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'We can go anywhere': Understanding Independence through a Case Study of Ride-hailing Use by People with Visual Impairments in metropolitan India

Published: 01 November 2018 Publication History

Abstract

Ride-hailing services have received attention as part of the growing work around the sharing economy, but the focus of these studies has largely been on drivers. In this paper, we examine how ride-hailing is transforming the transportation practices of one group of passengers - people with visual impairments in metropolitan India. Through a qualitative study consisting of interviews and observations, we examined the use and impact of these services on our target population, who otherwise contend with chaotic, unreliable, and largely inaccessible modes of transportation. We found that ride-hailing services positively affects participants' notions of independence, and we tease out how independence for our participants is not just about 'doing things alone, without help' but is also situated, social and relative. Furthermore, we show how accessibility, in the case of ride-hailing in India, is a socio-technical and collaborative achievement, involving interactions between the passenger, the driver, and the technology.

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  1. 'We can go anywhere': Understanding Independence through a Case Study of Ride-hailing Use by People with Visual Impairments in metropolitan India

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    cover image Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction
    Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction  Volume 2, Issue CSCW
    November 2018
    4104 pages
    EISSN:2573-0142
    DOI:10.1145/3290265
    Issue’s Table of Contents
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    Published: 01 November 2018
    Published in PACMHCI Volume 2, Issue CSCW

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    Author Tags

    1. accessibility
    2. blind users
    3. collaborative accessibility
    4. independence
    5. ola
    6. ridesharing
    7. social accessibility
    8. social interactions
    9. stigma
    10. uber

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