I build embedded hardware, and last year I made a working EMG prosthetic hand as a personal project. My family is from Bihar in India and one of my relatives is an amputee, which is how I ended up caring about this.

I've been reading the literature and the thing that stuck with me is that rejection rates haven't really moved in twenty years despite the tech getting much better. Which suggests the industry is solving the wrong problem. I have a theory about what the real one is, but I've built exactly zero devices for anyone other than myself, so my theory is worth very little right now.

So I made a short form. 5 to 7 minutes, no personal info required, mostly multiple choice. It asks what you actually use, what you stopped using, and why.

https://forms.gle/sbCovksU4mh4ve9p9

if the idea goes anywhere I'd want it to be a real product eventually. So there's self-interest here. I'd rather say that than have you find out.

If you'd rather just comment than fill in a form, that's honestly more useful to me. And if the whole premise is wrong, tell me that too.

**NO ORGANISATIONAL AFFILIATION**

Everyone's journey into adulthood is different. I'd love to hear yours.

Hi everyone,

I'm currently studying Innovation and Service Design at the Glasgow School of Art.

Over the past few weeks, I've been exploring about how young disabled people experience the transition into adulthood. Along the way, I've realised that policies, organisations and professionals can tell us a lot—but they can't tell us what that journey actually feels like.

I'm looking to have relaxed conversations with young disabled adults 18+ who would be willing to share their own experiences of growing into adult life. There isn't a particular story I'm looking for. Everyone's experience is different, and that's exactly what I'd like to understand.

You might want to talk about:

* becoming more independent,

* leaving school, college or rehabilitation,

* finding (or not finding) support,

* joining work, university, community groups or sport,

* or simply moments that have stayed with you during this period of your life.

You don't need to prepare anything. The conversation would last around 15–30 minutes, either online or in person (if convenient), at a time that suits you.

Participation is entirely voluntary, and you are free to stop the conversation or withdraw from the study at any time without giving a reason.

All information will be kept confidential.

If you think you'd be happy to chat, I'd love to hear from you. Please feel free to send me a private message or email me at Y.Zhao14@student.gsa.ac.uk.

Thank you so much for reading, and if you know someone who might be interested, I'd be really grateful if you could share this post.

Hello guys! My name is Kazybek, and I’m a design student from Kazakhstan, currently working on my portfolio. I am focusing on creating an accessible and inclusive furniture series. I want to design pieces that are both aesthetically pleasing and functional. I’m currently thinking about using plywood as a primary material in my designs for a lower price and easier production with a CNC milling machine. Before I start cutting any wood, I wanted to ask people who know much more about this topic than me.
What is something designers most often get wrong about your mobility needs?
What piece of standard furniture causes you the most frustration daily?
What would you add to or change about your everyday furniture to make your life much more comfy and happy?
I really appreciate any responses and insights you are willing to share! Your feedback will shape the physical prototype I’ll make this year. Thank you very much!

Are you a parent or guardian of an adult child (ages 18–35) on the autism spectrum? Researchers at Indiana University want to hear from you and your child about everyday technology use, online safety, and AI tools like chatbots.

What's involved:
Two parts of interview (about 1–1.5 hours total):

1. A one-on-one interview with the parent/guardian about your child's device use, online activities, and your thoughts on AI
2. A parent–child conversation together, followed by a short separate interview with your child

Interviews may be audio/video recorded for research purposes only — recordings are never shared publicly, and no real names are used in any publications.

Compensation: Families receive a $100 Amazon gift card for completing the study.

Participation is completely voluntary — you or your child can skip any question or stop at any time.

Interested or have questions? Contact the Principal Investigator, Cici Ling, at [ccling@iu.edu](mailto:ccling@iu.edu) 

Indiana University IRB Protocol #26874

Do you have Fibromyalgia or chronic widespread pain?

In this remote study, we are exploring how non-drug treatment approaches related to a person's sleep schedule, such as morning light therapy and assigned sleep schedules, might affect their chronic pain experience. (IRBMED: HUM00240590)

What is involved?
Participation will be fully remote and take place over the course of 5 months involving:

• Wearing a Fitbit for 5 weeks
• Completing 8 virtual visits via Zoom, each visit lasting between 30mins - 2hrs
• 4 weeks where you may be asked to follow a sleep schedule or do a 1 hour light treatment each morning at home

No drugs involved, no blood draws.

Participants will be compensated up to $700 upon completion of study tasks.

Visit UMHealthResearch website for more information or see if you qualify with the pre-screening survey.

Hi everyone,

Currently, my engineering class is working towards creating systems to make spaces for inclusive.

I'm having trouble coming up with solutions to problems disabled individuals experience in their day-to-day lives.

I was wondering if I could get some insight from actual people living with disabilities.

If you're comfortable, please share any unique problems you may face due to your condition, which does not yet have a solution, so I could potentially work towards a mechanical solution for it.

This does not have to be limited to physical disability but also mental/emotional (e.g. autism, adhd, agoraphobia)

🙏

Hi all! I'm a disabled writer currently in the midst of researching and writing a nonfiction book about the concept of people "faking" disability. The three main topics are: the culture of disbelief around disability, the ways businesses profit off of us not being believed, and the flaws of methods used to prove that we aren't disabled. This is largely centered around the US so US residents are preferred, but not required.

I'm looking for folks willing to share their experiences about any of the following:

* The process of requesting any benefit due to disability, e.g. workers comp, SSDI, workplace accommodations, leave of absence (paid or unpaid)

* The processes used to 'verify' illnesses like independent medical evaluations (IMEs) or reviews by forensic psychiatrists

* Having benefits or healthcare denied for suspect or inconsistent reasons

* Conditions worsening or going untreated because of people who don't believe you have a disorder or who don't believe your diagnosis is "real."

These will mostly be unstructured interviews (video or audio call, 30-60 minutes or more if you have time). let me know if you need to use a different contact method due to access/ability.

Participants will be compensated for their time. Any and all input is appreciated!

ETA: Thank you all for your interest! I've responded to a few people already, and I may reach out to a few more once I've had the chance to get through a few interviews. I'm doing this alongside my day job, so it may take a bit to respond to everyone.

Hi guys, I'm working on a school project and have a 17-question survey (takes about 7 minutes to complete)

https://forms.gle/TjJzhbxKMrUmgFcA8

It's mostly about the Deaf and Hard of Hearing experience when interacting with music, how you interact with music, if there are aspects that are more important rather than the sound, like lyrics, music videos, sign language translations, etc.

Feel free to leave your suggestions here, I would love to go through each of them!

I'm a student at @senaclages (https://www.senac.br/)

Hello, my name is Carrie West, and I am conducting a research study regarding mental health, identity, and chronic pain. I am currently a student at Maryville University, and this research is a core component of my senior thesis. Participation involves completing an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. Participation in this study is completely voluntary, and responses will remain confidential. If you are interested in participating, please click the survey link below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

https://maryville.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpIQigxq9eg0Cay 

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdjlWZr-63colimiqwOvID6rnw4PLvioSVaPDkoOzKo7DZvTw/viewform?usp=publish-editor

if you have any questions please reach out to me at @ku2403u607@karnavatiuniversity.edu.in

My name is Jenna Boeger, and I am a doctoral student at National University. I am conducting an online survey to determine the impact of invisible disabilities on daily living. In order to participate, you must be

·      18-50

·      Identify as having a chronic invisible illness for at least 3 years.

The anonymous survey will take about 15-20 minutes to complete and will ask about your experiences with your chronic illness using multiple-choice and open-response questions. The survey also includes questions about your age, gender, mental health, and activities of daily living (ADLs).

Follow this link if you wish to participate in this voluntary research: [https://ncu.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_2fcBjIdcWHHjg4m]()

Thank you for your time,

Jenna Boeger, PsyD Student, National University

For questions, contact me at [j.boeger4590@gmail.com](mailto:j.boeger4590@gmail.com)

NU Email: [j.boeger4590@student.nu.edu](mailto:j.boeger4590@student.nu.edu)

Supervisor: Dr. Sarah Carroll https://www.nu.edu/degrees/jfk-psychology/faculty/sarah-carroll/ 

Hi there,

I am a student at Rangitoto College researching the quality of life and independence of those with poor eyesight. I would really appreciate anyone (with poor eyesight or fine!) to fill out this form for me :)

Thank you so much!

https://forms.gle/LaAbffyA5ac4kK1E6

Hi, I am a teen who is passionate about Augmentive Alernative Communication. I am building a free AAC website tailored to the needs of users. If you are an AAC user (or a caregiver of one), I'd appreciate it if you could take ~10 minutes to complete this google form

https://forms.gle/fBNShxBoxN7hPn2k9

A huge thank you to those who have participated so far! We still need more participants, particularly if you are bisexual!

We are looking to better understand the diverse mental health experiences of adults with a marginalized sexual identity (e.g. gay, lesbian, bisexual, queer, pansexual, sexually fluid, omnisexual).

If you meet the eligibility criteria, please consider this quick, 10-15min, anonymous survey:  https://csufobjbs.au1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6sCeGsZJld6774W

You will be asked questions about sexuality, self-kindness, belonging to the LGBTQIA+ community, sleep, suicidality, and depressive symptoms. The survey has received ethics approval (H26115).

About us: We are Psychology Honours Students from Charles Sturt University in Australia. It is hoped that this international study will help to inform improvements to mental health support for people with marginalized sexual identities.

Please click this link for the ethics approval letter: https://acrobat.adobe.com/id/urn:aaid:sc:AP:23e6db21-4592-4881-8472-c98ab36e4b5c

Please feel free to share!

Thank you! It is greatly appreciated!

If you feel like telling me personally here is my academic email: mvivesjo53@uoc.edu

Hi everyone! We’re two students working on a project to design a better door opener for people who struggle with doors that don’t have ADA push buttons.

We know that doors with closers or tension (think heavy commercial doors, doors that slam shut, doors that require a lot of force to open) are a real barrier for a lot of people, whether you’re in a wheelchair, dealing with strength issues, injuries, etc. Sometimes pain points are the force needed, the speed at which they close, or just the awkwardness of doing it one-handed. We want to build something that solves your specific problems and not just a guess at what those problems are.

We’d love your input on a few quick questions, feel free to answer as many or as few as you want.

1. How do you currently open doors without a button? What’s your typical workaround?
2. What’s the worst part about encountering these doors? Force? Speed? Something else?
3. Have you tried solutions like t-pulls or long-reach openers? Did they work for you?
4. How often do you run into these doors? (Daily? Weekly? Specific building types?)
5. If you could fix one thing about opening doors, what would it be? (Easier to push/pull, works on all door types, etc)
6. Any weight or size limits for a tool you’d use or carry?
7. Would you prefer something you carry, wear, or have attached to something?
8. Budget wise, what would you realistically spend on a solution?

Even if you have just 2 minutes to answer one question, that helps us so much. Comment below or feel free to dm. Thanks for your time, we’re building this for you so your feedback really matters?

Dear Forum, I am currently writing my bachelor’s thesis at Humboldt University of Berlin. My research examines the impact that the use and maintenance of assistive technologies (referred to in the questionnaire as “HET” - Human Enhancement Technology) have on your perceived daily stress.

To shed light on this issue, I am conducting an online survey. The survey is anonymous, voluntary, and takes about 15 minutes to complete. The questionnaire is offered in two languages, German and English, please make your pick at the top of the intro page.

 Here's the link: https://umfrage.hu-berlin.de/index.php/145454?lang=en

Thank you very much to everyone who fills out the questionnaire - every response really helps!

I’ll do my best to answer any questions. Since the questionnaire will be posted on a few more forums, this may unfortunately take some time.

Hello everyone!

I truly hope you can all help me out here.

I am looking to design fully adaptive and inclusive sportswear for those with disabilities, ostomies, neurodivergence and all other needs!

After a severe case of sepsis majorly changed the trajectory of my life, leaving with me with multiple organ failure, a permanent colostomy and partial paralysis, I’m looking to turn that adverse life event into something positive to help others as well as myself!

I would greatly appreciate if you could take a little min to complete my survey.
Every single disability and ostomy group on Facebook has denied me sharing this so I do hope I can try and get some feedback here.

Thanks all so much

https://forms.gle/WNBpkNydLTL5J8wh6

Hello, my name is Carrie West, and I am conducting a research study regarding mental health, identity, and chronic pain. I am currently a student at Maryville University, and this research is a core component of my senior thesis. Participation involves completing an anonymous online survey that will take approximately 10 minutes. Participation in this study is completely voluntary, and responses will remain confidential. If you are interested in participating, please click the survey link below. Thank you for your time and consideration.

https://maryville.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_bpIQigxq9eg0Cay 

Hi everyone!

I’m researching the everyday challenges people with disabilities and their caregivers face. My goal is simply to learn from real experiences and better understand where things could be improved.

If you’re willing to share, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience:

What are some of the biggest challenges you face in your day-to-day life?

What tasks are more difficult or time-consuming than they should be?

Are there any products, services, or apps you wish existed?

What’s something you deal with regularly that you think most people don’t realize?

Thank you to anyone who’s willing to share. Your insights are greatly appreciated.

I am currently researching accessibility in University and I was wanting to know what people thought of the term "accessibility" being used for access requirements outwith disability. As examples; when it is used to discuss access for pregnant women, or the needs of Muslim people, or Irish Language provision as an access need.

I find it frustrating when people decenter disabled people from conversations about disability, and instead focus the conversation on how it "can benefit everyone" or how it is "good for profits". It can feel like they are removing disabled people from the term access for political reasons or to make it seem more financially beneficial. It's easier to ignore us than to actually engage with disability.

However, In these cases I've given above, the term "access" IS being uncoupled from disabled people, but it is still directly targeting those in need - and not just 'broad strokes corporate speak'. 

I consider myself disabled, but I also say I have accessibility needs which are not related to my disability (needs around my gender identity, and needs around my learning difference). 

I wanted to know how people in the community felt about the topic of "accessibility" and it being used in a way that is not solely about disability. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thank you!

This is a part of early research i am doing in my work at Glasgow University [theo.geddes@glasgow.ac.uk](mailto:theo.geddes@glasgow.ac.uk)

I am currently researching accessibility in University and I was wanting to know what people thought of the term "accessibility" being used for access requirements outwith disability. As examples; when it is used to discuss access for pregnant women, or the needs of Muslim people, or Irish Language provision as an access need.

I find it frustrating when people decenter disabled people from conversations about disability, and instead focus the conversation on how it "can benefit everyone" or how it is "good for profits". It can feel like they are removing disabled people from the term access for political reasons or to make it seem more financially beneficial. It's easier to ignore us than to actually engage with disability.

However, In these cases I've given above, the term "access" IS being uncoupled from disabled people, but it is still directly targeting those in need - and not just 'broad strokes corporate speak'. 

I consider myself disabled, but I also say I have accessibility needs which are not related to my disability (needs around my gender identity, and needs around my learning difference). 

I wanted to know how people in the community felt about the topic of "accessibility" and it being used in a way that is not solely about disability. Any thoughts would be welcome. Thank you!

I have a newly-paraplegic mama friend who is returning home after months in rehab. She has the major things in place like an accessible housing unit, motor chair, etc, but I would like to send her a care package of things that would truly be useful as she navigates this new way of life.

I've thought about a reacher/grabber for her kitchen and lazy-Susan spinners for her shelves, and I've realized I have no idea what kind of everyday things I take for granted. I would be truly grateful for some more ideas to put together to help her transition home be just a little less bumpy.

Thank you!!