Gesture-based Interaction for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities in India

Gesture-based interaction provides a multitude of benefits to individuals with disabilities, for example, enhancing social, motor and cognitive skills. However, applications that encourage selfefficacy by promoting a life-skill through simulations of real world scenarios are largely missing. We explore the benefits of using a gesture-based application for individuals with developmental disabilities. The context is a special school in New Delhi, Nai Disha, where we designed and developed an application, Kirana, that integrates arithmetic and social interaction to teach purchasing of items from a local grocery store. In our study, 18 participants with developmental disabilities, previously unable to visit a grocery store, used Kirana for three weeks. Our results indicate that gesture-based applications can teach a life skill and enable self-efficacy for individuals with developmental disabilities by breaking down complex tasks that require social, mathematical and decision-making skills.