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About

Laurianne Sitbon is a leading researcher at the intersection of human-computer interaction, inclusive technology, and disability studies. Her work focuses on how emerging technologies—particularly social robots—can be designed to foster engagement, collaboration, and agency for people with intellectual disabilities. A key contribution is her emphasis on shifting people with intellectual disabilities from passive research participants to active co-researchers and co-designers, as powerfully illustrated in her 2024 paper *"From research participant to co-researcher: Chloe's story"* (5 citations). Sitbon’s 2022 study *"A Support Worker Perspective on Use of New Technologies by People with Intellectual Disabilities"* (28 citations) critically examines the role of support workers in mediating technology access, revealing systemic barriers and opportunities. Her 2019 paper *"How can social robots spark collaboration and engagement among people with intellectual disability?"* (22 citations) demonstrates how robotic platforms can scaffold social interaction and learning, while her 2021 exploratory study (13 citations) provides foundational evidence for using social robots in adult learning contexts. More recently, her 2024 work on social robots in museums (3 citations) and inclusive human-robot collaboration (1 citation) extends these insights to public and industrial settings. With a growing citation impact and a deeply participatory methodology, Sitbon is redefining how inclusive technologies are conceived, developed, and evaluated—placing the voices and expertise of people with intellectual disabilities at the center of innovation.