AutARK – Research Project TU Dresden

News

Scientific Talk at the ICCHP Conference

22. July 2024

The international conference ICCHP this year took place from July 8-12 in Linz (Austria) where Mr. Weber presented the successfully accepted full paper contribution of the AutARK project entitled “Open Sesame! Use of Headphones at Work Considering Social Acceptance”. The paper shows the results of the context analysis on the use of ANC headphones at the workplace to support concentration, identifies challenges and proposes an adaptive system that allows social interaction while wearing ANC headphones depending on current contextual factors.

Call for Paper: Special Issue relating to Assistive Technologies for Neurodivergent People

3. July 2024

Invitation for submissions to the special issue of Interacting with Computers with the title “Designing Technology for Neurodivergent Self-Determination: Challenges and Opportunities”! The topic area covers the use and development as well as the design of assistive technologies for neurodivergent people. Personal experience reports are also welcome!
Submission Deadline for Extended Abstracts:
31.10.2024

Full Paper Contribution Relating to Assistive Technologies for Autists

1. July 2024

AutARK presents a full paper contribution at this year’s international conference “HCI International” in Washington DC. The paper entitled “Unlocking Opportunities: Empowering Autistic Adults in Vocational Training and Employment Through Assistive Technologies” presents current research results and outlines requirements for assistive technologies to support autistic people in vocational training and at the workplace.

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Supporting people on the autism spectrum in the professional domain through technical aids

Psychological disorders and developmental disabilities often entail reduced performance and adaptability, frequently leading to impairments in occupational functioning. Despite having received a good professional or scholastic education, individuals on the autism spectrum are significantly more prone to experiencing unemployment or being employed in vocations that have low qualification requirements, as compared to non-autistic individuals. Primary reasons for the low employment rate of autistic individuals in the primary labor market are the challenging work conditions, such as time constraints, information overload, high communicative demands, social competence, too many sensory stimuli, as well as the requirement for a high degree of flexibility.

“We say that individuals with autism lack empathy. No, we lack it. For them.”
Neuroscientist Henry Markram

Autism spectrum disorders are characterized, in particular, by difficulties in communication and social interaction. Perception processing is also often altered, leading many individuals with autism to struggle with an excess of visual or auditory information. These characteristics necessitate a workplace environment that is tailored to the specific needs of individuals with autism in their professional and academic daily lives. Traditional work environments are typically not designed to meet the needs of individuals on the autism spectrum. As a result, many individuals with autism are more frequently affected by unemployment or are employed in vocations that have low qualification requirements as compared to non-autistic individuals. Although many individuals with autism have received a good professional or scholastic education, their chances in the job market are thus lower.

Numbers & Facts

Frequency

Donut chart. The outer ring represents 99% in purple and 1% in green. The center of the circle reads — Approximately 1% of people in Germany are on the autism spectrum.

Unemployment

Donut chart. The outer ring represents 70% in purple and 30% in green. The center of the circle reads — 30% of people within the autism spectrum are affected by unemployment

Primary Labor Market

Donut chart. The outer ring represents 95% in purple and 5% in green. The center of the circle reads — 5% of working-age individuals within the autism spectrum are employed in the general labor market

Source: Autismus Spektrum Portal

OUR GOALS

Supporting People on the Autism Spectrum in the Workplace Context

Sensory Regulation: Reduction of stimuli to avoid sensory overload
Communication: Assistance in verbal and textual communication.
Task management: Providing assistance in structuring and prioritizing tasks and time management.

Discover more about the project

AutARK – Automatic Adaptation of Overstimulating Contexts