Exchange of peer-to-peer support in online Q&A communities plays an instrumental role in helping people learn and use complex software tools. While prior work has documented how disabled people support each other in finding accessible practices and workarounds in different contexts, research on understanding their participation in dedicated online Q&A communities has been limited. Through the analysis of 180 conversation threads consisting of 1140 posts in an online text-based Q&A community of blind and low-vision audio producers, we reveal various strategies members in this community use to formulate their queries and provide effective solutions regarding screen reader based navigation of complex graphical user interfaces. We reflect upon our findings to discuss the complexities blind and low-vision software users face in developing a shared understanding during collaborative troubleshooting through textual conversations and reimagine how online Q&A platforms could enhance peer-to-peer instructional support among screen reader users.

Audio production is a skilled practice that requires mastery in highly complex software and hardware tools. Blind audio producers face a steep learning curve where they must learn multiple inaccessible audio production tools in conjunction with workarounds for screen reader support. Learning audio production is made even more challenging due to a scarcity of educational resources geared towards blind people. Grounded in formative interviews and observations with seven blind audio production instructors, we developed Tutoria11y, an extension for GarageBand to support blind audio producers in creating accessible, interactive tutorials that screen reader users can follow to receive step-by-step guidance and confirmation of their actions. Findings from design exploration sessions with five blind instructors highlight how Tutoria11y can support tutorial creation and augment tutorial playback for blind audio producers. We discuss how we can rethink technology’s role as a means to amplify, rather than replace, the knowledge of disabled experts.

The advent of digital audio workstations and other digital audio tools has brought a critical shift in the audio industry by empowering amateur and professional audio content creators with the necessary means to produce high quality audio content. Yet, we know little about the accessibility of widely used audio production tools for people with vision impairments. Through interviews with 18 audio professionals and hobbyists with vision impairments, we find that accessible audio production involves: piecing together accessible and efficient workflows through a combination of mainstream and custom tools; achieving professional competency through a steep learning curve in which domain knowledge and accessibility are inseparable; and facilitating learning and creating access by engaging in online communities of visually impaired audio enthusiasts. We discuss the deep entanglement between accessibility and professional competency and conclude with design considerations to inform future development of accessible audio production tools.

Smart technologies (wearable and mobile devices) show tremendous potential in the detection, diagnosis, and management of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) by enabling continuous real-time data collection, identifying effective treatment strategies, and supporting intervention design and delivery. Though promising, effective utilization of smart technology in aiding ASD is still limited. We propose a set of implications to guide the design of ASD-support technology by analyzing 149 peer-reviewed articles focused on children with autism from ACM Digital Library, IEEE Xplore, and PubMed. Our analysis reveals that technology should facilitate real-time detection and identification of points-of-interest, adapt its behavior driven by the real-time affective state of the user, utilize familiar and unfamiliar features depending on user-context, and aid in revealing even minuscule progress made by children with autism. Our findings indicate that such technology should strive to blend-in with everyday objects. Moreover, gradual exposure and desensitization may facilitate successful adaptation of novel technology.