Cyborg Assemblages: how autistic adults construct sociotechnical networks to support cognitive functionAutism has become a popular context for accessible technology researchers, yet a majority of HCI projects for autism and ADHD do not engage in participatory method or otherwise involve disabled stakeholders in the project and research design. Prior inquiry has identified executive function as a common difficulty for which technologies may provide novel benefits. In this study, we explore how autistic adults currently use technologies, broadly defined, to augment executive function and support themselves in day-to-day tasks. We collect qualitative data from narratives elicited during informal asynchronous interviews to conduct a digital ethnomethodology. Following from principles of Design Justice, crip technoscience, and cyborg assemblage theory, we investigate how autistic adults articulate their own sociotechnical environments into technologically mediated assemblages of executive function and interpersonal webs of care. These patterns of sociotechnical formation inform future work in research and design for tools that can mediate executive function for all users.2023RWRua Mae Williams et al.Purdue UniversityCognitive Impairment & Neurodiversity (Autism, ADHD, Dyslexia)Empowerment of Marginalized GroupsCHI
What Makes Civic Tech Initiatives To Last Over Time? Dissecting Two Global Cases Civic tech initiatives dedicated to environmental issues have become a worldwide phenomenon and made invaluable contributions to data, community building, and publics. However, many of them stop after a relatively short time. Therefore, we studied two long-lasting civic tech initiatives of global scale, to understand what makes them sustain over time. To this end, we conducted two mixed-method case studies, combining social network analysis and qualitative content analysis of Twitter data with insights from expert interviews. Drawing on our findings, we identified a set of key factors that help the studied civic tech initiatives to grow and last. Contributing to Digital Civics in HCI, we argue that the civic tech initiatives’ scaling and sustaining are configured through the entanglement of (1) civic data both captured and owned by the citizens for the citizens, (2) the use of open and accessible technology, and (3) the initiatives’ public narrative, giving them a voice on the environmental issue.2021AHAndrea Hamm et al.Weizenbaum Institute for the Networked Society, Technical University BerlinCitizen Science & Crowdsourced DataCommunity Engagement & Civic TechnologySustainable HCICHI