Research summary
People with disabilities are not only users of technology, but also creators, shaping tools, spaces and systems in ways that reflect their lived and cultural experiences. Dr. Aimi Hamraie, Canada Research Chair in Technology, Society and Disability, is investigating how disability communities design innovations for themselves—such as homemade wheelchair ramps or digital platforms—and how these practices respond to global challenges, such as climate change, artificial intelligence and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Using historical research, ethnography and creative design methods, Hamraie and their research team are exploring disability as a force that transforms technological and cultural landscapes. By highlighting design that is created by and with disabled people, they are challenging traditional “assistive technology” narratives and broadening our understanding of accessible design as a driver of social and technological change.