ASSETS 2025 Workshops

To host a workshop at ASSETS, workshop organizers submitted a proposal following the Workshop Proposal CFP in July, 2025. These proposals were then peer reviewed by two expert reviewers and selected by the Workshop Track Co-chairs, Annuska Zolyomi and Kotaro Hara (workshops-assets25@acm.org).

Ultimately, five workshops, including one in-person workshop, were selected (listed below). To attend a workshop, please see the individual workshop webpages—each have their own CFPs and participation criteria.

Accessibility Research Across Borders: Collaboration and Community Building in Accessibility and ICTD Research

Organizers

  • Tamanna Motahar, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States, tmotahar@cs.washington.edu
  • Vaishnav Kameswaran, Values-Centered Artificial Intelligence, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States
  • Sara Moin, Center of Excellence in Human-Centered Computing, IIIT-Delhi, New Delhi, India, saram@iiitd.ac.in
  • Vikram Kamath Cannanure, Saarland Informatics Campus, Saarland University, Saarbrücken, Germany
  • Maitraye Das, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, ma.das@northeastern.edu
  • Dr. Giulia Barbareschi, Keio Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University, Yokohama, Japan, barbareschi@kmd.keio.ac.jp
  • Laura Sanely Gaytán-Lugo, School of Mechanical and Electrical Engineering, Universidad de Colima, Coquimatlan, Colima, Mexico
  • Aditya Vashistha, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, United States
  • Kurtis Heimerl, Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States
  • Syed Ishtiaque Ahmed, Department of Computer Science, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
  • Neha Kumar, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, Georgia, United States
  • Dr. Nova Ahmed, Design Inclusion and Access Lab, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh
  • Maya Cakmak, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States

Abstract

Collaboration and community building are crucial for equitable participation in research, especially in disability and accessibility research fields. Engaging with communities of disabled individuals helps understand their unique challenges, expectations, and needs, which should be reflected in assistive technology design. However, a gap exists between research in resource-rich societies and the practices of low-resource settings, where socio-economic and infrastructural constraints are often overlooked. Conversely, the innovation and sustainable solutions in these settings are often not fully utilized globally. Our workshop will explore how collaboration and inclusive research practices can inform the development of affordable assistive technologies across borders, particularly in resource-limited contexts, aiming to leverage local expertise, fabrication tools, and global partnerships for sustainable solutions. By fostering global collaboration, community-driven research, and sustainable innovation, we aim to bridge the accessibility research gap and create scalable solutions that enhance the quality of life for people with disabilities worldwide.

Modality

Virtual

Workshop Website

https://sites.google.com/cs.washington.edu/assets25workshop/home

Application Deadline

Aug 8, 2025

Notification Date

Aug 20, 2025

AT@Work: Intelligent Assistive Technologies for Enabling Workplace Inclusion

Organizers

  • Mario Heinz-Jakobs, Institute Industrial IT, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany
  • Sinem Görmez, Institute Industrial IT, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany
  • Hailey L. Johnson, Department of Computer Sciences, University of Wisconsin–Madison, United States
  • Jens Gerken, Inclusive Human-Robot Interaction, TU Dortmund University, Germany
  • Max Pascher, Inclusive Human-Robot Interaction, TU Dortmund University, Germany
  • Giulia Barbareschi, Research Center Trustworthy Data Science and Security, Uni Duisburg-Essen, Germany
  • Saminda Sundeepa Balasuriya, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
  • Laurianne Sitbon, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
  • Carsten Röcker, Institute Industrial IT, OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Germany

Abstract

Digital assistive technologies (ATs) have been widely used to support people with disabilities at work. However, many existing systems, interfaces, and tools remain inaccessible or insufficiently adaptable to the wide range of human abilities, particularly when cognitive, communicative, or sensory differences are involved. This gap is further exacerbated by what scholars and activists refer to as the disability divide: the sociotechnical disparity between people with and without disabilities in terms of access to, use of, and benefits from digital technologies. Despite increasing policy efforts and legal frameworks, vocational inclusion and training remains a significant challenge. By bringing together a diverse community, this workshop seeks to critically examine the role of digital ATs in advancing vocational inclusion for individuals with disabilities.

Modality

In person with remote available

Workshop Website

https://assistivetechnologiesatwork2025.init-owl.de/

Application Deadline

Aug 15, 2025

Notification Date

Aug 15, 2025

Disability Intimacy in HCI: Defining a Community-driven Research Agenda

Organizers

  • Ekat Osipova, Crip Collective, Human-Computer Interaction Group, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria, ekaterina.osipova@tuwien.ac.at
  • Jay Rodolitz, Northeastern University, Boston, Massachusetts, United States, rodolitz.j@northeastern.edu
  • Kirk Andrew Crawford, Information Systems, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, Maryland, United States, kirk4@umbc.edu
  • Kay Kender, Crip Collective, Human-Computer Interaction Group, TU Wien, Vienna, Austria
  • Ana O. Henriques, Faculdade de Belas Artes da Universidade de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal, ana.gfo.henriques@campus.ul.pt
  • Chorong Park, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, United States
  • Patricia Piedade, ITI/LARSyS and INESC-ID, University of Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal, patricia.piedade@tecnico.ulisboa.pt
  • Rachel E. Wood, College of Information Studies, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland, United States
  • Katta Spiel, Crip Collective, Human-Computer Interaction Group || TU Wien, Vienna, Austria

Abstract

Intimacy is a complex, multifaceted subject of importance within disability rights movements. Disabled individuals are entitled to the same universal human rights (e.g., marriage, sexual and reproductive self-determination) as everyone else. Assistive measures that support equity in their personal lives remain central to these movements. However, the research community’s relatively narrow focus of what "intimacy" is (i.e., primarily concerned with sex) combined with factors, such as context, cultural sensitivities, power dynamics and complex ethics, has resulted in its limited exploration in HCI Accessibility Research. Among the relatively small body of HCI literature, most works approach disabled intimacies through a primarily deficit-oriented and heteronormative lens. Notably, ASSETS has featured only two papers on this subject in the past 23 years. Moreover, few studies in HCI explore the methodological and ethical considerations of researching disabled intimacies, and even fewer are disability-led and include queer perspectives. In this half-day virtual workshop, we invite engineers, technology design and development researchers, industry practitioners, accessibility advocates, as well as anyone with disabled and/or queer lived experiences to discuss potential avenues to expand research in Disability Intimacy within HCI. Our goal is to better define what this novel research field could look like, facilitate connections between individuals interested in exploring it, and contribute to its overall visibility and expansion

Modality

Virtual

Workshop Website

https://www.experiencing-access.eu/disability-intimacy-workshop/

Application Deadline

Friday, August 15th, 11:59pm (AOE)

Notification Date

Friday, August 22nd

Participant Recruitment in Accessibility Research

Organizers

Abstract

Recruiting participants from disability communities for accessibility research presents unique challenges that require careful consideration of ethical practices, intersectional representation, methodological rigor, and community sustainability. As accessibility research continues to grow and evolve, researchers face tensions between meaningfully including participants with disabilities and addressing emerging concerns around recruited participants not adequately representing the diversity of the community, overburdening certain participants, participant verification, and fair compensation practices. This workshop will bring together members of the ASSETS community to examine current recruiting practices and document insights into ethical, rigorous, and inclusive participant recruitment in disability research. Through facilitated discussions, we will explore three main themes: (1) methods and models, (2) eligibility criteria and participant verification, and (3) ethical and sustainability considerations. The workshop aims to share current practices, identify key challenges, and develop preliminary guidelines to support accessibility researchers in more sustainable participant recruitment.

Modality

Virtual

Workshop Website

https://assets-recruitment-2025.github.io/

Application Deadline

Aug 15, 2025

Notification Date

August 15, 2025

Teaching Accessibility Across Disciplines: Perspectives from Title II

Organizers

  • Olivia H. Wang, Informatics, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States, ohw2@illinois.edu
  • Chunyu Liu, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Urbana, Illinois, United States, chunyu3@illinois.edu
  • Dr. Rachel F. Adler, School of Information Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States, radler@illinois.edu
  • Caterina Almendral, LaGuardia Community College, CUNY, New York, New York, United States
  • Dr. Devorah Kletenik, Department of Computer and Information Science, Brooklyn College, City University of New York, Brooklyn, New York, United States, kletenik@sci.brooklyn.cuny.edu
  • Dr. Deana McDonagh, Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Champaign, Illinois, United States
  • Bruno Oro, Industrial Design, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States, brunooro@iastate.edu
  • Kyrie Zhixuan Zhou, Department of Information Systems and Cyber Security, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, Texas, United States

Abstract

Teaching accessibility is an essential step towards supporting the integration of accessibility principles in software and other technologies, especially as ADA Title II regulations increase awareness around educational accessibility considerations. While existing literature captures the prevalence of accessibility in computing curriculums, understanding how accessibility can be taught across different disciplines is critical to effective accessibility education. This interdisciplinary workshop invites researchers and educators to discuss approaches to teaching accessibility in different disciplines, especially with respect to Title II compliance. Through sharing experiences and lessons learned, this workshop consolidates accessibility education methods while analyzing the role of teaching accessibility in developing accessible courses, classrooms, and technologies.

Modality

Virtual

Workshop Website

https://sites.google.com/view/teach-a11y-title-ii

Application Deadline

Aug 15, 2025

Notification Date

Aug 22, 2025