Priorities, Technology, & Power: Co-Designing an Inclusive Transit Agenda in Kampala, Uganda

There is considerable effort within the HCI community to explore, document, and advocate for the lived experiences of persons with disabilities (PWDs). However, PWDs from the Global South, particularly Africa, are underrepresented in this scholarship. We contribute to closing this gap by investigating the unmet transit needs and characterization of technology within the disability community in Kampala, Uganda. We investigated transportation due to the increase in ride-share solutions created by widespread mobile computing and the resulting disruption of transportation worldwide. We hosted co-design sessions with disability advocates and adapted the stakeholder tokens method from the value-sensitive design framework to map the stakeholder ecosystem. Our key insight is the identification of a new group of non-traditional core stakeholders who highlight the values of inclusion, mobility, and safety within the ecosystem. Finally, we discuss how our findings engage with concepts of disability justice and perceptions of power.

Automated summary

The study fills the gap in the HCI field by investigating the unmet transit needs and technology characteristics within the disability community in Kampala, Uganda, specifically focusing on underrepresented individuals from the Global South, particularly Africa. Through co-design and stakeholder mapping, a new group of non-traditional core stakeholders emphasizing the values of inclusion, mobility, and safety within the ecosystem were identified. The research engages with concepts of disability justice and perceptions of power, contributing to the broader discussion surrounding the lived experiences of persons with disabilities.