GVU Center Brown Bag: Vivian G. Motti -- Assistive Smartwatches to Support Self-Regulation for Neurodiverse Adults

Abstract:

Emotion regulation is an essential skill for neurodiverse adults to complete postsecondary education, sustain employment, and live independently. Emotion dysregulation is also one of the major challenges faced by neurodiverse adults, hindering their autonomy and inclusion in society. In special education, personal assistants help neurodiverse adults to regulate their emotions. Such a manual approach is effective, however without technology support it is also inconsistent, obtrusive, and stigmatizing. In this talk, I will present the design, development, and evaluation of Wearable Life --an assistive smartwatch application that empowers neurodiverse individuals to regulate emotions independently. Wearable Life aims to foster inclusion in society, facilitating education, employment, and independent living for neurodiverse adults.

Speaker Bio:

Vivian G. Motti is an Assistant Professor in the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason University. Her work concerns the application of wearable computing to assist emotion regulation for neurodiverse users. Dr. Motti's research interests involve usable privacy, smart homes, and assistive wearables. Dr. Motti directs the Human-Centric Design Lab in the Department of Information Sciences and Technology since 2016. She is a member of ACM SIGCHI and AccessComputing. Her research received financial support from NIDILRR, NSF and TeachAccess.

Schedule of Brown Bag Speakers Spring 2021