Literature Reviews

Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.

• An Extensible, Scalable Browser-Based Architecture for Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication and Collaboration Systems for Deaf and Hearing Individuals

  Jonathan Schull (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from Rochester Institute of Technology (home to the National Technical Institute of the Deaf) presents a browser-based communication platform designed to facilitate face-to-face conversation between deaf and hearing team members. Standard …

  • deaf accessibility
  • CSCW
  • real-time text
  • collaboration
  • universal design
  • web 2.0
  • communication accessibility
  • AJAX

• WebinSitu: A Comparative Analysis of Blind and Sighted Browsing Behavior

  Jeffrey P. Bigham, Anna C. Cavender, Jeremy T. Brudvik, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Richard E. Ladner (2007) — Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper presents WebinSitu, a remote in situ study comparing the web browsing behavior of 10 blind and 10 sighted users over a one-week period. The study used an advanced web proxy built on UsaProxy that injected JavaScript into viewed pages to re…

  • web accessibility
  • blind users
  • screen readers
  • browsing behavior
  • user research
  • remote study
  • coping strategies
  • alternative text
  • dynamic content
  • AJAX
  • skip links

• What's New? Making Web Page Updates Accessible

  Yevgen Borodin, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Rohit Raman, I. V. Ramakrishnan (2008) — Assets '08: Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces Dynamo, a system that makes dynamic web page content accessible to blind screen reader users by automatically detecting changes across all types of web page updates and providing a unified interface for reviewing them. The paper…

  • screen readers
  • web accessibility
  • dynamic content
  • AJAX
  • ARIA
  • blind users
  • DOM
  • JavaScript

• Ajax Live Regions: ReefChat Using the Fire Vox Screen Reader as a Case Example

  Peter Thiessen, Charles Chen (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents ReefChat, an accessible Ajax chat application, and Fire Vox, an open-source screen reader extension for Firefox, as a proof-of-concept for WAI-ARIA live regions — one of the earliest practical demonstrations of this then-nascent s…

  • ARIA
  • live regions
  • web accessibility
  • AJAX
  • Web 2.0
  • screen readers
  • dynamic content
  • keyboard accessibility
  • instant messaging
  • open source

• Accessibility for Simple to Moderate-Complexity DHTML Web Sites

  Cynthia C. Shelly, George Young (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This detailed technical paper from Microsoft provides practical design and coding techniques for making Dynamic HTML and AJAX applications accessible using the browser and assistive technology capabilities available in 2007 — deliberately without rel…

  • web accessibility
  • DHTML
  • AJAX
  • JavaScript
  • keyboard accessibility
  • screen readers
  • semantic HTML
  • web development
  • assistive technology
  • dynamic content

• AxsJAX: A Talking Translation Bot Using Google IM: Bringing Web-2.0 Applications to Life

  Charles L. Chen, T. V. Raman (2008) — Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from Google describes how the AxsJAX framework uses WAI-ARIA live regions to make Google Talk — an instant messaging client integrated into GMail — fully accessible to screen reader and self-voicing browser users, and demonstrates a compel…

  • ARIA
  • web accessibility
  • screen readers
  • live regions
  • Web 2.0
  • AJAX
  • dynamic content
  • multilingual accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • instant messaging
  • open source

• Tailored presentation of dynamic content

  Andy Brown, Caroline Jay, Simon Harper (2010) — Proceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents the SASWAT browser, a research prototype built as a self-voicing extension to Firefox (based on Fire Vox), designed to address a fundamental challenge of the Web 2.0 era: how should screen readers notify users about dynamic page u…

  • screen readers
  • dynamic content
  • AJAX
  • Web 2.0
  • eye tracking
  • ARIA live regions
  • assistive technology

• WAI-ARIA Live Regions and HTML5

  Peter Thiessen (2011) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper examines the interoperability of WAI-ARIA live regions with HTML5 semantic elements, testing whether screen readers can correctly handle dynamic DOM updates when live region attributes are applied to new HTML5 elements like section, nav, a…

  • WAI-ARIA
  • HTML5
  • screen readers
  • dynamic content
  • AJAX
  • web standards
  • accessibility testing
  • blind and low vision

• AJAX Time Machine

  Andy Brown, Simon Harper (2011) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper proposes the AJAX Time Machine, a Google Chrome browser extension that records states of dynamically updating web page regions and allows users to step backwards and forwards through those states at their own pace. The authors argue that d…

  • AJAX
  • dynamic content
  • cognitive accessibility
  • aging
  • screen readers
  • browser extension
  • web accessibility
  • DOM manipulation

• Improving the Accessibility of Dynamic Web Content for Older Users

  Darren Lunn, Simon Harper (2011) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents the SCWeb2 (Senior Citizens on the Web 2.0) Assistant Tool, a browser extension designed to help older users understand and interact with dynamic Web 2.0 content. The authors build on their previous research showing that older use…

  • aging
  • dynamic content
  • web accessibility
  • cognitive accessibility
  • AJAX
  • rich internet applications
  • user experience
  • browser extension