Welcome to the Real-World Lab Accessibility
We are concerned with the design, development and evaluation of novel technologies that can be leveraged by disabled people to lead self-determined lives. By examining the interplay between digital technology and physical space, our work also asks whether and how the presence of technology can enhance our usage and experience in space. The goal of the Real-World Lab Accessibility is to open up new perspectives on technology, spaces, and their potential to appreciate human diversity, thereby contributing to more inclusive societies.
We work in close collaboration with ACCESS@KIT, the Center for Digital Accessibility and Assistive Technology that supports students with visual impairments in their studies at KIT.
 
NEWS
Logo MUM '25.MUM '25
New Paper at MUM '25

We will be presenting our recently accepted paper "Exploring The Role of Technology for Accessible Stadium Experiences for People With Limited Mobility" at the 24th International Conference on Mobile and Ubiquitous Multimedia in Italy in December (pre-print). This paper is a sequel of our CHI '25 paper and explores the relationship between (technological) infrastructures and disabled sports spectators more broadly, thereby reiterating on the design of interactive seat plans.

Logo PartWiss.Logo PartWiss.
Presentation at PartWiss 2025 in Leipzig.

We are looking forward to discussing the accessibility of transdisciplinary research appraoches in a lightning talk at PartWiss25 in November.

Our booth with posters and prototypes.
Real-World Lab Festival 2025

In July, our group participated in the Real-World Lab Festival in Karlsruhe. Along with other research groups, we presented our work to the public and offered opportunities to try out our prototypes.

Unser Pavillon am Tag der offenen Tür.
KIT Open Day 2025

Great weekend at the real-world lab! We took part in the KIT Open Day 2025 and presented our work around accessible virtual reality and games for children to interested visitors. We also invited them to particpate in our research by trying out our game prototypes.

Eine Gruppe von Menschen sitzt in einem Klassenzimmer und verfolgt eine Präsentation.Özge Subasi
Guest Lecture at the Futurewell Research Group, Istanbul

On 13th March, 2025, Zeynep Yildiz, Anna-Lena Meiners and Nicolas Walter were the guests of the “Social Design Studio” Course by the Futurewell Research Group from Koc University, Istanbul, Turkey. As part of the lecture on the accessibility of arts and culture institutions, they talked about their projects on museum accessibility with Natural History Museum and ZKM in Karlsruhe, presenting their research process and initial results.

This image shows a university campus scene with a brick building on the left, featuring large windows with red frames. A tree with green and yellow leaves partially frames the top of the image. KIT
Talk on Campus Accessibility

In this talk, Dr. Zeynep Yildiz, a postdoc researcher from HCI&Accessibility Research Group, will present the initial findings of a research project that aims to understand the studentship experiences of disabled students at KIT. This research specifically questions how disabled students (not) use technologies to navigate higher education and how this affects their studentship experience. The event will take place on 26th of March from 2:15 p.m. to 4:45 p.m. in 50.28 Room 201.