Linguistic Ethnography for Digital Inclusion: Adapting Digital Platforms With and for Autistic People

This publication is included in the Autistic Autism Scholarship Project. one author of this publication is identified as autistic in the project.

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Koteyko, N., Manni, S., van Driel, M., & Barros Pena, B. (2026). Linguistic Ethnography for Digital Inclusion: Adapting Digital Platforms With and for Autistic People. Linguistics and the Human Sciences, 18(1), 9-26. https://doi.org/10.3138/lhs-2025-0011

Publication date: 1 Aug 2026 Added to AutiHub: 26 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

This publication is integrated into AutiHub through:

Authors

Publication authors
4
Publication authors identified as autistic
1 / 4 (25.0%)
  1. Nelya Koteyko
  2. Simona Manni
  3. Martine van Driel *
  4. Belén Barros Pena

Abstract

This CREDIBLE report presents the development of a practical toolkit designed to support professionals in public and third-sector organizations in adapting digital resources for autistic users. Informed by a linguistic ethnography framework, the project moves beyond deficit-based models of autism to foreground a difference-oriented understanding of autistic communication. The research employed a multistage methodology comprising discourse analysis of social media posts, semi-structured interviews, participatory design workshops with autistic adults, and focus groups with third- and public-sector professionals. A key contribution of the project lies in its co-creative and participatory design, which positioned autistic individuals as expert collaborators. This methodological orientation ensured that the toolkit's recommendations are grounded in lived experience and attuned to recurrent challenges such as sensory overload, ambiguity in digital cues, and uncertainty around audience or interaction norms. The linguistic analysis in the first stage of the project identified recurring strategies employed by autistic social media users, such as elaboration for clarity and a preference for directness. This was followed by the second stage of participatory workshops. Results from both stages informed practical guidance for the design of more accessible digital environments in the resulting toolkit. Overall, the project illustrates the value of interdisciplinary research at the intersection of applied linguistics and human–computer interaction design in supporting more equitable and inclusive forms of digital participation.

Bibliography cited by this reference

Cited references are imported from external metadata sources when they are available. The list may be partial.

Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 12 Sep 2026 18:16.

Cited references
31
With a DOI
21
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
9
10 / 31 (32.3%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
1 / 31 (3.2%)
References with detected author names
31 / 31 (100.0%)
Without detected author names
0
Without a structured title
1
Without a stable identifier
9
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
90
From DOI or external metadata
90
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
0
53 / 90 (58.9%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 37 / 90 (41.1%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
13 / 90 (14.4%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 13 / 53 (24.5%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 8 / 73 (11.0%).
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