Understanding the uptake and use of digital coordination and communication tools by youth trainees would inform the creation of effective technical training approaches for preparing the next generation of the future workforce that often need to draw on these skills to do their jobs in hybrid working contexts. Despite growing research on the use of informal communication methods, such as chatting, in the workplace, little is known about how youth who have grown up with access to interconnected technologies encounter them in workplace training contexts and how they can be supported in using them effectively. In this study, we investigated youth employees' use of Slack, a popular workplace chatting tool, in an after-school 3D print shop. Using primarily quantitative data from workplace chat logs and participant and direct observations, we looked into youth employees' Slack adoption and use in a technical training context. Our findings show that while the youth used Slack for coordinating print jobs and troubleshooting, they faced a number of challenges preventing them from substantially and consistently using the tool. Furthermore, the youth initially had difficulty using the communication tool consistently. However, over time and with increased experience and structure, their uptake of the technology improved, and in particular, senior employees and the later cohort were able to communicate more consistently and effectively at work.

Digital technological advancements have been a driving force in the continued evolution of the modern workplace. One notable change is an increased reliance on informal chatting tools in support of both distributed and co-located work. However, while researchers have recognized the growing prominence of these tools in work, little is known about how to best support youth who have grown up with access to interconnected technologies in acquiring and practicing the relevant skills needed to effectively communicate using these tools. In this study, we studied youth's utilization of Slack, a popular workplace chatting tool, in an after-school 3D print shop. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, we uncovered the factors that supported or hindered youth employees' Slack use in a technical work context. This work offers implications for how to design youth workplace communication and coordination protocols that support the needs of this population.

Digital fabrication methods have been shown to be an effective method for producing customized assistive technology (AT). However, the skills required to utilize these tools currently require a high level of technical skill. Previous research showed that integration of these skills within physical therapy training is appropriate but that the level of technical difficulty required can be an issue. We worked to address these issues by introducing a group of PT students to maker concepts and having them develop custom AT for real end users with the help of makers. We present three considerations when integrating making into PT curriculum: 1) including all stakeholders, 2) developing interdisciplinary competencies for PTs and makers, and 3) leveraging academic training programs to connect makers and PT students. In this paper, we contribute to knowledge on how to facilitate the 3D printing of customized ATs for PT students by connecting them with a community organization that provides digital fabrication services and technical expertise. By connecting multiple stakeholders (i.e., PT students, digital fabricators, and AT users), we offer an approach to overcome time and capacity constraints of PT students to utilize advanced fabrication technologies to create customized ATs through connecting them to professional makers.

As digital fabrication technology has become mainstream, the increased demand for 3D printed objects has created a new market for professional outsourcing. Given that most of this work does not require advanced training, and is an appropriate entry-level manufacturing job, there is an exciting opportunity to employ youth already skilled in "making" and interested in technology to do this work as an after-school job. The combination of this new technology and workforce calls for new workflows that streamline client-driven digital manufacturing. However, the limitations of current digital fabrication technology and youth schedules require that this work be spread between multiple shifts, necessitating employees to coordinate and handoff their work. We investigated the collaborative practices between youth employees while working on client jobs in a 3D print shop during one year of field work. In this paper, we describe instances where youth employees successfully, and unsuccessfully, handed off work between shifts and identify techniques utilized by youth to support successful handoffs, including: counting physical artifacts, using asynchronous chat programs, and documenting work. We then discuss the impact of the print shop manager's presence, physical characteristics of 3D prints, and youth perspectives of work on the selection of and effectiveness of these techniques. Finally, we offer lessons learned from successful handoffs in the print shop and recommendations for supporting youth in collaborative work environments.

For decades, researchers have investigated and developed technologies that support independent navigation for people who are blind. This has led to systems that primarily aid in detecting routes, landmarks, and building features. However, there has been relatively little inquiry regarding how technologies might support navigation around and in the presence of other people. What visual information, if any, do blind navigators wish they had about people on their path? To address this question, we surveyed 58 blind and low vision individuals and interviewed 10 blind individuals. We discovered our participants were interested in using visual information about others to increase their physical safety. For example, they wanted to know if a passerby was holding a weapon, if a presumed official had a proper uniform or badge, and how to describe visual aspects of a criminal to law enforcement. This paper presents one of the only reports documenting accessibility challenges related to physical safety posed by others, including how future assistive tools can empower individuals with disabilities to more actively increase their sense of safety. We call this emerging area Personal Safety Management and contribute a set of four broad subareas that deserve further exploration by researchers and designers working within the blind and broader disabilities communities.

Prevention of errors has been an orienting goal within the field of Human-Computer Interaction since its inception, with particular focus on minimizing human errors through appropriate technology design. However, there has been relatively little exploration into how designers can best support users of technologies that will inevitably make errors. We present a mixed-methods study in the domain of navigation technology for visually impaired individuals. We examined how users respond to device errors made in realistic scenarios of use. Contrary to conventional wisdom that usable systems must be error-free, we found that 42% of errors were acceptable to users. Acceptance of errors depends on error type, building feature, and environmental context. Further, even when a technical error is acceptable to the user, the misguided social responses of others nearby can negatively impact user experience. We conclude with design recommendations that embrace errors while also supporting user management of errors in technical systems.

Large indoor spaces continue to pose challenges to independent navigation for people who are blind. Unfortunately, assistive technologies designed to support indoor navigation frequently make errors that are technically difficult or impossible to eliminate. We conducted a study to explore whether there are strategic ways designers can minimize the impact of inevitable errors on user experience. This paper summarizes an online survey of 41 blind individuals regarding their projected acceptance to three types of errors expected of these devices. We found that some errors were more acceptable than others. Factors that impacted results included the error type and the social/environmental setting.

While screen reading technologies offer considerable promise to individuals who are blind by providing an accessible overview of web-based content, difficulties can be faced determining the credibility of sites and their respective contents. This can impact the user's behavior, particularly if sensitive information needs to be entered (e.g. into a web-based form). In this paper, we describe an exploratory study examining the criteria which blind screen reader users utilize to assess credibility. More specifically, we have focused on the common task of web searching and exploring search results. Findings from the study have suggested that mismatches between the title of the search results and their respective snippets, along with the richness and accessibility of the content when search results are selected, can lead to users determining whether sites are indeed credible.

Over 60% of adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) in the U.S. are unemployed; this is more than twice the unemployment rate of the general population [19]. Of the adults with ID who are employed, only half receive competitive wages alongside co-workers without disabilities. While the enactment of IDEA [20] has helped to promote access to education for people with ID and other disabilities, there are still obstacles to employment. Misconceptions about ability and lack of opportunities to learn and practice employability skills contribute to this problem.