Rethinking Interdependence in HCI: A Systematic Literature Review for Understanding its Use in Accessibility Studies

Paper Title

Rethinking Interdependence in HCI: A Systematic Literature Review for Understanding its Use in Accessibility Studies

Publication Info

• Topic area: Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) and accessibility research.
• Keywords: Interdependence, accessibility, disability studies, assistive technology, HCI, collaboration, independence, care, mutual aid, relational access, equity.

Background and Problem

• Problem / challenge: The concept of interdependence, while foundational in Disability Studies and activism, has been inconsistently and partially integrated into accessibility research in HCI. Many studies reference it without clear definitions or engagement with its theoretical roots.
• Significance: Interdependence offers a framework to rethink assistive technology design, emphasizing collaboration, mutual aid, and relational access, which are critical for inclusive and equitable technology development.
• Motivation and related work: Bennett et al. introduced interdependence to HCI in 2018, linking it to assistive technology design. However, subsequent work has not critically appraised how the concept is adapted or fully engaged with its origins in Disability Studies and activism. This paper seeks to address these gaps.

Solution

• Proposed approach: A systematic literature review of 70 HCI accessibility papers to analyze how interdependence is conceptualized and applied, identifying strengths and shortcomings.
• Novelty:
  1. Systematic analysis of interdependence in HCI accessibility research, tracing its theoretical grounding and definitions.
  2. Identification of strengths and limitations in current applications and conceptualizations.
  3. Development of a refined framework with guiding questions for meaningful integration of interdependence in HCI research.
• Procedure and key techniques:
  • Guided by the PRISMA framework, 70 papers were selected from the ACM Digital Library.
  • Multi-stage analysis included coding for theoretical references, definitions, applications, and contributions to interdependence.
  • Template analysis combined deductive and inductive coding strategies to identify patterns and themes.

Results

• Concrete findings:
  • 68/70 papers referenced theoretical grounding, but only 17 incorporated perspectives from Disability Studies or activism.
  • 33 papers provided clear definitions of interdependence, while 37 did not.
  • Interdependence was used as a research output (53 papers), a conceptual foundation (23 papers), and a practical design tool (6 papers).
  • Related concepts included independence (26 papers), collaboration (19 papers), care (13 papers), and autonomy (13 papers).
• Advantage over baselines:
  • HCI research demonstrated the contextual and relational dimensions of interdependence across diverse technologies and interactions.
  • Papers expanded interdependence to include mixed-ability interactions, more-than-human relationships, and critiques of power dynamics in care relationships.
• Experiments / evaluation:
  • Use cases included everyday life (15 papers), work/education (11 papers), and leisure (9 papers).
  • Technologies studied included assistive technologies (24 papers), educational tools (8 papers), and VR/AR (4 papers).
• Limitations and future work:
  • Many papers relied heavily on Bennett et al.’s foundational work without engaging with broader theoretical roots.
  • Interdependence was often framed in contrast to independence, overlooking the fluidity between the two concepts.
  • Future work should explore other Disability Studies concepts and expand the diversity of disability experiences represented in HCI research.

Summary

This paper systematically reviews how interdependence is conceptualized and applied in HCI accessibility research, identifying both strengths and limitations. While interdependence has been effectively used to highlight relational and contextual aspects of accessibility, its integration remains partial, with inconsistent definitions and limited engagement with its theoretical origins. The authors propose a refined framework with guiding questions to support meaningful integration of interdependence in HCI research. This work underscores the value of drawing more deeply on Disability Studies and activism to advance accessibility research and technology design.