Accessible Information Seeking

The ability to find information online using a search engine is a key modern literacy skill. However, information seeking remains particularly challenging for many people with disabilities, a sizable population comprising over a billion people worldwide, including approximately 20% of adults in the U.S. In this talk, I will describe how various types of disability impact information seeking, including sensory disabilities such as vision impairment and cognitive differences such as dyslexia. I will present research at the intersection of human-computer interaction and information retrieval that aims to address the challenges that search engine use presents for these populations. These examples illustrate how considering the needs of end-users with disabilities can result in the creation of accessible search tools that benefit us all.