How are People with Disabilities Embraced in Software Development Teams? A Systematic Literature Review
Thayssa A. da Rocha, Luciano Arruda Teran, Giselle Lorrane Nobre Melo, Nicoly da Silva Menezes, Ingrid Moreira Miranda da Silva, Cleidson R. B. de Souza, Marcelle Pereira Mota · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction · 2025
Employability is one of the barriers that People with Disabilities (PWD) face to get included in society. Among other opportunities, the software development career can be an option to promote economic and job market inclusion. However, PWD participation in software development teams is still barely addressed in computing research compared to studies that address PWD as technology users. We conducted a systematic literature review to better understand the sociotechnical perspectives previous researchers presented on PWD engagement as software development team members. Out of the 572 papers identified in the last decade (2013 to 2023), thirty-nine were selected to be analyzed in depth. The results show that visual impairment is the most addressed disability, and programming is the most common role played by these professionals. The main challenges occur in the context of teamwork dynamics in mixed-ability teams and tool accessibility in daily work activities. Unveiling the work collaboration practices of PWD, challenges encountered, and the lack of research in other types of disabilities help us understand and consolidate opportunities for the academic community and industry to move towards effectively including these professionals.