Evaluating WELI: A Wrist-Worn Application to Assist Young Adults with Neurodevelopmental Disorders in Inclusive Classes

Numerous technologies have been explored to promote independence for neurodiverse individuals in their daily routines. Despite its importance, few applications though have focused on inclusive education for neurodiverse students following a postsecondary education program. Academic assistance for neurodiverse students still relies mainly on human intervention, leaving promising opportunities for wearable solutions to be explored. While some assistive wearable solutions exist, they have rarely been evaluated in field studies. It is unclear how neurodiverse students can benefit from the unobtrusiveness and consistency of wearable support in academic classes. To understand the effectiveness of assistive wearables for neurodiverse students in inclusive classes, we conducted a user study comprising 58 classes in a postsecondary inclusive setting. We developed and evaluated WELI (Wearable Life), an assistive wearable application that supports the communication between neurodiverse students and their assistants, providing interventions through smartwatches and smartphones. The results show that students are satisfied with WELI and that interventions should be primarily driven by context and events. Focus and Rewards stood out as the most helpful features implemented.