Empowering cognitive disabilities in transit: an explainable, emotion-aware ITS framework

People with disabilities need ongoing support and a balanced lifestyle. Smart cities like NEOM are emerging worldwide. The Saudi government has implemented several disability accessibility programs in public spaces and transportation. This article addresses a critical yet often neglected challenge: accurately recognizing and interpreting facial emotions in individuals with cognitive disabilities to foster better social integration. Current emotion detection systems frequently overlook the unique needs of this demographic (slower response times, difficulty interpreting subtle cues, and varied attention spans) and provide limited transparency, undermining trust and hindering real-time applicability in complex, dynamic contexts. To overcome these limitations, we present a novel, comprehensive framework that utilizes the Internet of Things, fog computing, and advanced You Only Look Once (YOLO)v8-based deep learning models. Our approach incorporates adaptive feedback mechanisms to tailor interactions to each user’s cognitive profile, ensuring accessible, user-centric guidance in diverse real-world scenarios. Besides, we introduce EigenCam-based explainability techniques, which offer intuitive visualizations of the decision-making process, enhancing interpretability and trust for both users and caregivers. Seamless integration with assistive technologies, including augmented reality devices and mobile applications, further supports real-time, on-the-go interventions in therapeutic and educational contexts. Experimental results on benchmark datasets (RAF-DB, AffectNet, and CK+48) demonstrate the framework’s robust performance, achieving up to 95.8% accuracy and excelling under challenging conditions. The EigenCam outputs confirm that the model’s attention aligns with meaningful facial features, reinforcing the system’s interpretability and cultural adaptability. By delivering accurate, transparent, and context-aware emotion recognition tailored to cognitive disabilities, this research sets a promising step for inclusive artificial intelligence (AI)-driven solutions, ultimately promoting independence, reducing stigma, and improving quality of life.