SMART-TBI: Design and Evaluation of the Social Media Accessibility and Rehabilitation Toolkit for Users with Traumatic Brain Injury

Abstract

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) can cause a range of cognitive and communication challenges that negatively affect social participation in both face-to-face interactions and computer-mediated communication. In particular, individuals with TBI report barriers that limit access to participation on social media platforms. To improve access to and use of social media for users with TBI, we introduce the Social Media Accessibility and Rehabilitation Toolkit (SMARTTBI). The toolkit includes five aids (Writing Aid, Interpretation Aid, Filter Mode, Focus Mode, and Facebook Customization) designed to address the cognitive and communicative needs of individuals with TBI. We asked eight users with moderate-severe TBI and five TBI rehabilitation experts to evaluate each aid. Our findings revealed potential benefits of aids and areas for improvement, including the need for psychological safety, privacy control, and balancing business and accessibility needs; and overall mixed reactions among the participants to AI-based aids.Brain injuries can cause thinking and communication challenges that make social media hard to use. We created SMART-TBI — a toolkit with five tools: a Writing Aid to help compose posts, an Interpretation Aid to explain confusing messages, a Filter Mode to block upsetting content, a Focus Mode to reduce distractions, and Facebook Customization settings. We had eight people with moderate-to-severe brain injuries and five rehabilitation specialists evaluate each tool. We learned where the tools were most helpful and where they needed improvement — including the importance of privacy control, psychological safety, and mixed reactions to AI-based features.

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