May 18, 2026
The UW’s Community-Engaged Computing Initiative (CECI) is a joint initiative to support projects that bring researchers in computing and information together with community partners. The initiative seeks to bring sustainable, equitable, and inclusive technology into real-world contexts.
With an emphasis on funding research efforts with historically underfunded community partners, CECI supports work that centers the lived experiences of people, whether represented by formalized nonprofits, informal grassroots community organizations, or government-based institutions.
Co-led by the (Allen School), HCDE, and the iSchool, the initiative was launched in 2025 through a gift from Google.
CREATE research supported by CECI
Accessible AI and health management support for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities
Lead: CREATE postdoctoral researcher Jazette Johnson. Faculty PI: CREATE Director Jennifer Mankoff. 2025-2026.
This research focuses on designing accessible and trustworthy AI-enabled health technologies for adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD). As AI becomes increasingly embedded in healthcare systems, people with IDD risk being excluded from tools intended to support health management and independence. Johnson and Mankoff partner with community organizations to examine how adults with IDD understand, interact with, and experience AI in health contexts. Their work aims to identify access barriers and develop inclusive AI interfaces, educational materials, and design guidelines that promote autonomy, meaningful participation in healthcare, and improved health outcomes.
AI-enhanced storytelling in blind and low-vision children
Lead: CREATE Ph.D. student Arnavi Chheda-Kothary, Allen School. Faculty co-PIs: CREATE associate directors Jon E. Froehlich and Jacob O. Wobbrock. 2025-2026.
Children commonly create and tell stories as a part of school curriculums, clubs, and social activities. This study explores whether emerging technologies such as AI or tactile tech can assist blind or low-vision (BLV) children in creating and sharing their own stories while preserving their agency as creative storytellers. By enabling BLV children as authors for multimodal stories (visual, tactile), this work will contribute to thinking about tools for sharing stories in mixed-ability groups.