Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings

Catherine Holloway, Giulia Barbareschi, Joyce Olenja, Sibylle Daymond, Jake Honeywill, Nancy Mbugua, Ian Harris, Grace Nyachomba Magomere, Dafne Zuleima Morgado Ramirez, Maggie Kate Donovan-Hall, Laurence Kenney, Mohammed Sobuh
Oct. 29, 2020
Academic Research Publications

 

Abstract

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 studies largely focus on publishing the results of the research with a focus on the positive stories and not the learnings and recommendations regarding research processes. In short, researchers rarely examine what was challenging in the process of collaboration. We present reflections from the field across four studies. Our contributions are: (1) an overview of past work in computing with a focus on disability in low resource settings and (2) learnings and recommendations from four collaborative projects in Uganda, Jordan and Kenya over the last two years, that are relevant for future HCI studies in low resource settings with communities with disabilities. We do this through a lens of Disability Interaction and ICT4D.

Read the article in full.