• 22.06.2026 AOE [Extended Deadline!!] Submission through Conference Tool (no anonymization necessary)
• 01.07.2026 Feedback on first submission (Reviews by workshop organizers)
• 15.07.2026 Submission of revised contribution

Throughout life, people experience various transitions such as changing jobs, moving to a new place, or entering new social environments. These situations often involve uncertainty, new expectations, and changing roles.

For neurodivergent individuals, these transitions can be particularly challenging, as they often require adapting to environments that are not designed with their needs in mind. Neurodiversity describes the natural variation in cognitive processing, including conditions such as autism, ADHD, or dyslexia.

While research in Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) has increasingly focused on supporting neurodivergent people in stable contexts such as education or work, less attention has been given to critical transition phases. However, these moments often represent situations of increased vulnerability and potential exclusion.

This workshop therefore focuses on life transitions as key moments for inclusion and exclusion processes. It aims to better understand these situations and to explore how socio-technical systems can be designed to support neurodivergent individuals more effectively.

Within the workshop, we will address the following questions:

• Which transition processes (educational, occupational, social) across the lifespan are particularly disruptive for neurodivergent individuals but overlooked in HCI research?
• From an HCI perspective, what common characteristics do these transitions share, and how can they be structured to inform inclusive design?
• What best practices from existing research, including AI-based approaches, can inform design implications for a holistic concept of technologically mediated life transitions?

The workshop is planned as a half-day, in-person event (4 hours) held in English. It is designed to be as inclusive as possible, taking into account participants’ individual accessibility and participation needs.

The workshop will begin with a short introductory talk, followed by interactive sessions in which participants explore and map different transition processes. Selected position papers will then be presented in short talks (7 minutes each, followed by 5 minutes for discussion).

The second part of the workshop will be used for joint workshop activities in form of a structured World Café session in which participants collectively explore transitions in neurodivergent life trajectories and the potential role of Human-Computer Interaction (HCI).

The session combines individual reflection, collaborative discussion, and the development of ideas for neuro-inclusive HCI research and design. Table facilitators from the organising team will support each discussion table throughout the activity.

Accessibility and participation

We are committed to creating an inclusive workshop environment. If you would like adjustments to the format, materials, timing, or participation options in order to participate more comfortably, please let a member of the organising team know (e.g. during the workshop break before the World Café begins). We will make every reasonable effort to take your needs into account and adapt the activity where possible.

Schedule-plan (minor changes may occur): 

Phase 1: Individual brainstorming

During the workhsop, before the World Café discussions begin, participants are invited to reflect individually on the presentations and workshop inputs. Using Post-its, they collect ideas in response to three guiding questions:

1. Mapping the landscape: Which transitions in neurodivergent life trajectories currently take place in HCI or should be addressed by HCI?
2. Neurotypical norms and barriers: Which neurotypical norms are expected or reinforced during transition processes? Where do these norms create barriers?
3. Technologies and HCI approaches: Which technologies and HCI approaches are particularly relevant in this context?

Phase 2: World Café discussions

The organising team together with the workshop participatns will cluster the transition situations collected in the first question into three broad themes. Each theme will be discussed at a separate table.

Participants may choose the theme they would most like to begin with. At the end of each discussion round, they may either move to a different table or remain at their current table. This allows ideas to travel between groups while also enabling participants to develop a topic in greater depth.

Each table will have a facilitator from the organising team. Facilitators will support the discussion, help document key points, and provide continuity when participants move between tables.

• Round 1: Understanding transitions through the 4S model:
  • Participants will use Schlossberg’s Transition Theory, and in particular its 4S framework, to explore the selected transition situations
  • The aim is to identify shared patterns, distinctive characteristics, and different ways in which neurodivergent people may experience and manage these transitions.
• Round 2: Identifying norms, barriers, and neuro-inclusive alternatives
  • Building on the results of the first round and the Post-its from Question 2, participants examine how neurotypical norms may appear within the selected transition situation.
  • The discussion may draw on a neurodiversity-affirming perspective and, where useful, the concept of the double empathy problem.
• Round 3: Exploring technological and HCI opportunities
  • In the final round, participants build on the previous discussions and the ideas collected for Question 3. They identify potential roles for technology and HCI research or design.

The outcomes of the World Café will provide a shared basis for reflecting on future research, design, and collaboration around neurodivergent transitions in HCI.

• Problem Statements: Where (and why) are structural aspects of transition processes overlooked in research or practice?
• Research/ Lived Experience: Which examples exist of successful or failed technical solutions to support
transition processes, and what factors contributed to their outcome ?
• Design Implications: What insights can inform the design of socio-technical systems that better support neurodivergent individuals during key life transitions?

The workshop is aimed at researchers, practitioners, designers, especially those who work on neurodiversity within HCI, as well as self-evidently those with lived experiences themselves. The goal is to consider life transitions as momentum of socio-technical disruption and define prototypical characteristics to inform technological design. For active participation in the workshop, participants are invited to submit a position paper of up to three pages (plus references) on the topic:"Neurodiversity within Socio-Technical Life Transitions". For matters of inclusion and to also specifically attract practitioners participation, submissions may also take alternative forms, including images, websites, videos but are not required for attending the workshop. Submissions are handled through the official Conference Tool. At least one author of each accepted submission must attend the workshop and register for at least one day of the conference. Please indicate upon submission whether you would like your contribution (ACM format) to be published and presented in the official workshop proceedings.

All submissions should center transition phases in neurodivergent lives, including but not limited to: school to work, changing jobs, retirement, marriage, end of relationships, becoming parents.

As a group of workshop organizers with neurotypical and neurodivergent perspectives, we bringing together lived experience with practical and academic expertise related to neurodivergent life realities.

Jana-Sophie Effert is a research fellow and doctoral candidate at the Department of Work, Inclusion, and Technology at TU Dortmund University. With a background in psychology and a focus on human factors, she is currently working primarily on the human-centered design of inclusive work systems.

Daniela Rauen is a research fellow at Ferdinand-Steinbeis-Institut Heilbronn. She is doing research in HCI, focusing on inclusive interaction, neurodiversity and ethics. With a background in diaconial studies and social work, her research integrates those perspectives with technological innovation to design systems that serve often overlooked people. 

Julia Hermann is a research fellow at the Institute of Positive Computing at Ruhr West University of Applied Sciences. With a background in human-centered design and social perspectives on technology, her research focuses currently on course-based co-creation formats for inclusive and accessible IT design in computing.

Dr. Bedour Alshaigy is a Lecturer in the Department of Information Technology at Uppsala University in Sweden. Her research background includes educational technology, HCI and computer science. She currently studies accessibility and inclusion in computer science education (CSEd), with a particular focus on neurodiversity. 

CJD (Christliches Jugenddorfwerk Deutschlands) is one of Germany’s largest social and educational organizations, providing a wide range of services in education, vocational training, employment, and social inclusion. With extensive expertise in supporting neurodiverse individuals, including people on the autism spectrum, the CJD develops tailored programs that promote participation, independence, and equal opportunities across all stages of life.

Valerie Tan is a research assistant and doctoral candidate at the Inclusive Human-Robot Interaction research unit at TU Dortmund University. She has a background in media informatics and her research focuses on assistive technologies for adults with ADHD. 

Prof. Dr. Frauke Mörike heads the Department of Work, Inclusion, and Technology at TU Dortmund University. As an ethnologist and business IT specialist with many years of practical experience in multinational companies, her research interests focus on computer-supported cooperative work (CSCW) in relation to new forms of work and modes of collaboration, as well as the design of inclusive socio-technical work systems.