DREEM: Moving from Empathy to Enculturation in Disability-Related Human-Centered Design

Leya Breanna Baltaxe-Admony, Jared Duval, Kathryn Ringland

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Empathy-building, the frst stage in human-centered design, often involves methods that inadvertently reinforce negative stereotypes and biases toward disabled communities. In this work, we introduce a new method: Disability-Related Empathy from Existing Media (DREEM). This method focuses on enculturation rather than traditional ideas of empathy. DREEM leverages media created by disabled individuals to facilitate a deeper, culturally informed understanding. Cultural content is rich with authentic perspectives and tacit design knowledge from people with disabilities. Our four-step process includes (1) discovering relevant media, (2) close reading, (3) refective journaling, and (4) aggregation of insights. In this article, we present our process of creating DREEM using research through design in multiple research and education contexts. Our fndings show that DREEM can be applied in both design classrooms and research contexts to foster a more nuanced understanding of disability for newcomers to the space.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationASSETS 2024 - Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery, Inc
ISBN (Electronic)9798400706776
DOIs
StatePublished - Oct 27 2024
Event26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2024 - St. John's, United States
Duration: Oct 28 2024Oct 30 2024

Publication series

NameASSETS 2024 - Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

Conference

Conference26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility, ASSETS 2024
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CitySt. John's
Period10/28/2410/30/24

Keywords

  • design methods
  • disability
  • empathy
  • human centered design
  • qualitative methods

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Graphics and Computer-Aided Design
  • Computer Networks and Communications
  • Hardware and Architecture

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