Literature Reviews

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

• An Integrative Accessibility Engineering Approach Using Multidimensional Classifications of Barriers in the Web

  Diana Ruth-Janneck (2011) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents multidimensional classifications of web accessibility barriers derived from the large-scale German study "Web2.0/Accessible," commissioned by Aktion Mensch, which surveyed 671 disabled internet users via an accessible online quest…

  • accessibility barriers
  • accessibility evaluation
  • user research
  • web accessibility
  • software engineering
  • organizational accessibility
  • cognitive accessibility
  • deaf accessibility

• 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

• ABCD SW: Autistic Behavior & Computer-based Didactic Software

  M. Claudia Buzzi, Marina Buzzi, Davide Gazzè, Caterina Senette, Maurizio Tesconi (2012) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demo paper from IIT-CNR in Pisa presents ABCD SW, an open-source web application designed to support Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) intervention with low-functioning autistic children. The software implements Discrete Trial Training (DTT) — a s…

  • autism
  • cognitive accessibility
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • educational technology
  • assistive technology
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • adaptive interfaces

• A Preliminary Usability Evaluation of Strategies for Seeking Online Information with Elderly People

  Sergio Sayago, Josep Blat (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper from Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona presents an experimental study comparing how seven elderly participants (ages 65-74) performed using three strategies for finding complex information online: Google basic search, Google advanced…

  • aging
  • usability
  • information seeking
  • search engines
  • mouse difficulties
  • cognitive accessibility
  • older adults

• The User Experience: Designs and Adaptations

  Vicki L. Hanson (2004) — Proceedings of the 2004 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote-style paper from IBM's Watson Research Center by Vicki Hanson argues that web accessibility standards and guidelines, while necessary, do not guarantee a usable or satisfying experience for people with disabilities. The paper distinguish…

  • low vision
  • aging
  • cognitive accessibility
  • user experience
  • personalization
  • text-to-speech
  • page adaptation
  • web design
  • usability
  • color contrast
  • visual crowding
  • content reflow

• Personalizable Edge Services for Web Accessibility

  Gennaro Iaccarino, Delfina Malandrino, Vittorio Scarano (2006) — Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A): Building the Mobile Web: Rediscovering Accessibility?

  This paper presents PAN (Personalizable Accessible Navigation), a suite of proxy-based edge services that transform web pages on-the-fly to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. Built on top of the Scalable Intermediary Software Infrastr…

  • proxy-based accessibility
  • web accessibility
  • content adaptation
  • personalization
  • edge services
  • mobile accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • cognitive accessibility
  • intermediary systems

• Age and Web Access: The Next Generation

  Vicki L. Hanson (2009) — Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper challenges the common assumption that technology difficulties experienced by older adults are a fixed characteristic of aging that will naturally disappear as tech-savvy younger generations grow old. Hanson argues that the relationship bet…

  • aging
  • older adults
  • digital divide
  • cognitive accessibility
  • user experience
  • browser augmentation
  • generational differences
  • fluid intelligence

• Adapting web content for low-literacy readers by using lexical elaboration and named entities labeling

  Willian M. Watanabe, Arnaldo Candido, Marcelo A. Amâncio, Matheus de Oliveira, Thiago A. S. Pardo, Renata P. M. Fortes, Sandra M. Aluísio (2010) — Proceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents Educational FACILITA, a browser-based tool that uses Natural Language Processing (NLP) to automatically adapt web content for low-literacy readers. Developed at the University of São Paulo as part of the PorSimples text simplifica…

  • low literacy
  • natural language processing
  • text simplification
  • lexical elaboration
  • named entity recognition
  • content adaptation
  • reading accessibility
  • cognitive accessibility
  • digital inclusion

• Firefixia: An Accessibility Web Browser Customization Toolbar for People with Dyslexia

  Vagner Figueredo de Santana, Rosimeire de Oliveira, Leonelo Dell Anhol Almeida, Marcia Ito (2013) — Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents Firefixia, a Mozilla Firefox browser extension toolbar designed to help people with dyslexia customise the presentation of web content according to their individual preferences. The authors note that while web accessibility effort…

  • dyslexia
  • web accessibility
  • browser extension
  • customization
  • assistive technology
  • reading accessibility
  • user testing
  • cognitive accessibility