@inproceedings{61e74b552dcc4305a5d340de60d840dd,
title = "Towards Inclusive Avatars: Disability Representation in Avatar Platforms",
abstract = "Digital avatars are an important part of identity representation, but there is little work on understanding how to represent disability. We interviewed 18 people with disabilities and related identities about their experiences and preferences in representing their identities with avatars. Participants generally preferred to represent their disability identity if the context felt safe and platforms supported their expression, as it was important for feeling authentically represented. They also utilized avatars in strategic ways: as a means to signal and disclose current abilities, access needs, and to raise awareness. Some participants even found avatars to be a more accessible way to communicate than alternatives. We discuss how avatars can support disability identity representation because of their easily customizable format that is not strictly tied to reality. We conclude with design recommendations for creating platforms that better support people in representing their disability and other minoritized identities.",
keywords = "avatars, disability, identity, inclusion",
author = "Kelly Mack and Hsu, {Rai Ching Ling} and Andr{\'e}s Monroy-Hern{\'a}ndez and Smith, {Brian A.} and Fannie Liu",
note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2023 Owner/Author.; 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, CHI 2023 ; Conference date: 23-04-2023 Through 28-04-2023",
year = "2023",
month = apr,
day = "19",
doi = "10.1145/3544548.3581481",
language = "English (US)",
series = "Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems - Proceedings",
publisher = "Association for Computing Machinery",
booktitle = "CHI 2023 - Proceedings of the 2023 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems",
}