FIT Project

Fostering Inclusivity through Technology (FIT)

Achieving Common Ground in Autistic-Neurotypical Interactions with Innovations in Video Calling

Autistic and non-autistic people often misunderstand each other. In the workplace, these miscommunications can lead to inefficiency and frustration for everyone, and discrimination and even loss of employment for autistic people. This project investigates the causes of miscommunications between autistic and non-autistic people, and how we could potentially intervene with technology. Our long-term goal is to build a video-calling platform that promotes mutual understanding between autistic and non-autistic people.

This project requires both interdisciplinary collaboration and sustained engagement with stakeholders. Our neurodiverse research team includes autistic people, language and cognitive scientists, engineers, and experts in machine learning and human-computer interaction. We also engage with autistic and non-autistic stakeholders in industry, policy, and advocacy.

We are pursuing several strands of convergent research:

Investigating communication needs and challenges in workplaces with autistic people (we’re currently recruiting for our first study!)
Analyzing real-time communication dynamics in conversations between non-autistic people, autistic people, and mixed-neurotype pairs
Developing and testing new features for video calling platforms
Developing efficacy benchmarks and ethical criteria for AI-infused technology to support communication

This research is supported by a Grand Challenges grant from the University of Maryland, and a mini-grant from the Frist Center for Autism and Innovation at Vanderbilt University.