Ki chho , B i a Ma leen; Hamideh Ke da , Sa a; Adolph, La s
A icle — Published Ve sion
Inclusi e wo k en i onmen s o people wi h disabili ies:
he signi icance o pe sonas o di e en ial wo k design
Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha
P o ided in Coope a ion wi h:
Sp inge Na u e
Sugges ed Ci a ion: Ki chho , B i a Ma leen; Hamideh Ke da , Sa a; Adolph, La s (2025) : Inclusi e
wo k en i onmen s o people wi h disabili ies: he signi icance o pe sonas o di e en ial wo k
design, Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha , ISSN 2366-4681, Sp inge , Be lin, Heidelbe g, Vol. 79,
Iss. 3, pp. 391-401,
h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s41449-025-00484-3
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h ps://doi.o g/10.1007/s41449-025-00484-3
Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401
Inclusi e wo k en i onmen s o people wi h disabili ies: he
significance o pe sonas o diffe en ial wo k design
B i a Ma leen Ki chho 1· Sa a Hamideh Ke da 1·La sAdolph
1
Accep ed: 5 Sep embe 2025 / Published online: 24 Sep embe 2025
© The Au ho (s) 2025
Abs ac
The ad ancing digi aliza ion o wo k, including he in eg a ion o echnologies such as a i icial in elligence, is p o oundly
eshaping p o essional en i onmen s. While digi al ools o e oppo uni ies o inno a i e wo k models and inc eased
e iciency, he speci ic needs o people wi h disabili ies a e equen ly o e looked in hese ans o ma ion p ocesses. A he
same ime, assis i e echnologies a e e ol ing apidly, c ea ing new possibili ies o pa icipa ion, au onomy, and inclusion.
To b idge his gap, di e en ial wo k design eme ges as a p omising app oach. I calls o he sys ema ic adap a ion o
wo king condi ions o he di e se abili ies and needs o indi iduals. A key me hod wi hin his amewo k is he use o
pe sonas— ic ional, bu esea ch-in o med use p o iles ha ep esen he expe iences o people wi h disabili ies. Pe sonas
acili a e he ea ly in eg a ion o accessibili y conside a ions in o design p ocesses, helping o iden i y ba ie s and in o m
inclusi e solu ions. This s udy illus a es how pe sonas can be de eloped h ough an in e disciplina y me hodology. The
indings unde sco e he c i ical ole o con ex ual ac o s and subjec i e use pe spec i es in shaping e ec i e, inclusi e
wo k design.
P ac ical Rele ance: The use o pe sonas o e s aluable po en ial o iden i ying ba ie s in digi al wo k en i onmen s
a an ea ly s age. They can aise employe awa eness o inclusi e design p inciples, highligh exis ing de ici s in digi al
inclusion, and suppo e o s o imp o e access o wo k o people wi h disabili ies. Howe e , pe sonas a e no a subs i u e
o he di ec and ac i e in ol emen o people wi h disabili ies in design and decision-making p ocesses. The me hodology
p esen ed he e con ibu es o he discou se on di e en ial wo k design, wi h he o e a ching aim o os e ing a humane
and inclusi e wo king en i onmen . In such an en i onmen , digi al echnologies a e no only e icien bu also e lec i e,
accessible, and aligned wi h he di e se needs o all use s.
Keywo ds Inclusion · Digi al wo k en i onmen s · Pe sonas · Di e en ial wo k design
B i a Ma leen Ki chho
Ki chho .B i [email protected]
1Fede al Ins i u e o Occupa ional Sa e y and Heal h (BAuA),
F ied ich-Henkel-Weg 1–25, 44149 Do mund, Ge many
K
392 Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401
Inklusi e A bei swel en ü Menschen mi Behinde ungen: Die Bedeu ung on Pe sonas ü eine
di e en ielle A bei sges al ung
Zusammen assung
Die o sch ei ende Digi alisie ung und de Einsa z on Technologien wie Küns liche In elligenz e ände n A bei sumge-
bungen ie g ei end. Wäh end digi ale Technologien neue A bei smodelle und E izienzs eige ungen e möglichen, bleiben
die Bedü nisse on Menschen mi Behinde ungen im digi alen Wandel o unbe ücksich ig . Gleichzei ig en wickeln sich
assis i e Technologien asan und e ö nen Chancen ü meh Teilhabe und Au onomie. Di e en ielle A bei sges al ung
bie e hie einen Lösungsansa z. A bei sbedingungen soll en sys ema isch an indi iduelle Fähigkei en und Bedü nisse
angepass we den. Ein We kzeug zu di e en iellen Ges al ung sind Pe sonas – ik i e Nu ze p o ile, die exempla isch
die Lebens eali ä en on Menschen mi Behinde ungen abbilden. Sie hel en, Bedü nisse ühzei ig im Designp ozess zu
be ücksich igen, Ba ie en zu e kennen und inklusi e Lösungen zu en wickeln. Es wi d au gezeig , wie Pe sonas ü die-
sen Zweck in e disziplinä en wickel we den. Die E gebnisse zeigen die Bedeu ung on Kon ex ak o en und subjek i en
Einschä zungen im En wicklungsp ozess.
P ak ische Rele anz: Die Nu zung on Pe sonas kann hel en Ba ie en im digi alen A bei sum eld ühzei ig zu iden i i-
zie en, A bei gebe ü inklusi e Ges al ung zu sensibilisie en, digi ale Inklusionsde izi e zu iden i izie en und den Zugang
zu A bei ü Menschen mi Behinde ungen zu e leich e n. Pe sonas e se zen jedoch nich die di ek e Be eiligung on
Menschen mi Behinde ungen. Die da ges ell e Me hodik is ein Bei ag zu di e en iellen A bei sges al ung mi dem
Ziel eine menschenge ech en, inklusi en A bei swel , in de digi ale Technologien e lek ie , zugänglich und p oduk i
ges al e we den.
Schlüsselwö e Inklusion · Digi ale A bei swel en · Pe sona · Di e en ielle A bei sges al ung
1 Di e en ial wo k design o people wi h
disabili ies in digi al wo k en i onmen s
using pe sonas
Wi h he ongoing p og ess o digi aliza ion, inno a i e ech-
nologies, including a i icial in elligence (AI), a e playing
an inc easingly signi ican ole in wo k en i onmen s, bo h
as ools o pe o ming asks and as assis i e echnologies.
The easons o using digi al echnologies in he wo k-
place a e di e se. They ange om add essing he sho age
o skilled wo ke s and implemen ing new wo king models
such as mobile wo k o suppo employees and ul ima ely
inc ease e iciency. Howe e , he dynamic na u e o ech-
nological p og ess and he complex in e ac ions be ween
echnology use, wo k asks, employees, and o ganiza ions
make i di icul o ealis ically assess u u e de elopmen s
and hei e ec s. I is he e o e bo h impo an and chal-
lenging o ensu e ha “ he esul ing new wo king condi-
ions also mee he c i e ia o decen wo k” (Ro he e al.
2017).
So a , he needs and po en ials o employees wi h im-
pai men s and disabili ies ha e been la gely o e looked in
he discou se on digi alized wo k. Meaning ul s eps o -
wa d a e he in eg a ion o inclusi eness as a c i e ion in
he eassessmen o wha cons i u es humane wo k in he
con ex o digi al ans o ma ion (Webe e al. 2022), as
well as i s in eg a ion in o an AI esea ch oadmap om
an occupa ional science pe spec i e (Adolph e al. 2025),
bo h as a design objec i e and as a p o ec i e goal o em-
ployees. Ne e heless, he in e disciplina y ield o digi al
accessibili y and inclusi e echnology use emains unde -
ep esen ed in e gonomics compa ed o o he ac o s ha
shape wo king condi ions.
This gap becomes pa icula ly appa en when consid-
e ing ha many digi al ools used o ask execu ion a e
s ill no designed o be accessible (Bo elho 2021). As a e-
sul , employees wi h disabili ies may encoun e ba ie s ha
hinde hei pa icipa ion, exclude hem om ce ain asks
(Hamideh Ke da e al. 2024), o e en pose isks o hei
heal h and well-being. In con as , he ield o assis i e ech-
nologies is e ol ing apidly, o e ing new and o en ans-
o ma i e possibili ies o he pa icipa ion and au onomy
o people wi h disabili ies in digi al wo k en i onmen s.
These opposing de elopmen s—on he one hand, pe -
sis en accessibili y ba ie s in mains eam echnologies,
and on he o he hand, he meaning ul po en ial o assis-
i e inno a ions—highligh he need o p oac i e and di -
e en ia ed app oaches o wo k design. Di e en ial wo k
design p o ides a amewo k o add essing hese di e se
and some imes con lic ing demands, enabling inclusi e and
needs-o ien ed s uc u ing o digi al wo k en i onmen s.
This app oach is g ounded in he p inciple ha indi id-
ual di e ences among wo ke s should be sys ema ically ad-
d essed. I in ol es o e ing di e en wo k s uc u es and
p ocesses o he p oduc ion o he same p oduc s o se -
ices, allowing employees o choose he op ion ha bes
sui s hei indi idual needs and capabili ies (Ulich 2011).
K
Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401 393
F om an inclusion-o ien ed pe spec i e, di e en ial wo k
design should be gi en p ecedence o e ap i ude-based se-
lec ion p ocesses o p omo e oca ional pa icipa ion. The
p inciple unde lying his app oach is ha he sys ema ic
adap a ion o wo king condi ions o he indi idual cha -
ac e is ics o employees is no only e hically and socially
desi able, bu also unc ionally e ec i e in ensu ing long-
e m pa icipa ion and pe o mance.
Demons a ing he possibili ies o di e en ial wo k de-
sign o employe s can also con ibu e o educing s uc-
u al and a i udinal ba ie s o he employmen o people
wi h disabili ies. By making isible ha inclusi e, needs-
o ien ed wo k s uc u es can mi iga e o elimina e speci ic
wo k- ela ed ba ie s, and a he same ime enable he ull
de elopmen o indi idual po en ial, conce ns abou em-
ployabili y and p esumed limi a ions can be cons uc i ely
add essed. Thus, di e en ial wo k design se es no only
as a s a egy o inclusion bu also as a means o p omo -
ing he ecogni ion o di e si y as a esou ce in digi alized
wo king en i onmen s.
In his way, di e en ial wo k design suppo s he align-
men o wo k demands wi h pe sonal cha ac e is ics, con-
ibu ing o a wo k en i onmen ha os e s no only pa ic-
ipa ion bu also pe sonal de elopmen and long- e m well-
being. Ra he han ocusing solely on enabling access o
wo k, inclusi e wo k design, unde s ood h ough his lens,
seeks o ensu e humane, pe sonali y-de eloping wo k o
all indi iduals, ega dless o disabili y.
Today, he echnical possibili ies o implemen ing such
a di e en ia ed design o wo k a e mo e ad anced han
e e be o e. Eme ging digi al echnologies enable a mo e
p ecise conside a ion o bo h in e - and in aindi idual a i-
a ion, opening up new a enues o human-cen e ed wo k
design and inclusi e pa icipa ion in he digi al wo ld o
wo k (Ro he e al. 2019).
In eg a ing digi al accessibili y in o occupa ional science
is c ucial o add essing heal h-sensi i e wo k amid he
e ol ing challenges o mode n wo k en i onmen s. Digi-
al accessibili y signi ican ly a ec s he wo k pe o mance,
well-being, and heal h o employees wi h impai men s and
disabili ies and hus dese es g ea e emphasis wi hin he
occupa ional science communi y.
A he same ime, he in e ac ions be ween he indi idual
cha ac e is ics o employees wi h impai men s o disabili-
ies and he assis i e echnologies hey ely on canno be
conside ed in isola ion om he digi al echnologies in e-
g a ed wi hin he b oade wo k en i onmen . This complex
in e play p esen s a signi ican challenge o bo h he de-
sign o inclusi e wo k sys ems and occupa ional science
esea ch, unde sco ing he need o holis ic and nuanced
app oaches.
Mo eo e , he consequences o digi al inaccessibili y o -
en emain di icul o de ec . Fea s o s igma iza ion and
exclusion may lead employees wi h impai men s o disabil-
i ies o conceal he addi ional bu dens hey ace, esul ing
in hidden ba ie s ha s anda d wo k analysis and design
me hods may ail o cap u e. These me hodological limi a-
ions unde sco e he u gen need o inno a i e app oaches
ha be e e lec he he e ogeneous eali ies o employees
and hei in e ac ions wi h e ol ing digi al echnologies.
Wi h he challenges ou lined abo e in mind, di e en ial
wo k design ha conside s he speci ic needs o employees
wi h and wi hou impai men s, as well as he in e ac ion be-
ween assis i e echnologies and wo kplace echnologies, is
becoming inc easingly impo an . Howe e , a key ques ion
emains: How can unc ional and p ac icable app oaches
be iden i ied and e alua ed o e ec i ely assess po en ial
solu ions?
P esen ing in o ma ion in he o m o s o ies enhances
he unde s anding o eal-wo ld si ua ions, as i enables in-
di iduals o in ui i ely o ganize and in e p e na a i e con-
en . The e o e, a na a i e pe sona-scena ios me hodology
was chosen o his s udy o suppo meaning ul insigh , in-
e disciplina y communica ion, and a sha ed unde s anding
o use in e ac ions (Madsen and Nielsen 2010). Pe sonas
ep esen ing people wi h impai men s and disabili ies o -
e a aluable oppo uni y o aise awa eness o he spe-
ci ic needs o his employee g oup. A he same ime, hey
se e as an e ec i e ool o di e en ial wo k design by
acili a ing he an icipa ion o oppo uni ies o mo e inclu-
si e wo k en i onmen s, iden i ying new exclusion isks,
and unde s anding in e ac ions wi h indi idually used as-
sis i e echnologies. This makes hem pa icula ly use ul
when planning he in eg a ion o digi al echnologies in he
wo kplace. Acco ding o Salminen e al. (2022) pe sonas
e lec he needs o use s om di e se backg ounds and
con ibu e o he design p ocess by os e ing empa hy and
enhancing communica ion among s akeholde s.
The de elopmen o pe sona-based scena ios was guided
by a quali a i e app oach (Mose e al. 2012), wi h an ex-
pe wo kshop se ing as he cen al me hodological com-
ponen . The ollowing sec ion p esen s a case s udy om
his expe wo kshop whe e pe sonas o people wi h disabil-
i ies we e de eloped. These pe sonas inco po a e ad anced
assis i e echnologies o highligh and encou age conside -
a ion o he in e ac ions be ween assis i e de ices and he
gene al echnologies used in he wo kplace. Subsequen ly,
he po en ial bene i s o hese pe sonas o di e en ial wo k
design, as well as hei ele ance o s anda diza ion and
egula o y p ocesses, a e discussed.
K
394 Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401
2 Me hod and esul s
2.1 Pa icipan s
A o al o six emale and en male expe s, who we e pe -
sonally in i ed, ook pa in he wo kshop. The g oup o
pa icipan s consis ed o expe s in he ields o disabili ies,
inclusion and assis i e echnologies. These included scien-
is s who deal wi h he inclusion o people wi h disabili ies,
as well as p o essionals om a ious ields o wo k who
wo k di ec ly wi h assis i e echnologies. In addi ion, ex-
pe s om he ields o wo k design and inclusion, such as
e gonomis s and consul an s o he design o u u e wo k-
ing en i onmen s, we e also ep esen ed.
2.2 P ocedu e
To de elop pe sona-scena ios add essing he isk o exclu-
sion associa ed wi h he implemen a ion o new wo kplace
echnologies o people wi h disabili ies, a mul i-s ep p o-
cess was ollowed. Fi s , he wo kshop was conduc ed in-
ol ing expe s om a ious disciplines, du ing which pe -
sonas and ele an wo k si ua ions we e collabo a i ely de-
eloped. Second, esea che s cons uc ed scena ios based
on he ou comes o he wo kshop. Finally, hese scena -
ios we e sha ed wi h he o iginal pa icipan s o eedback,
which was hen inco po a ed o e ine and adjus he scena -
ios. The ollowing sec ions p o ide a de ailed explana ion
o his me hodological app oach.
S ep 1: Wo kshop wi h expe s om science and p ac ice
On No embe 10, 2022, an expe wo kshop was held a
he Fede al Ins i u e o Occupa ional Sa e y and Heal h
(BAuA) in Do mund. The aim o he wo kshop was o
ga he de ailed insigh s in o he needs o people wi h
disabili ies, he assis i e echnologies hey cu en ly use,
po en ial inno a ions ha could suppo hem in he wo k-
place, and o de elop pe sonas o disabled people in he
wo kplace and o p esen hei wo k si ua ions in 2027,
including he assis i e echnologies p ospec i ely in use
a ha ime. This was done wi h conside a ion o exis ing
echnologies and p ojec ions o he nex i e yea s. The
insigh s collec ed we e hen used o de elop u u e-o ien ed
scena ios, which highligh ed po en ial isks o exclusion
associa ed wi h eme ging echnological de elopmen s and
hei implemen a ion. To add ess he de ails o bo h pe -
sonas and he wo king asks, he pa icipan s, based on
hei choice and expe ise, we e di ided in o wo g oups:
G oup 1 ( o de elop pe sonas): This g oup consis ed o
expe s wi h expe ise in he ields o disabili y, inclu-
sion and assis i e echnologies, e.g. esea che s wo king
on he inclusion o people wi h disabili ies and p o es-
sionals wo king di ec ly wi h he a ge g oup and wi h
knowledge abou assis i e echnologies.
G oup 2 ( o de elop wo k si ua ions): This g oup com-
p ised expe s om he ields o wo k design and inclu-
sion, including e gonomis s and consul an s o he de-
sign o u u e wo king condi ions.
P io o he wo kshop, he esea che s conduc ed an ex-
ensi e li e a u e e iew (Mose e al. 2012) o iden i y key
cha ac e is ics o he a ge g oup and ele an echnolo-
gies. Based on hese indings, s uc u ed amewo ks we e
de eloped ha ou lined he objec i es and asks o be ad-
d essed du ing he session. To ensu e consis ency in he
de elopmen o pe sonas, he amewo k included a p e-
de ined se o cha ac e is ics and desc ip o s (e.g., name,
age, assis i e echnologies used). Examples we e p o ided
o se e al o hese elemen s o minimize po en ial misun-
de s andings and ensu e a common unde s anding among
pa icipan s. Following an in oduc ion o he p ojec , in-
cluding i s agenda and objec i es, he expe s commenced
hei wo k in wo sepa a e g oups.
C ea i e de elopmen o pe sonas (G oup 1) To iden i y
which ypes o disabili ies should be p io i ized and u he
de eloped, he expe s ini ially lis ed ele an disabili y
ypes on indi idual ca ds, d awing om hei in e es s,
knowledge, and p o essional expe ience. These ca ds we e
hen collec ed and o ganized on Me aplan boa ds o a-
cili a e g oup discussion and hema ic clus e ing. Th ough
a poll in which each expe could o e o up o h ee
ca ego ies, he h ee disabili y ca ego ies wi h he mos
nomina ions we e p io i ized o u he de elopmen . The
expe s we e hen di ided in smalle g oups o de elop
one pe sona each based on p ede ined amewo k condi-
ions. Du ing he g oup wo k, he pa icipan s w o e down
keywo ds o cha ac e ize he pe sona on ca ds and hung
hem on he wall. The g oups hen p esen ed hei esul s
and answe ed ques ions om he o he s, e.g. How does he
pe sona deal wi h his disabili y? Wha does he pe sona do
when she needs u he suppo ? As he g oups desc ibed
hei pe sonas and esponded o ques ions, an illus a o
concu en ly documen ed he de ails h ough isual ep-
esen a ions, cap u ing key cha ac e is ics and con ex ual
elemen s in a g aphical o ma . A e ha , all he pa ici-
pan s wo ked oge he on he assignmen and desc ip ion
o assis i e echnologies o he h ee de eloped pe sonas.
Bo h he cu en a ailabili y o he echnologies and possi-
ble u he de elopmen s up o 2027 we e discussed. The
expe s also no ed he equi emen s and challenges o
implemen ing he echnologies.
De elopmen o wo k si ua ions (G oup 2) A he same
ime, he wo k si ua ion g oup de eloped scena ios o
K
Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401 395
u u e wo k si ua ions. These scena ios ook in o accoun
speci ic equi emen s and challenges o wo k design in
2027. Each expe indi idually conside ed ac i i ies on
ca ds ha could be ele an . A common unde s anding o
he key concep “ac i i y” was necessa y. The de ini ion o
an ac i i y acco ding o DIN EN ISO 6385 was used as
a basis: “The combina ion o all human wo k ac i i ies o
a wo ke in a wo k sys em.”
These ac i i ies we e hen collec ed on me aplan boa ds
and assigned o he ollowing ca ego ies:
Pe sonal ac i i ies
Objec - ela ed ac i i ies
Knowledge- ela ed ac i i ies
In he nex s ep, simila ac i i ies we e g ouped oge he
and di ided in o h ee ca ego ies acco ding o he le el o
quali ica ion equi ed: low, medium and high. In o de o
selec he mos ele an ac i i ies o u he o mula ion,
a poin s que y was ca ied ou . In his s ep, one ac i i y
each wi h low, medium and high quali ica ion equi emen s
was selec ed, which we e hen u he elabo a ed in he la e
scena ios.
The combina ion o pe sonas and he wo k si ua ions Once
he asks o each g oup we e accomplished and pe sonas
and he wo k si ua ions we e de eloped, all pa icipan s
we e b ough oge he o a plena y session. Each g oup
p esen ed a summa y o hei esul s, which we e hen
discussed collec i ely. This join discussion se ed o con-
solida e and ha monize he pe sonas and wo k si ua ions,
es ablishing a sha ed ounda ion o he subsequen de-
elopmen o scena ios. Following his, and d awing on
p io in-dep h esea ch aimed a ensu ing a consis en sce-
na io s uc u e. In addi ion o a sample scena io, a de ailed
me hodological amewo k was c ea ed, in o med by li e a-
u e on pe sona and scena io de elopmen and by p ac ical
examples, such as hose p o ided in he ‘Bes P ac ices’
sec ion o REHADAT, a Ge man online po al o o-
ca ional pa icipa ion (h ps://www. ehada -gu ep axis.de/
p axisbeispiele/). This example was hen e iewed and
discussed by all pa icipan s o e ine he app oach mo ing
o wa d.
The s uc u ed wo kshop p ocess enabled an in ensi e
exchange o specialis knowledge and p omo ed he de el-
opmen o p ac ical esul s, which se ed as he basis o
u he scena io de elopmen .
S ep 2: C ea ion o scena ios Following he wo kshop, he
p ojec eam de eloped conc e e scena ios in which he de-
eloped pe sonas we e linked o speci ic job desc ip ions.
These scena ios aimed o illus a e he po en ial uses o
assis i e echnologies and hei impac on wo k asks and
condi ions in 2027.
S ep 3: Online discussion and adap a ion o he scena ios
The de eloped scena ios we e subsequen ly published on
an online pla o m (www.discu o.io), whe e he wo kshop
pa icipan s we e in i ed o e iew, commen on, and en-
gage in discussion ega ding he con en and de ails o
he scena ios. Based on he eedback, he scena ios we e
e ised and inalized.
3Resul s
3.1 De eloped pe sonas
The ollowing sec ion p esen s he h ee pe sonas de eloped
du ing he p ocess, wi h a pa icula ocus on hei po en ial
con ibu ion o he design o inclusi e and di e en ia ed
wo king condi ions.
3.1.1 Pe sona 1: Lea
(Fig. 1)
Lea is 37 yea s old, ma ied and he mo he o one
child. She g adua ed om a seconda y school and com-
ple ed a eaching deg ee wi h a ocus on special schools.
A he age o 35, she was diagnosed wi h macula degene -
a ion, a p og essi e disease ha causes cen al isual ield
loss. The limi a ions, in pa icula he loss o he abili y o
ead and he inabili y o d i e, ep esen signi ican ba ie s
o he .
In he p o essional li e, Lea expe iences inc easing ob-
s acles due o he blindness. She p e e s o wo k on si e,
bu his equi es a lo o ime. She wo ks independen ly, bu
is suppo ed by he colleagues when needed, and in some
cases an assis an is equi ed. The bigges challenge o he
is ensu ing ha all documen s a e accessible o he . Tasks
and ac i i ies ha e o be p epa ed in ad ance and ob aining
in o ma ion is ime-consuming. As he isual impai men
only became appa en la e in li e, she eels com o able
wi h comple ing many asks independen ly. In addi ion, he
wo king en i onmen and ou e o wo k a e al eady amilia .
She uses public anspo , ca pools o a anspo se ice
and does no equi e any assis ance.
Despi e hese limi a ions, Lea is open abou he disabil-
i y. She is independen , sel -con iden and has a posi i e
a i ude owa ds he li e si ua ion. Due o he iden i ica ion
equi emen , she wea s he blind badge wi h h ee black
do s when she is ou and abou .
Lea uses an iPhone and an Apple Wa ch, which o e
he suppo h ough a ious apps, such as a ex ecogni-
ion unc ion. A home, she ge s help om sma p oduc s
such as Si i o Alexa. He washing machine, is specially
adap ed o blind people—al hough he e a e s ill p ob-
lems a he momen , i should be ully unc ional by 2027.
K
396 Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401
Fig. 1 Illus a ion o Lea, based
on pa icipan s’ desc ip ions.
The echnologies used by Lea
a e also depic ed in Ge man,
highligh ing he suppo she
ecei es h ough a ious ools
such as mobile apps (wi h IT
secu i y conce ns), de ices wi h
speech ou pu , AI-based image
ecogni ion, sc een eade s,
accessibili y ea u es, and indoo
5G connec i i y
Abb. 1 Illus a ion on Lea, ba-
sie end au den Besch eibungen
on Teilnehme n. Die on Lea
e wende en Technologien sind
in deu sche Sp ache da ges ell
und e deu lichen die Un e s ü -
zung, die sie du ch e schiedene
Tools wie Handy-Apps (mi IT-
Siche hei sbedenken), Ge ä e
mi Sp achausgabe, KI-basie e
Bilde kennung, Bildschi mle-
sege ä e, Ba ie e eihei s unk-
ionen und 5G-Konnek i i ä in
Innen äumen e häl
Lea also uses sc een eade s and B aille. In un amilia en-
i onmen s, i uses GPS sys ems, and indoo na iga ion
is made possible by Blue oo h, iPhone, Ai Tags and 5G.
Na iga ion on oo , accu a e o wi hin cen ime e s, is a-
cili a ed by sys ems such as Galileo. Apps such as “Be
My Eyes” (h pss://www.bemyeyes.com) and “Seeing AI”
(h pss://www.seeingai.com) p o ide addi ional suppo .
One obs acle o Lea is ha specialized so wa e is o en
no ba ie - ee. Adap ing i o indi idual needs akes a lo
o ime and can be e y cos -in ensi e. Some echnologies
a e also no cus omizable and should ha e been designed
accessible om he ou se . Ano he p oblem is IT secu i y
es ic ions, pa icula ly wi h ega d o he use o apps and
assis i e echnologies, as hese collec pe sonal da a, which
can limi he use o he echnologies.
3.1.2 Pe sona 1: Co dula
(Fig. 2)
Co dula is 35 yea s old and wo ks in adminis a ion.
She comple ed he A-le els a a mains eam school and
ained as an o ice adminis a o . A he age o 32, she
su e ed a sudden hea ing loss, he ea men o which was
un o una ely unsuccess ul.
Co dula is no open abou he hea ing impai men and
has an a oidan , de ensi e a i ude. She su e s om hea ing
s ess, is ese ed and o en eels insecu e. To hide he
disabili y, she wea s he hea ing aid co e ly. Al hough she
is no dep essed, she o en eels alone. As she only acqui ed
he disabili y la e in li e, she does no speak sign language
and eels excluded in communi ies o people wi h hea ing
impai men s.
The bigges challenge o Co dula is communica ing
wi h o he s, as she has di icul ies unde s anding people
K
Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401 397
Fig. 2 Illus a ion o Co dula,
based on pa icipan s’ desc ip-
ions. The echnologies used
by Co dula a e also depic ed
in Ge man, highligh ing he
suppo she ecei es h ough
a ious ools such as speech
ou pu , apps, audios and ideos
Abb. 2 Illus a ion on Co dula,
basie end au den Besch eibun-
gen on Teilnehme n. Die on
Co dula e wende en Technolo-
gien sind in deu sche Sp ache
da ges ell , wobei die Un e s ü -
zung he o gehoben wi d, die
sie du ch e schiedene Hil smi -
el wie Sp achausgabe, Apps,
Audios und Videos e häl
speaking a he same ime. I is uncom o able o he when
people speak loudly o he , as his is o en unnecessa y.
Video con e encing is ano he hu dle, as he sound is no
always op imal and au oma ic sub i les a e no always co -
ec . She also has p oblems pe cei ing people in he oom,
as isual cues such as doo knocks o oom acous ics a e
o en inadequa e. Because o hese di icul ies, she o en
wi hd aws in social si ua ions.
Co dula uses public anspo , bu when he e a e delays
o ain cancella ions, she canno always hea he announce-
men s i hey a e no also displayed isually. He home is
equipped wi h ligh signals o he elephone and doo bell,
and she uses a sma wa ch o ac ile no i ica ions, which
suppo s he wi h calls o ala ms, o example.
Co dula wea s a hea ing aid ha is equipped wi h Blue-
oo h and au oma ically connec s o he phone. Du ing
mee ings o con e ences, she can connec he hea ing aid
o a mic ophone o hea be e . The connec ion o Blue-
oo h de ices is cu en ly limi ed o 3–5 de ices, bu will
be imp o ed by 2027. She uses he AVA app (h pss://www.
A a.me), which helps he wi h speech o ex and sub i les
du ing con e sa ions, and he li e ansc ip ion unc ion on
Zoom (which will also be imp o ed).
Co dula ea s being s igma ized o using he echnical
aids in social o p o essional con ex s. Wea ing a mask du -
ing he co ona i us pandemic was pa icula ly di icul o
he , as acial exp essions and mou h mo emen s a e impo -
an o he .
K
398 Zei sch i ü A bei swissenscha (2025) 79:391–401
Fig. 3 Illus a ion o Maxim,
based on pa icipan s’ desc ip-
ions. The echnologies used
by Maxim a e also depic ed
in Ge man, highligh ing he
suppo she ecei es h ough
a ious ools such as sma
glasses, sma wa ch, apps and
echnologies o s ess de ec ion
Abb. 3 Illus a ion on Maxim,
basie end au den Besch eibun-
gen on Teilnehme n. Die on
Maxim e wende en Technolo-
gien sind eben alls in deu sche
Sp ache da ges ell und e deu -
lichen die Un e s ü zung, die e
du ch e schiedene Hil smi el
wie Sma -B illen, Sma wa -
ches, Apps und Technologien
zu S esse kennung e häl
3.1.3 Pe sona 1: Maxim
(Fig. 3)
Maxim is 22 yea s old and has success ully comple ed an
app en iceship as a skilled adespe son. He has a congen-
i al lea ning disabili y and, despi e signi ican challenges
wi h eading, did no ecei e adequa e educa ional suppo
du ing his schooling. Cu en ly employed as a pain e and
a nishe , Maxim is a he beginning o his ca ee . He en-
joys wo king on-si e and alues being pa o a eam.
He is a slow lea ne wi h limi ed memo y, lack o con-
cen a ion, low us a ion ole ance and he e o e needs
easy language. I he doesn’ unde s and some hing, he
quickly ge s ang y and eels us a ed, especially i he has
o ask o in o ma ion se e al imes. Maxim ends o hold
back and a oids asking his boss o he same in o ma ion
again. His main di icul y is communica ion and asking
ques ions, as he is a aid o being pe cei ed nega i ely o
his ques ions.
K
