Literature Reviews

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

• Improving Public Transit Usability for Blind and Deaf-Blind People by Connecting a Braille Display to a Smartphone

  Shiri Azenkot, Emily Fortuna (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper explores the public transit challenges faced by blind and deaf-blind people and presents MoBraille, a novel framework that connects any Wi-Fi-enabled Braille display to an Android smartphone. The authors conducted semi-structured int…

  • deafblindness
  • blindness
  • braille display
  • public transit accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • participatory design
  • assistive technology
  • navigation

• UbiBraille: Designing and Evaluating a Vibrotactile Braille-Reading Device

  Hugo Nicolau, João Guerreiro, Tiago Guerreiro, Luís Carriço (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper presents UbiBraille, a wearable vibrotactile device that enables blind users to read textual information privately and inconspicuously by leveraging their existing knowledge of Braille. The device consists of six small vibration motors att…

  • braille
  • vibrotactile
  • wearable technology
  • blind users
  • haptic feedback
  • assistive technology
  • privacy
  • deafblindness
  • communication
  • Arduino
  • text entry

• An overview of programs and projects at the Rehabilitation Research and Development Center

  David L. Jaffe (1994) — Proceedings of the First Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '94)

  This paper provides an overview of the VA Rehabilitation Research and Development Center (RR&D), a federal laboratory at the Palo Alto VA Medical Center dedicated to developing assistive technologies for disabled veterans. With approximately fifty re…

  • rehabilitation engineering
  • technology transfer
  • spinal cord injury
  • deafblindness
  • wheelchair accessibility
  • wayfinding
  • assistive technology
  • vocational rehabilitation
  • veterans

• Web 2.0: Hype or Happiness?

  Mary Zajicek (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Mary Zajicek of Oxford Brookes University takes a deliberately broad, holistic view of Web 2.0 accessibility, arguing that physical access to web content is only the starting point. Zajicek defines accessibility along three dime…

  • Web 2.0
  • digital inclusion
  • older adults
  • visual impairment
  • digital divide
  • social accessibility
  • community
  • developing world
  • deafblindness

• HoliBraille: Multipoint Vibrotactile Feedback on Mobile Devices

  Hugo Nicolau, Kyle Montague, Tiago Guerreiro, André Rodrigues, Vicki L. Hanson (2015) — Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces HoliBraille, a hardware prototype that enables both Braille input and output on standard mobile touchscreen devices using vibrotactile motors. The system attaches six small vibration motors to a 3D-printed case that fits over a …

  • braille
  • blind and low vision
  • haptic technology
  • mobile accessibility
  • vibrotactile feedback
  • deafblindness
  • assistive technology
  • multitouch

• TactBack: VibroTactile braille output using smartphone and smartwatch for visually impaired

  Aritra Dhar, Aditya Nittala, Kuldeep Yadav (2016) — Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents TactBack, a system that uses vibration patterns on off-the-shelf smartphones and smartwatches to convey braille characters haptically. The system was motivated by the limitations of audio-based screen reader feedback (…

  • braille
  • haptic technology
  • wearable technology
  • visual impairment
  • deafblindness
  • mobile accessibility
  • vibrotactile feedback
  • assistive technology

• Subjective Evaluation of Website Accessibility and Usability: A Survey for People with Sensory Disabilities

  Tahani Alahmadi, Steve Drew (2017) — Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a novel subjective evaluation model for assessing web accessibility and usability from the perspective of students with sensory disabilities, applied to Australian university websites. The model integrates accessibility criteria f…

  • accessibility evaluation
  • usability
  • university websites
  • education accessibility
  • sensory disabilities
  • visual impairment
  • Deaf and hard of hearing
  • deafblindness
  • screen readers
  • voice recognition
  • assistive technology
  • user-centered design
  • survey
  • Australia
  • online learning
  • PDF accessibility
  • document accessibility
  • LMS accessibility

• Keep Your Distance: A Playful Haptic Navigation Wearable for Individuals with Deafblindness

  James Gay, Moritz Umfahrer, Arthur Theil, Lea Buchweitz, Eva Lindell, Li Guo, Nils-Krister Persson, Oliver Korn (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This demonstration paper presents a haptic wearable vest designed to support independent navigation for people with deafblindness — a dual sensory impairment where the combination of sight and hearing loss makes it difficult for one sense to compensa…

  • deafblindness
  • haptic technology
  • vibrotactile feedback
  • navigation
  • wearable technology
  • sensory substitution
  • assistive technology
  • wayfinding
  • e-textiles

• Regulating Personal Cameras for Disabled People and People with Deafblindness: Implications for HCI and Accessible Computing

  Sarah L. Woodin, Arthur Theil (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This experience paper examines the intersection of social policy, privacy regulation, and assistive technology design, focusing on the case of personal cameras for people with deafblindness. Drawing from the EU-funded SUITCEYES project (2018-2021), t…

  • deafblindness
  • wearable cameras
  • face recognition
  • privacy
  • data protection
  • social policy
  • assistive technology
  • ethics
  • AI fairness
  • GDPR

• Multidisciplinary Perspectives on Designing Accessible Systems for Users with Multiple Impairments: Grand Challenges and Opportunities for Future Research

  Arthur Theil, Chris Creed, Mohammed Shaqura, Nasrine Olson, Raymond John Holt, Sayan Sarcar, Stuart Murray (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 22)

  This workshop paper from ASSETS 2022 challenges a fundamental assumption in accessibility research: that designing for one impairment category at a time is sufficient. The authors argue that this single-impairment approach, while practical and widesp…

  • multiple impairments
  • assistive technology
  • disability studies
  • multidisciplinary design
  • inclusive design
  • participatory design
  • deafblindness
  • complex disabilities