Paper, Special Track and Workshop Submission

Important note to authors about ACM’s new open access publishing model
ACM has introduced a new open access publishing model for the International Conference Proceedings Series (ICPS). Authors based at institutions that are not yet part of the ACM Open program and do not qualify for a full geographic waiver will be required to pay an article processing charge (APC) to publish their ICPS article in the ACM Digital Library. To determine whether or not an APC will be applicable to your article, please follow the detailed guidance here: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/author-guidance.
Further information may be found on the ACM website, as follows:
Full details of the new ICPS publishing model: https://www.acm.org/publications/icps/faq
Full details of the ACM Open program: https://www.acm.org/publications/openaccess
Please direct all questions about the new model to icps-info@acm.org.

All submissions to DSAI 2026 should be done by using the Microsoft Conference Management Toolkit (CMT): https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/User/Login. Before submitting your paper, special track and/or workshop proposal, you should read carefully the general guidelines presented at https://dsai.ws/2026/call-for-participation/ and be aware of the important dates published at https://dsai.ws/2026/important-dates/.

CMT Acknowledgment: The Microsoft CMT service was used for managing the peer-reviewing process for this conference. This service was provided for free by Microsoft and they bore all expenses, including costs for Azure cloud services as well as for software development and support.

Please submit your paper to DSAI 2026 Main Track at https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/1/Submission/Create

Please submit your Special Track Proposal to DSAI 2026 at https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/3/Submission/Create

Please submit your Workshop Proposal to DSAI 2026 at https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/2/Submission/Create

Special Tracks’ Paper Submission

Below you can find a list of the current accepted Special Tracks and related links for DSAI 2026.

The future of technology lies not only in creating smarter machines but also in building systems that are truly empathetic and inclusive. Currently, digital interactions are largely impersonal and one-size-fits-all, failing to account for the user’s emotional state and individual needs. This often leads to frustration, disengagement, and, critically, the exclusion of users who do not fit a narrow profile. To realise a genuinely human-centred future, we must transcend this limited paradigm. This requires a new generation of technology from interfaces and devices to applications that can actively sense and collaborate with users. Such systems must be context-aware, adaptive, and responsive, capable of interpreting a user’s individual characteristics, tasks, and fundamentally their affective states.

This special track calls for state-of-the-art research and innovations in affective computing that foster a more reciprocal and “interpersonal” dynamic between humans and technology. We seek work that demonstrates how sensing the user through physiological signals, behavioural cues, and contextual analysis can be harnessed to build more inclusive systems. The overarching objective is to leverage affective computational models to mitigate information exclusion and advance accessibility.

Organizers
João Rodrigues (jrodrig@ualg.pt) – University of the Algarve, Portugal
Célia Ramos (cmramos@ualg.pt) – University of the Algarve, Portugal

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/4/Submission/Create

This Special Track explores Computational Thinking (CT) as a framework for inclusive and universal education, supporting problem-solving and logical reasoning across diverse learner profiles. Drawing on Wing’s (2006) theoretical rationale, CT is positioned as a universal cognitive skill that transcends computer science, fostering structured thinking and adaptive problem-solving. Building on this, Csizmadia et al. (2015) provide a pedagogical model with five operational dimensions — abstraction, decomposition, algorithmic design, automation, and generalisation — which guide teachers in designing inclusive and accessible learning experiences.

Contributions are invited from researchers, educators, and practitioners developing curricula, tools, and methodologies that integrate CT principles to promote cognitive accessibility, equity, and lifelong learning. Example topics include: (1) CT-informed instructional strategies for supporting students with diverse learning needs (e.g., neurodiversity, language barriers, or varied cognitive styles); (2) educational technologies — such as visual programming platforms, robotics kits, or adaptive learning systems — that facilitate inclusive CT-based problem-solving; and (3) teacher training models and assessment practices that enable educators to integrate CT into multidisciplinary learning settings. Such approaches highlight the potential of CT to create equitable learning pathways and foster meaningful participation in digital society.

Organizer
Nuno Domingues (nndomingues@gmail.com) – Lisbon School of Engineering (ISEL), Portugal
António Domingos (amdd@fct.unl.pt) – NOVA School of Science and Technology (FCT NOVA), Portugal
Cristina Costa (ccosta@ipt.pt) – Polytechnic Institute of Tomar, Portugal

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/5/Submission/Create

This track focuses on Accessibility in Mathematics, spanning content creation, learning and communication. Its necessity is driven by the unique challenges of mathematical content because of its non-linear nature, the complexity of its notation and a strong visual dependency, requiring specific solutions for formulas, charts, geometrical objects, and structured problem reasoning.

We invite submissions detailing technical, organizational, and pedagogical solutions that promote inclusive access to mathematics across all educational stages and professional contexts. The track prioritizes research and experience-based reports on implemented, adopted, and evaluated solutions.

Submissions are sought in three key areas:

  1. Technological implementation and adoption. State of the art reviews and field experiences detailing the real-world deployment, evaluation, and organizational adoption of accessibility technologies. In particular, real-world deployment of intelligent systems and AI-based solutions to mathematical accessibility will be welcome.
  2. Insights into institutional policies, instructional approaches, and exemplary practices in mathematics education tailored for students with sensory, cognitive, or learning disabilities.
  3. Systemic cross-disciplinary perspectives. Insights from technologists, teaching staff, students, policy makers, administrative staff or people creating math content on the path toward creating an inclusive mathematical ecosystem.

Our goal is to serve as a forum that moves beyond general content accessibility, bridging the gap between theoretical research and practical deployment to collaboratively define best practices for an equitable and fully accessible mathematical world.

Organizers
Mireia Ribera (ribera@ub.edu) – University of Barcelona, Spain
Weiqin Chen (weiche@oslomet.no) – Oslo Metropolitan University, Norway
Tassos Mikropoulos (amikrop@uoi.gr) – University of Ioannina, Greece

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/6/Submission/Create

Digital technologies play a pivotal role in advancing universal education. Both research findings and educational practice underscore the growing need for effective pedagogical strategies and the implementation of innovative learning environments.

The Special Track “Learning Technologies in Special Education and Inclusion” explores the technological, pedagogical, instructional, and organizational dimensions of digital integration in education. It aims to provide a comprehensive perspective on the deployment of digital technologies across diverse educational contexts, with a particular emphasis on inclusive, special, and intercultural education.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Learning technologies and their applications
  • Theoretical frameworks and models
  • Instructional design and methodology
  • Assessment and evaluation practices
  • Teaching and learning processes
  • Professional development and educator support

Contributions to this track may examine how digital technologies can be leveraged to design inclusive learning environments that support the needs of all learners, not only those with disabilities, but every student across the educational spectrum.

Organizer
Tassos Mikropoulos (amikrop@uoi.gr) – University of Ioannina, Greece

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/7/Submission/Create

This Special Track invites submissions that explore the expanding role of digital biomarkers and digital phenotyping in enabling AI-driven insight, prediction, and behavioral transformation across healthcare and educational domains.

We welcome original research, system architecture, validation studies, and translational case studies addressing:

  • Digital phenotyping for disease detection and symptom prediction
  • Biomarker-informed medication response modeling
  • Behavioral change frameworks
  • Educational implementations
  • Context-aware sensing modalities
  • Ethical and regulatory considerations.

This Special Track aligns with DSAI’s mission to advance technically rigorous, ethically grounded, and socially impactful digital health solutions for fighting info-exclusion. Interdisciplinary approaches bridging AI, behavioral science, neurotechnology, and education will be especially encouraged.

Organizers
Sofia Hadjileontiadou (schatzil@eled.duth.gr) – Democritus University of Thrace, Greece
Leontios Hadjileontiadis (leontios@auth.gr) – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Tassos Mikropoulos (amikrop@uoi.gr) – University of Ioannina, Greece
Stelios Hadjidimitriou (stelios.hadjidimitriou@gmail.com) – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece
Vasilis Charisis (vcharisis@ee.auth.gr) – Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/8/Submission/Create

This track highlights two approaches that appear different but serve the same goal: accessible and meaningful learning.

Tangible interfaces rely on physical objects and hands-on manipulation instead of screens, keyboards, or complex graphical environments. They support users with limited digital skills, motor difficulties, cognitive barriers, or visual impairments through intuitive interaction and natural sensory feedback. Such systems can also include smart objects, sensors, or AI-enhanced kits (e.g., Makey Makey, Arduino) that provide adaptive and engaging learning activities. In contrast, immersive technologies such as VR, AR, and MR create digital learning spaces with realistic scenarios and guidance, useful for learners with mobility limitations, hearing impairments, sensory processing difficulties, or limited access to real materials.

The track seeks studies, prototypes, educational designs, and evaluations involving tangible interfaces, VR/AR/MR environments and activities, multisensory learning, embodied learning, cognitive training, accessible serious games, and adaptive systems.

Organizers
Ioannis Kazanidis (kazanidis@cs.duth.gr) – International Hellenic University, Greece
Avgoustos Tsinakos (tsinakos@cs.duth.gr) – Democritus University of Thrace, Greece

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/9/Submission/Create

This special track explores the intersection between sustainable transportation, human health, and intelligent technologies. In this context, electric vehicles are reshaping the mobility landscape, making it essential to understand their impact on users physical and socio-emotional health. Accordingly, this track welcomes research focused on electric vehicles, as well as studies involving conventional vehicles for comparative analysis and/or prototype validation.

We particularly encourage contributions that combine sensor-based data collection, biomechanical and physiological analysis, and advanced computational methods to evaluate human responses in real-world driving and riding scenarios. Beyond advancing scientific knowledge, we are interested in work that can support public health professionals, policymakers, urban planners, and vehicle designers in developing more sustainable mobility ecosystems. Our goal is to promote a holistic, human-centered approach to sustainable transportation, bringing together expertise from mobility engineering, human factors, digital health, and environmental science.

Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Physiological and biomechanical assessment in driving and riding contexts
  • Development and application of wearable and biomedical sensors for mobility studies
  • Intelligent technologies and data analysis for sustainable transportations
  • Signal processing and data fusion techniques for multimodal sensor data
  • Sustainability, environmental impact and implications for public health
  • Human-centered and sustainable mobility systems, design and evaluations

Organizers
Andreia Teixeira (andreiat@utad.pt) – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
Libânia Mendes (libaniam@utad.pt) – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
Vítor Rodrigues (vmcpr@utad.pt) – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
Isabel Barroso (imbarroso@utad.pt) – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal
Jaime Sampaio (ajaime@utad.pt) – University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro, Portugal

Paper Submission https://cmt3.research.microsoft.com/DSAI2026/Track/10/Submission/Create