Zhou defends dissertation

Zhixuan Zhou
Kyrie Zhixuan Zhou

Doctoral candidate Kyrie Zhixuan Zhou successfully defended his dissertation, "A Pragmatic and Human-centered Approach to Promoting Software Accessibility: Design, Education, Governance," on April 3.

His committee included Assistant Professor Madelyn Rose Sanfilippo, Associate Professor Rachel F. Adler, Professor Ted Underwood, Assistant Professor Jessie Chin, Professor Michael Twidale, and Xin Tong, assistant professor at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (Guangzhou).

Abstract: This dissertation explores three approaches to software accessibility: design, education, and governance. It aims to facilitate discussion toward a pragmatic and integrated approach to accessibility. The design study spotlights cancer survivors’ impairments and resulting software challenges and proposes simple yet practical accessibility guidelines to accommodate the software needs of cancer survivors. The education study validates the possibility of teaching software accessibility through disability simulation games before post-secondary education. The governance chapter examines the status quo of governance approaches to improving software accessibility and informs future legislation. In synthesizing the commonalities and differences between the three approaches to software accessibility, it is argued that each approach has advantages and limitations — they ultimately complement each other. An integrated approach combining design, education, and governance interventions should be used to address software accessibility issues and create a more inclusive software ecosystem.

Updated on
Backto the news archive

Related News

Illini 4000 journey leaves lasting impact on Patllollu

As a member of the Illini 4000, BSIS student Riddhima Patllollu biked from New York City to San Francisco to raise awareness of cancer and raise funds for cancer research. Patllollu, a junior from New Jersey, decided to join the nonprofit organization in her freshman year to expand her worldview and mark a new chapter in her life. 

Riddhima Patllollu

New book provides roadmap for designing human-centered AI systems

Professor Dong Wang is the lead author of a book that offers a new perspective on human-centered AI design and human–AI collective intelligence. Social Intelligence: The New Frontier of Integrating Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence in Social Space, which was recently published by Springer Nature, is co-authored by Lanyu Shang (PhD '24) of Loyola Marymount University and Yang Zhang of Miami University.

Dong Wang

iSchool to present research at TPRC 2025

iSchool faculty, staff, and students will participate in the Research Conference on Communications, Information and Internet Policy (TPRC 2025), which will be held from September 18–20 in Washington, DC.

Get to know Simit Shah, MSIM student

Simit Shah worked as a consultant for Deloitte in India before enrolling in the MSIM program to strengthen his analytical and business skills. Over the summer, he applied the knowledge gained from his iSchool coursework during an internship as a technology risk consultant at EY.

Simit Shah

Pila awarded Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan

MSLIS student Nathaniel Allen (Nat) Pila has been selected as the 2025 recipient of the Ruth Fine Memorial Student Loan, awarded annually by the District of Columbia Library Association (DCLA). The award will support Pila as he begins his studies in the iSchool at the University of Illinois. 

Nathaniel Allen Pila