Ability and Disability: Social Robots and Accessibility, Disability Justice, and the Socially Constructed Normal Body
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Marco Dehnert
Abstract
As technologies designed to be social, interactive, and communicative, social robots fulfill many functions including assistance. As part of larger issues related to representation and robots’ integration with humans, ability and disability are a key concern. This chapter surveys current perspectives on ability and disability in social robotics, centering critical disability, crip, neuroqueer, and disability justice perspectives. Approaching disability intersectionally, it discusses how ableism relates to the ideal of the socially constructed normal body that implicates what it means to be human. Centering disabled bodyminds in social robotics, the chapter then moves through different use cases and contexts of accessibility, inclusivity, and disabilityfocused scholarship to assess the challenges and opportunities of social robots related to disability and ability. First, the focus is on neurodiversity and neurotypicality, followed by broader discussions related to accessibility and older adults. Finally, perspectives on the use of sex robots as therapeutic aids are reviewed. The chapter closes with a call to continue centering a disability justice framework, to include the voices and experiences of disabled people in both design and research of assistive social robots, and to grapple with questions of diversity, inclusivity, and the socially constructed normal body.
Abstract
As technologies designed to be social, interactive, and communicative, social robots fulfill many functions including assistance. As part of larger issues related to representation and robots’ integration with humans, ability and disability are a key concern. This chapter surveys current perspectives on ability and disability in social robotics, centering critical disability, crip, neuroqueer, and disability justice perspectives. Approaching disability intersectionally, it discusses how ableism relates to the ideal of the socially constructed normal body that implicates what it means to be human. Centering disabled bodyminds in social robotics, the chapter then moves through different use cases and contexts of accessibility, inclusivity, and disabilityfocused scholarship to assess the challenges and opportunities of social robots related to disability and ability. First, the focus is on neurodiversity and neurotypicality, followed by broader discussions related to accessibility and older adults. Finally, perspectives on the use of sex robots as therapeutic aids are reviewed. The chapter closes with a call to continue centering a disability justice framework, to include the voices and experiences of disabled people in both design and research of assistive social robots, and to grapple with questions of diversity, inclusivity, and the socially constructed normal body.
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
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Section 1: Robots in Culture and Society
- Future Presence: Living with Social Robots 21
- Representing Robots in Popular Culture 47
- Designing Robots That are Accepted in Human Social Environments: Anthropomorphism, the Intentional Stance, Cultural Norms and Values, and Societal Implications 63
- Are Robotic Bodies (Part of) Social Bodies? 85
- Persons or Things: The Role of Robots in Society 105
- Automated Masspersonal Social Engineering 119
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Section 2: Humanistic and Social Scientific Perspectives
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Linguistics
- AI and Human Writing: Collaboration or Appropriation? 137
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Law
- Policies, Regulation, and Legal Perspectives on Social Robots 161
- How Social Robots Affect Privacy: Navigating the Landscape 179
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Sociology
- Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Evolution of the Social Sciences 203
- Human Interactions With (Embodied) AI: The Future of Authenticity in Human–AI Relation(ship)s 221
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Psychology and Neuroscience
- Mind Perception During and After Interacting with Artificial Agents 241
- How People Perceive Social Robots: The Case of Gender 261
- Relating with Social Robots: Issues of Sex, Love, Intimacy, Emotion, Attachment, and Companionship 277
- Real or Pretend? How Children Ontologize Social Robots as Mental and Moral Others 295
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Communication and Computer Sciences
- Rethinking Communication between Humans and Social Robots 313
- Interacting with Social Robots: The Influence of their Distinctive Cues, Behavioral Capabilities, and Affordances on Social Interaction and Well-being 335
- Integrating Big-Data Tools to Study AI and Human–Machine Communication: Methodology Strengths, Future Directions, and Applications 355
- Social Robots and Children: A Field in Development 371
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Section 3: Contexts of Human–Robot Interaction
- Anthropomorphizing Voice Assistants: A Research Agenda for Human–AI Relationships 391
- Domestic Appliances and Household Robots: The Changing Landscape of Housework and Family 411
- Ability and Disability: Social Robots and Accessibility, Disability Justice, and the Socially Constructed Normal Body 429
- Growing Old Together: The Promise and Challenge of Social Robots for Older Adults 447
- Power and Synchrony in Human Collaboration with Exoskeletons 467
- Index 489
Kapitel in diesem Buch
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Introduction 1
-
Section 1: Robots in Culture and Society
- Future Presence: Living with Social Robots 21
- Representing Robots in Popular Culture 47
- Designing Robots That are Accepted in Human Social Environments: Anthropomorphism, the Intentional Stance, Cultural Norms and Values, and Societal Implications 63
- Are Robotic Bodies (Part of) Social Bodies? 85
- Persons or Things: The Role of Robots in Society 105
- Automated Masspersonal Social Engineering 119
-
Section 2: Humanistic and Social Scientific Perspectives
-
Linguistics
- AI and Human Writing: Collaboration or Appropriation? 137
-
Law
- Policies, Regulation, and Legal Perspectives on Social Robots 161
- How Social Robots Affect Privacy: Navigating the Landscape 179
-
Sociology
- Artificial Intelligence, Robotics, and the Evolution of the Social Sciences 203
- Human Interactions With (Embodied) AI: The Future of Authenticity in Human–AI Relation(ship)s 221
-
Psychology and Neuroscience
- Mind Perception During and After Interacting with Artificial Agents 241
- How People Perceive Social Robots: The Case of Gender 261
- Relating with Social Robots: Issues of Sex, Love, Intimacy, Emotion, Attachment, and Companionship 277
- Real or Pretend? How Children Ontologize Social Robots as Mental and Moral Others 295
-
Communication and Computer Sciences
- Rethinking Communication between Humans and Social Robots 313
- Interacting with Social Robots: The Influence of their Distinctive Cues, Behavioral Capabilities, and Affordances on Social Interaction and Well-being 335
- Integrating Big-Data Tools to Study AI and Human–Machine Communication: Methodology Strengths, Future Directions, and Applications 355
- Social Robots and Children: A Field in Development 371
-
Section 3: Contexts of Human–Robot Interaction
- Anthropomorphizing Voice Assistants: A Research Agenda for Human–AI Relationships 391
- Domestic Appliances and Household Robots: The Changing Landscape of Housework and Family 411
- Ability and Disability: Social Robots and Accessibility, Disability Justice, and the Socially Constructed Normal Body 429
- Growing Old Together: The Promise and Challenge of Social Robots for Older Adults 447
- Power and Synchrony in Human Collaboration with Exoskeletons 467
- Index 489
