While audio description (AD) is the standard approach for making videos accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) people, existing AD guidelines do not consider BLV users’ varied preferences across viewing scenarios. These scenarios range from how-to videos on YouTube, where users seek to learn new skills, to historical dramas on Netflix, where a user’s goal is entertainment. Additionally, the increase in video watching on mobile devices provides an opportunity to integrate nonverbal output modalities (e.g., audio cues, tactile elements, and visual enhancements). Through a formative survey and 15 semi-structured interviews, we identified BLV people’s video accessibility preferences across diverse scenarios. For example, participants valued action and equipment details for how-to videos, tactile graphics for learning scenarios, and 3D models for fantastical content. We define a six-dimensional video accessibility design space to guide future innovation and discuss how to move from “one-size-fits-all” paradigms to scenario-specific approaches.

While audio description (AD) is a standard method for making traditional videos more accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users, we lack an understanding of how to make 360° videos accessible while preserving their immersive nature. Through individual interviews and collaborative design workshops, we explored ways to improve 360° video accessibility with immersion and engagement in mind. Our design workshops presented a unique opportunity for participants with diverse backgrounds to build on each others’ personal and professional experiences and collaboratively develop accessible 360° video prototypes. Participants included both AD creators and users, with a focus on BLV AD creators as their perspectives are underrepresented in prior work. We found that immersive video accessibility went beyond an extension of traditional video accessibility techniques. Participants valued accurate vocabulary and different points of view for descriptions, preferred a variety of presentation locations for spatialized AD, appreciated sound effects for setting the mood and subtly guiding, and wished to engage multiple senses to boost engagement. We conclude with implications for immersive media accessibility and future research directions to support disabled people as creators of access technology.

Conversational assistants, an inherently accessible mode of interaction for blind and low vision (BLV) individuals, offer opportunities to support nonvisual access in new ways. In this paper, we explore whether and how human-like conversations can support access to interfaces, advancing the impersonal linear access provided by screen readers today. We first interviewed 10 BLV participants about this approach, but found it difficult to situate conversations around a future technology. So we turned to a speculative design approach and created four audio fictions: pre-recorded dialogues between users and their hypothetical screen reader assistants wherein assistants assumed distinct roles: a friend, butler, expert, and caregiver. We presented the audio fictions to 14 BLV participants and found that personable conversations can meaningfully extend the screen reader experience. We observed a tension between AI adaptation and screen reader customization. Participants further expressed a need to maintain control at three distinct levels: granular cursor movement, screen representation, and task assistance. Through the lens of assistant roles, we address fundamental questions about anthropomorphizing CAs and assistive technology broadly.

Ableist microaggressions are subtle forms of discrimination that disabled people experience daily, perpetuating inequalities and maintaining their ongoing marginalization. Despite the importance of understanding such harms, little work has been done to examine how disabled people are discriminated against online. We address this gap by investigating how disabled people experience ableist microaggressions on social media and how they respond to and cope with these experiences. By conducting interviews with 20 participants with various disabilities, we uncover 12 archetypes of ableist microaggressions on social media, reveal participants’ coping mechanisms, and describe the long-term impact on their wellbeing and social media use. Lastly, we present design recommendations, re-evaluating how social media platforms can mitigate and prevent these harmful experiences.