide, including conducting experiments, workshops, and ethnographic work online. While this had a significant impact on the majority of research work across SIGCHI, r...

The COVID-19 pandemic forced researchers to find new ways to continue research, as universities and laboratories experienced closure due to nationwide lockdowns in many countries worldwide, including conducting experiments, workshops, and ethnographic work online. While this had a significant impact on the majority of research work across SIGCHI, r...

Purpose: Globally, assistive technology (AT) is used by over 1 billion people, but the prevalence of needs and access to AT in specific countries or regions is largely unknown. This scoping review summarises the evidence available on the prevalence of needs, access and coverage of AT in the World Health Organisation European Region and the barrier...

Purpose This paper explores the accessibility barriers faced by neurodivergent individuals regarding the use of Extended Reality (XR) technologies and the difficulties faced by developers in creating neurodivergent inclusive XR experiences. Design/methodology/approach The authors carried out a survey with neurodivergent participants, and a series...

Movement dataset reviews exist but are limited in coverage, both in terms of size and research discipline. While topic-specific reviews clearly have their merit, it is critical to have a comprehensive overview based on a systematic survey across disciplines. This enables higher visibility of datasets available to the research communities and can fo...

Background: Many people with amputations who live in low-resourced settings struggle to access the workshops where qualified prosthetists provide appropriate care. Novel technologies such as the thermoplastic Confidence Socket are emerging, which could help facilitate easier access to prosthetic services. Objectives: The objective of this study...

Misconceptions surrounding disability and sexuality are still prevalent and people with disabilities are often depicted as asexual and incapable to lead fulfilling sex lives. As a result, many individuals with disabilities struggle to access adequate sex education with negative consequences such as unplanned pregnancies, body image issues and sexua...

The UNESCO defines Future Literacy as a universally accessible capability that “allows people to better understand the role of the future in what they see and do. Being futures literate empowers the imagination, enhances our ability to prepare, recover and invent as changes occur” [183]. At their core, the Future Literacy Laboratory and its related...

This chapter aims to give an historical overview of the field of disability interactions and to bring to the reader’s attention some of the most pivotal moments of accessibility and assisstive technology (AT) research in the context of human-computer interaction (HCI). It is not meant as a systematic review and is not by any means exhaustive. More...

When we were examining existing literature to identify main topics of interest at the intersection of disability, AT and accessibility research, work and education emerged as the two areas that gathered significantly more attention from researchers and designers compared to others. A series of quick searches of the ACM digital library revealed that...

The Disability Interactions manifesto, which appeared in the Interactions magazine in 2019, was the first attempt at describing a new agenda for developing technology for people with disabilities. In it, a wider vision for disability and HCI was explored. This vision built on the established concepts of ability-based design and accessibility and lo...

In this chapter we explore the setting of health, this covers healthcare as well as illness which can affect the health of an individual. We start the chapter by exploring the value of health within society, to understand how its conceptualization might affect the development and diffusion of technology to support the health of people with disabili...

Over 80% of the 1 billion people with disabilities in the world live in the Global South, yet, most of the research at the intersection of disability and technology published across HCI venues is based in the Global North. With limited published research, and a large range of socio-cultural, practical and environmental differences across the Global...

Orientation and mobility (O&M) training provides essential skills and techniques for safe and independent mobility for blind and partially sighted (BPS) people. The demand for O&M training is increasing as the number of people living with vision impairment increases. Despite the growing portfolio of HCI research on assistive technologies (AT), few...

From multiple studies conducted through the FCDO AT2030 Programme, as well as key literature, we examine whether Assistive Technology (AT) provision models could look towards more sustainable approaches, and by doing this benefit not only the environment, but also address the problems that the current provision systems have. We show the intrinsic l...

Figure 1: Factors that influence self-efficacy belief of blind and partially sighted people Orientation and mobility (O&M) training provides essential skills and techniques for safe and independent mobility for blind and partially sighted (BPS) people. The demand for O&M training is increasing as the number of people living with vision impairment i...

It is essential to understand the strategies and processes which are deployed currently across the Assistive Technology (AT) space toward measuring innovation. The main aim of this paper is to identify functional innovation strategies and processes which are being or can be deployed in the AT space to increase access to AT globally. We conducted a...

The importance of assistive technology (AT) is gaining recognition, with the World Health Organisation (WHO) set to publish a Global Report in 2022. Yet little is understood about access for the poorest, or the potential of AT to enable this group to participate in the activities of citizenship; both formal and informal. The aim of this qualitative...

Approximately 15% of the world's population has a disability and 80% live in low resource-settings, often in situations of severe social isolation. Technology is often inaccessible or inappropriately designed, hence unable to fully respond to the needs of people with disabilities living in low resource settings. Also lack of awareness of technology...

Disability stigma in many low- and middle-income countries represents one of the most pervasive barriers preventing people with disabilities from accessing equal rights and opportunities, including the uptake of available assistive technology (AT). Previous studies have rarely examined how disability stigma may be shaped through factors endemic to...

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has impacted all segments of society, but it has posed particular challenges for the inclusion of persons with disabilities, those with chronic illness and older people regarding their participation in daily life. These groups often benefit from assistive technology (AT) and so it is imp...

80% of people with disabilities worldwide live in low resourced settings, rural areas, informal settlements and in multidimensional poverty. ICT4D leverages technological innovations to deliver programs for international development. But very few do so with a focus on and involving people with disabilities in low resource settings. Also, most studi...

Globally, mobile technology plays a significant role connecting and supporting people with disabilities. However, there has been limited research focused on understanding the impact of mobile technology in the lives of persons with disabilities in low or middle- income countries. This paper presents the findings of a participatory photovoice study...

Globally, mobile technology plays a significant role connecting and supporting people with disabilities. However, there has been limited research focused on understanding the impact of mobile technology in the lives of persons with disabilities in low or middle- income countries. This paper presents the findings of a participatory photovoice study...

Living have a mobility impairment. Traditional assistive products such a wheelchairs are essential to enable people to travel. Wheelchairs are considered a Human Right. However, they are difcult to access. On the other hand, mobile phones are becoming ubiquitous and are increasingly seen as an assistive technology. Should therefore a mobile phone b...

Many computational toolkits to promote early learning of basic computational concepts and practices are inaccessible to learners with reduced visual abilities. We report on the design of TIP-Toy, a tactile and inclusive open-source toolkit, to allow children with diferent visual abilities to learn about computational topics through music by combini...

Innovations in the feld of assistive technology are usually evaluated based on practical considerations related to their ability to perform certain functions. However, social and emotional aspects play a huge role in how people with disabilities interact with assistive products and services. Over a fve months period, we tested an innovative wheelch...

To address issues around the provision of appropriate wheelchairs in low-and-middle income countries Motivation developed a new method for producing customized wheelchairs leveraging technologies such as Computer Aided Design and 3D printing. To test the feasibility and acceptability of this new provision system alongside the quality of the wheelch...

The setting in which wheelchair transfers are performed can affect difficulty and the risks associated with completion. This article presents results from an observational study involving 13 wheelchair users performing independent transfers across four settings. The aim is to understand how the environment affects how different types of independent...

Living in an informal settlement with a visual impairment can be very challenging resulting in social exclusion. Mobile phones have been shown to be hugely beneficial to people with sight loss in formal and high-income settings. However, little is known about whether these results hold true for people with visual impairment (VIPs) in informal settl...

Research methods need to be adapted to the cultural context and traditions with which participants are familiar. Limited work has been attempted to explore ways to engage people with disabilities in low resource settings. In this paper we present methods used in two research projects that engage and actively support the voice of people with disabil...

Digital games are a hugely popular activity enjoyed for the diverse experiences and relationships that they offer players. In 2019, games are more accessible to an increasingly diverse audience of disabled players through both new gaming technology and in-game options that allow people to tune their experiences. As a significant cultural medium, it...

In the last decade, mobile phones have become invaluable allays in the everyday lives of people with disabilities. Even in low and middle income countries mobile phones are highly popular and the penetration rate of mobile technology is almost three times higher than for desktop computers and broadband lines. Despite their diffusion and their impor...

Innovations within the AT space frequently fail to get to market and therefore to the people who could benefit from the products. The Scoping Report which underpins the AT2030 programme identified the need to test and develop “what works” for AT innovation to ensure new products, services and approaches are able to scale and reach people, especiall...

The implementation of lighter and smaller power sources requires the estimation of power demand under different driving conditions, which are not available for portable assistive technology such as electric or power wheelchairs. Power demand estimated through power and driving cycles is a common methodology in the automotive industry and critical f...

Purpose: Transferring to and from the wheelchair is among the most important routine tasks for many wheelchair users. Transfers are also greatly affected by many personal and external factors. The purpose of this study is to investigate personal experiences, needs and concerns of wheelchair users in relation to wheelchair transfers performed in the...

Background Transfers are an important skill for many wheelchair users (WU). However, they have also been related to the risk of falling or developing upper limb injuries. Transfer abilities are usually evaluated in clinical settings or biomechanics laboratories, and these methods of assessment are poorly suited to evaluation in real and unconstrain...

Measuring manual wheelchair activity by using wearable sensors is becoming increasingly common for rehabilitation and monitoring purposes. Until recently most research has focused on the identification of activities of daily living or on counting the number of strokes. However, how a person pushes their wheelchair - their stroke pattern - is an imp...

Transferring independently to and from their wheelchair is an essential routine task for many wheelchair users but it can be physically demanding and can lead to falls and upper limb injuries that reduce the person’s independence. New assistive technologies (ATs) that facilitate the performance of wheelchair transfers have the potential to allow wh...

BACKGROUND Transfers are an important skill for many wheelchair users (WU). However, they have also been related to the risk of falling or developing upper limb injuries. Transfer abilities are usually evaluated in clinical settings or biomechanics laboratories, and these methods of assessment are poorly suited to evaluation in real and unconstrain...

The scope of the pilot was to identify potential barriers and facilitators to the future implementation of TAP; gather feedback from representative TAP users to inform ongoing development of TAP; as well as to pilot the evaluation methodology for future TAP pilots. This report aims to presents an overview of TAP and of the pilot, illustrate the key...

Over one billion people – largely disabled people and older people – are currently in need of Assistive Technology (AT). By 2050, this number is predicted to double. Despite the proven advantages of AT for disabled and older people, their families, and society, there is still a vast and stubborn gap between the need and the supply; currently only 1...