Regulating Personal Cameras for Disabled People and People with Deafblindness: Implications for HCI and Accessible Computing

In this experience paper we consider the relevance of social policy to the design of personal cameras for accessibility. As researchers with different backgrounds, in disability studies, accessible computing, AI-based systems, HCI and disability policy, we reflect broadly on our experiences of developing assistive technology for and with people with deafblindness. For designers of assistive technology there are usually few restrictions placed on what may be investigated, provided certain ethical and legal standards are met. However, deafblind and disabled people experience many more barriers in how the products of design may be accessed and how they may be used. Social policy is one of the mediators that governs the allocation of resources and benefits, especially for disabled people. We discuss these issues for researchers in the field, using the example of personal cameras: an area of high policy intervention. Awareness of policy is limited in HCI research, and we argue that it has the potential to add focus to work on design and assistive devices for disabled people. Designers have an important role to play in this process.