How might computer scientists work with communities in facilitating meaningful social change? In this project, we make a case for an approach that builds upon what the individuals and community already have---their assets---rather than emphasizing "user's needs" as typically postulated by human-centered design. We present details of our four-year-long assets-based engagement with an anti-trafficking organization in Nepal and the sex trafficking survivors supported by the organization. We explored the potential role that socio-technical systems and technology designers can play in assisting the survivors to build on their existing assets towards their vision of "dignified reintegration". The research involves three fieldwork and a remote study, each one leveraging carefully tailored socio-technical systems to investigate a design proposition. We present an operationalizable definition of assets and a framework of action to leverage assets in realizing change at an individual and institutional level. We describe the conditions that influenced the possibilities for our interventions and the factors that guided the design of the socio-technical systems. We further highlight how we adapted our methods to the local resources and practices in order to foster a space that promoted comfort and control to the study participants. The detailed account of our approach aims to provide a justification for undertaking slow, incremental steps with the community. / Doctor of Philosophy / Human trafficking survivors face a myriad of challenges in their reintegration journey. Working with an anti-trafficking organization in Nepal, I explored the potential role that technology and technology designers can play in assisting the survivors in their reintegration journey. The research involved three forays into fieldwork and a remote study, each one leveraging carefully tailored activities to investigate the possibilities for the survivors to be in a position of power once they leave the shelter home. The activities included technology such as a specifically tailored web application contextualized around the survivors' existing strengths but also involved non-digital components such as collectively envisioning broader possibilities and alternative futures and discussing ways in which the survivors could engage with local actors to mitigate societal problems they had seen near their homes. In all these activities, I adapted local practices and materials to promote a safe space for the survivors to participate from within their realm of comfort. This dissertation illuminates a potential pathway to engage in long-term community-based research with vulnerable populations. In particular, it makes a case for an approach that builds upon what the individuals and community already have, that is, their assets. The work illuminates ways to identify and build upon assets to support the survivors. Using the work, we make a case for undertaking slow, incremental steps as part of assets-based engagement with communities. The work emphasizes the need for technology developers to understand their responsibilities and carefully contemplate what elements of a situation or design allow ethical intervention. Finally, the work emphasizes the need for developers to be cognizant of how design of technology is tied up with the larger, multi-level system in which technology use is embedded.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:VTETD/oai:vtechworks.lib.vt.edu:10919/104635 |
| Date | 12 August 2021 |
| Creators | Gautam, Aakash |
| Contributors | Computer Science, Tatar, Deborah Gail, Zare, Bonnie, Harrison, Steven R., Lee, Sang Won, Kumar, Neha |
| Publisher | Virginia Tech |
| Source Sets | Virginia Tech Theses and Dissertation |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Dissertation |
| Format | ETD, application/pdf |
| Rights | In Copyright, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/ |
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