Knitting Access: Exploring Stateful Textiles with People with Disabilities

Abstract

Wearables are often a primary means of collecting data on the body and in-situ. The data collected upon wearables can shape or record interactions in real time, prompting practices like self-care and reflection. In this work, we became intrigued by textile structures that were non-digital but in themselves "stateful". We explored how these textile interfaces can fit meaningfully into the lives of people with disabilities as sensors and display. Our study revealed interesting practices that emerged for self-tracking that were qualitatively unique in their close relationship to the body and deeply physical modes of engagement. Our findings offer insights into (1) qualities of textile interfaces that are important to people with disabilities, (2) new forms of data that people found to be worthwhile in tracking, and (3) knitted interfaces for sensing and display.