Abstract
People with Down syndrome (DS) face persistent barriers when using assistive technologies. This paper advances a “beyond individual limitations” position that shifts explanation from impairment to the social and design structures that produce disability. Drawing on interviews with ten caregivers in South Africa and using abductive analysis guided by the Social Model of Disability and Universal Design, we identify three dimensions: design-imposed exclusion, social neglect, and agency through mediation. From these findings, we specify DS-aligned design propositions mapped to UD principles, including icon-first contact tiles, one-tap task flows, short voice prompts, undo and safe recovery, shallow navigation with constrained choices, configurable simplicity, protected settings (“Safe Mode”), and caregiver co-use features. The study contributes to IS by integrating social explanation with actionable design guidance and by foregrounding caregiver perspectives to inform inclusive technology, services, and procurement.
Recommended Citation
Nicholls, Meg; Tsibolane, Pitso; and Nombakuse, Ronaldo, "Beyond Individual Limitations: Caregivers’ Perspectives on
Assistive Technology for Down Syndrome" (2025). ACIS 2025 Proceedings. 44.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/acis2025/44