My name is Aziz Zeidieh, and I am a second-year informatics PhD student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, advised by JooYoung Seo. I am also an IAAP Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies. My research seeks to leverage artificial intelligence to advance the field of orientation and mobility (O&M) for blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals. I am currently exploring how wearable technology and multimodal large language models can be used to facilitate technologically interdependent outdoor activities like paddling, hiking, and cross-country skiing for BLV adventurers.
My dissertation research will also investigate the security and privacy implications and perceptions of AI-powered O&M tools. These tools promise to enhance the travel experiences of BLV individuals, but societal concerns about privacy trade-offs may hinder their responsible adoption and widespread use.