Literature Reviews

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

• Design and Evaluation of a Networked Game to Support Social Connection of Youth with Cerebral Palsy

  Hamilton A. Hernandez, Mallory Ketcheson, Adrian Schneider, Zi Ye, Darcy Fehlings, Lauren Switzer, Virginia Wright, Shelly K. Bursick, Chad Richards, T.C. Nicholas Graham (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents Liberi, a networked video game custom-designed to foster social interaction among youth with cerebral palsy (CP). Youth with CP—particularly those classified at GMFCS level III who require mobility aids—experience social isolation…

  • cerebral palsy
  • game accessibility
  • social interaction
  • motor impairments
  • inclusive design
  • exergaming
  • participatory design
  • youth

• Tactile Graphics with a Voice: Using QR Codes to Access Text in Tactile Graphics

  Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes text labels in tactile graphics accessible by replacing Braille labels with QR codes that can be scanned and read aloud using a smartphone. The motivation is significant: wh…

  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • tactile graphics
  • QR codes
  • Braille
  • education
  • assistive technology
  • non-visual feedback

• Buildings and Users with Visual Impairment: Uncovering Factors for Accessibility Using BIT-Kit

  Lesley J. McIntyre, Vicki L. Hanson (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper introduces BIT-Kit (Building Interactions Tool-kit), a mixed-method framework for gathering evidence about how buildings impact the accessibility of users with visual impairments. The framework combines three methods: semi-structured inter…

  • visual impairment
  • wayfinding
  • built environment
  • architecture
  • accessibility evaluation
  • inclusive design

• Accessibility in Context: Understanding the Truly Mobile Experience of Smartphone Users with Motor Impairments

  Maia Naftali, Leah Findlater (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper moves beyond lab-based studies to investigate how people with motor impairments actually use smartphones in their daily lives, particularly outside the home. The research combines two studies: an online survey of 16 smartphone users with m…

  • motor impairments
  • mobile accessibility
  • smartphones
  • touchscreen
  • situational impairments
  • contextual inquiry
  • diary study

• VisAural: A Wearable Sound-Localisation Device for People with Impaired Hearing

  Benjamin M. Gorman (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents VisAural, a wearable device that converts sound direction information into visual cues for people with hearing impairments. The system addresses a gap left by conventional hearing aids, which help with general sound detection but …

  • hearing impairments
  • wearable technology
  • sound localisation
  • sensory substitution
  • assistive technology

• Text Entry by Raising the Eyebrow with HaMCoS

  Torsten Felzer, Stephan Rinderknecht (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demo paper presents HaMCoS (HAnds-free Mouse COntrol System), a system that enables text entry for people with very severe physical disabilities using tiny contractions of the brow muscle. The system targets users in a "locked-in" state, where c…

  • assistive technology
  • text entry
  • switch access
  • motor impairments
  • mouse emulation
  • locked-in syndrome
  • input devices

• Goal Crossing with Mice and Trackballs for People with Motor Impairments: Performance, Submovements, and Design Directions

  Jacob O. Wobbrock, Krzysztof Z. Gajos (2008) — ASSETS '08: Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This study investigates whether goal crossing—an input technique where users move through a target boundary rather than clicking within it—can benefit people with motor impairments. The research compares crossing performance against traditional area …

  • motor impairments
  • input devices
  • goal crossing
  • pointing
  • Fitts' law
  • submovements
  • trackballs
  • mice
  • HCI

• Reconstruction of Phonated Speech from Whispers Using Formant-Derived Plausible Pitch Modulation

  Ian V. McLoughlin, Hamid Reza Sharifzadeh, Su Lim Tan, Jingjie Li, Yan Song (2015) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper addresses a fundamental communication barrier for people who can only whisper due to voice impairments. While whispering is an occasional choice for most people, it is the primary—sometimes only—communication method for partial laryngectom…

  • speech technology
  • voice reconstruction
  • laryngectomy
  • voice disorders
  • whisper-to-speech
  • assistive technology
  • speech prosthesis

• Making It Simplext: Implementation and Evaluation of a Text Simplification System for Spanish

  Horacio Saggion, Sanja Štajner, Stefan Bott, Simon Mille, Luz Rello, Biljana Drndarevic (2015) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents Simplext, the first comprehensive automatic text simplification (ATS) system for Spanish. The research addresses a fundamental accessibility barrier: textual content written in complex language excludes people with cognitive disab…

  • text simplification
  • natural language processing
  • cognitive accessibility
  • readability
  • Spanish
  • intellectual disability
  • Down syndrome
  • automatic text simplification

• The Field Evaluation of a Mobile Digital Image Communication Application Designed for People with Aphasia

  Meredith Allen, Joanna McGrenere, Barbara Purves (2008) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents PhotoTalk, a mobile application designed to help people with aphasia capture and manage digital photographs for face-to-face communication. The research addresses a significant gap: while AAC devices exist for aphasia, very few ha…

  • aphasia
  • AAC
  • mobile devices
  • field evaluation
  • participatory design
  • image-based communication
  • PDA