The Ambivalent Experience of Eye Contact for People with Visual Impairments: Mechanisms and Design Challenges

2026-05-06

AI Summary

This study addresses the communication inequities and diminished sense of participation experienced by visually impaired individuals in collaborative settings due to their inability to engage in eye-contact-based interaction. Through in-depth interviews with 17 visually impaired participants and informed by critical realism, the research constructs a causal mechanism model that, for the first time, elucidates the interactional challenges and coping strategies arising from the absence of eye contact at a mechanistic level. The analysis identifies three core mechanisms, which underpin the proposed design paradigm of “configurable interaction contracts” to reconceptualize accessible forms of eye contact. Building on this framework, the work articulates five key design challenges for fostering inclusive human–computer collaborative systems, thereby advancing the development of more equitable interactive technologies.

Abstract

In mixed-ability collaboration, eye contact is often treated as a default cue for attention and turn-taking. As these signals are primarily visual, they are not reliably accessible to people with visual impairments. While prior work emphasized technical solutions, mechanism-level explanations of their experiences with sighted partners remain scarce. We interviewed 17 people with visual impairments about everyday interactions across work, education, and social settings. Using a critical-realist lens, we link events to plausible causal mechanisms and identify three recurring mechanisms: First, when gaze cannot allocate the floor, addressability hinges on explicit naming. Second, unclear speech entry cues and ongoing access work split attention and build fatigue, sometimes leading to withdrawal. Third, eye-contact norms can skew judgments of participation, prompting active management of visibility. We translate these mechanisms into five design challenges that reframe accessible eye contact as supporting configurable interaction contracts rather than merely making gaze visible.

Problem

• eye contact
• visual impairments
• mixed-ability collaboration
• accessibility
• social interaction

Innovation

• eye contact
• visual impairments
• interaction mechanisms
• accessible design
• mixed-ability collaboration