Sounds Accessible: Envisioning Accessible Audio-Media Futures with People with Aphasia

Audio-media, such as radio and podcasts, are a vital means to engage with global events, access education, or offer entertainment. However, for people with complex communication needs, such as aphasia, there can be accessibility challenges. While accessibility research has largely focused on audiovisual media, little work has considered audio-media, particularly for users with complex communication needs. To address this gap, we undertook six co-design workshops with 10 people with aphasia to re-imagine access to audio-media. We uncover how our co-designers perceive audio-media as more than a tool, but a part of daily intimacies; shaping social relationships and contributing to therapeutic recovery. Through a Research-through-Design process culminating in one low-fidelity and three high-fidelity technology probes that embody novel accessibility interventions, our findings further challenge conventional approaches to audio-media accessibility and signal new directions for future design.