Contributing to Accessibility Datasets: Reflections on Sharing Study Data by Blind People

Abstract

To ensure that AI-infused systems work for disabled people, we need to bring accessibility datasets sourced from this community in the development lifecycle. However, there are many ethical and privacy concerns limiting greater data inclusion, making such datasets not readily available. We present a pair of studies where 13 blind participants engage in data capturing activities and refect with and without probing on various factors that infuence their decision to share their data via an AI dataset. We see how diferent factors infuence blind participants’ willingness to share study data as they assess risk-beneft tradeofs. The majority support sharing of their data to improve technology but also express concerns over commercial use, associated metadata, and the lack of transparency about the impact of their data. These insights have implications for the development of responsible practices for stewarding accessibility datasets, and can contribute to broader discussions in this area.