# Finding the Signal in the Noise: An Exploratory Study on Assessing the Effectiveness of AI and Accessibility Forums for Blind Users' Support Needs

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.18623 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.18623/

## Key facts

- Cited by 1 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Builds on 28 of its 120 references that are in the map.
- First posted on arXiv 20 Feb 2026.

## Builds on (most cited first, 28 of 28)

- [Reflexion: Language Agents with Verbal Reinforcement Learning](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11366/) (2023)
- [CAMEL: Communicative Agents for "Mind" Exploration of Large Language Model Society](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17760/) (2023)
- [A Large-Scale Survey on the Usability of AI Programming Assistants: Successes and Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.17125/) (2023)
- [On the Educational Impact of ChatGPT: Is Artificial Intelligence Ready to Obtain a University Degree?](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2303.11146/) (2023)
- [A Survey of Large Language Model Agents for Question Answering](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.19213/) (2025)
- [Trapping LLM Hallucinations Using Tagged Context Prompts](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2306.06085/) (2023)
- [WorldScribe: Towards Context-Aware Live Visual Descriptions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2408.06627/) (2024)
- [Investigating Use Cases of AI-Powered Scene Description Applications for Blind and Low Vision People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.15604/) (2024)
- [GenAssist: Making Image Generation Accessible](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.07589/) (2023)
- [Trust in Generative AI among students: An Exploratory Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2310.04631/) (2023)
- ["It would work for me too": How Online Communities Shape Software Developers' Trust in AI-Powered Code Generation Tools](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2212.03491/) (2022)
- [ChatGPT, Can You Generate Solutions for my Coding Exercises? An Evaluation on its Effectiveness in an undergraduate Java Programming Course](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2305.13680/) (2023)
- ["It's Kind of Context Dependent": Understanding Blind and Low Vision People's Video Accessibility Preferences Across Viewing Scenarios](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2403.10792/) (2024)
- [Towards Understanding the Use of MLLM-Enabled Applications for Visual Interpretation by Blind and Low Vision People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.05899/) (2025)
- ["It's not like Jarvis, but it's pretty close!" -- Examining ChatGPT's Usage among Undergraduate Students in Computer Science](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2311.09651/) (2023)
- [Enabling Uniform Computer Interaction Experience for Blind Users through Large Language Models](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2407.19537/) (2024)
- [The Impact of Generative AI Coding Assistants on Developers Who Are Visually Impaired](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.16491/) (2025)
- ["Before, I Asked My Mom, Now I Ask ChatGPT": Visual Privacy Management with Generative AI for Blind and Low-Vision People](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.00286/) (2025)
- [Surfacing Variations to Calibrate Perceived Reliability of MLLM-generated Image Descriptions](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2507.15692/) (2025)
- [Revamp: Enhancing Accessible Information Seeking Experience of Online Shopping for Blind or Low Vision Users](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2102.00576/) (2021)
- [Communicating Visualizations without Visuals: Investigation of Visualization Alternative Text for People with Visual Impairments](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2108.03657/) (2021)
- [ChatGPT for Teaching and Learning: An Experience from Data Science Education](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2307.16650/) (2023)
- [Fairness Issues in AI Systems that Augment Sensory Abilities](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1908.07333/) (2019)
- [AI-Powered Assistive Technologies for Visual Impairment](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2503.15494/) (2025)
- [Myths and Realities about Online Forums in Open Source Software Development: An Empirical Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1507.06927/) (2015)
- [A Social Network Analysis on Blended Courses](https://mlsanity.com/paper/1709.10215/) (2017)
- [Characterizing User Behaviors in Open-Source Software User Forums: An Empirical Study](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2204.03770/) (2022)
- [LLM-Driven Optimization of HTML Structure to Support Screen Reader Navigation](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2502.18701/) (2025)

## Built on by (most cited first, 1 of 1)

- [Are We There Yet? Assessing Computer-Use Agents for Blind Users' Accessible Interaction with Desktop Applications](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2609.00524/) (2026)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Accessibility forums and, more recently, generative AI tools have become vital resources for blind users seeking solutions to computer-interaction issues and learning about new assistive technologies, screen reader features, tutorials, and software updates. Understanding user experiences with these resources is essential for identifying and addressing persistent support gaps. Towards this, we interviewed 14 blind users who regularly engage with forums and GenAI tools. Findings revealed that forums often overwhelm users with multiple overlapping topics, redundant or irrelevant content, and fragmented responses that must be mentally pieced together, increasing cognitive load. GenAI tools, while offering more direct assistance, introduce new barriers by producing unreliable answers, including overly verbose or fragmented guidance, fabricated information, and contradictory suggestions that fail to follow prompts, thereby heightening verification demands. Based on these insights, we outlined design opportunities to improve the reliability of assistive resources, aiming to provide blind users with more trustworthy and cognitively-manageable support.