Literature Reviews

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

• Improving the Usability of Speech-Based Interfaces for Blind Users

  Ian J. Pitt, Alistair D. N. Edwards (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper from the University of York examines the usability problems inherent in speech-based interfaces for blind computer users and presents a study comparing how blind and sighted subjects process information delivered through synthetic speech. …

  • blindness and low vision
  • screen reader
  • speech synthesis
  • usability
  • speech dialogue design
  • text-to-speech
  • auditory interface
  • prosody
  • cognitive load

• An Approach to the Evaluation of Assistive Technology

  Robert D. Stevens, Alistair D. N. Edwards (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This University of York paper addresses a fundamental challenge in assistive technology research: the difficulty of conducting rigorous evaluations using conventional controlled testing paradigms. The authors identify several obstacles specific to as…

  • assistive technology evaluation
  • mathematical accessibility
  • blind users
  • earcon
  • auditory interface
  • usability testing
  • research methodology
  • STEM accessibility

• Advanced Auditory Menus: Design and Evaluation of Auditory Scroll Bars

  Pavani Yalla, Bruce N. Walker (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper from the Sonification Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology investigates how to design auditory scrollbars — non-speech sound cues that convey contextual information (menu size, current position) while navigating auditory menus. Visual me…

  • auditory interface
  • auditory menu
  • sonification
  • non-speech sounds
  • universal design
  • visual impairment
  • mobile accessibility
  • earcon

• Towards a Tool for Keystroke Level Modeling of Skilled Screen Reading

  Shari Trewin, Bonnie E. John, John Richards, Cal Swart, Jonathan Brezin, Rachel Bellamy, John Thomas (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper explores whether cognitive models of auditory interaction — specifically the Keystroke-Level Model (KLM) — can be adapted to predict task completion times for skilled screen reader users, with the goal of helping designers evaluate the usa…

  • screen readers
  • cognitive modeling
  • usability
  • keyboard navigation
  • JAWS
  • keystroke-level model
  • auditory interface
  • human-computer interaction

• How Voice Augmentation Supports Elderly Web Users

  Daisuke Sato, Masatomo Kobayashi, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa, Jiro Tanaka (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper from IBM Research Tokyo investigates how voice-based augmentation, originally developed for blind screen reader users, can be adapted to support older adults using web applications. The research addresses two key barriers that prevent elde…

  • aging
  • web accessibility
  • voice interface
  • cognitive accessibility
  • auditory interface
  • usability
  • digital inclusion

• EasySnap: Real-time Audio Feedback for Blind Photography

  Samuel White, Hanjie Ji, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2010) — Adjunct Proceedings of the 23rd Annual ACM Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2010)

  This demonstration paper presents EasySnap, an iPhone application that enables blind and low-vision users to take high-quality photographs by providing real-time audio feedback as they point their camera phones. The system addresses a key barrier: bl…

  • blind and low vision
  • computer vision
  • mobile accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • photography
  • auditory interface
  • non-visual interfaces

• READ: A (Research) Platform for Evaluating Non-visual Access Methods to Digital Documents

  Laurent Sorin, Julie Lemarié, Mustapha Mojahid (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  READ (Documents Architecture REstitution) is a configurable research platform for evaluating alternative methods of non-visual access to digital documents. The system addresses a well-documented problem: despite extensive functionality, screen reader…

  • document accessibility
  • research platform
  • non-visual access
  • screen readers
  • text-to-speech
  • multimodal
  • auditory interface
  • spatialized audio
  • research tools

• Sensory Substitution Training for Users Who Are Blind with Dynamic Stimuli, Games and Virtual Environments

  Shachar Maidenbaum (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper explores whether gamification and dynamic training can address one of the major barriers to sensory substitution device (SSD) adoption: the long, arduous learning process. SSDs like EyeMusic convert visual information into sound, enabling …

  • sensory substitution
  • blindness
  • congenital blindness
  • visual rehabilitation
  • gamification
  • training
  • auditory interface
  • EyeMusic
  • virtual environments
  • game accessibility

• Tag Thunder: Towards Non-Visual Web Page Skimming

  Elena Manishina, Jean-Marc Lecarpentier, Fabrice Maurel, Stéphane Ferrari, Maxence Busson (2016) — Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This demonstration paper presents Tag Thunder, an audio equivalent of visual tag clouds designed to bring skimming capabilities to blind web users. When sighted people access a web page, they first skim the content — rapidly scanning layout, typograp…

  • blindness
  • screen reader
  • web accessibility
  • speech
  • natural language processing
  • sonification
  • auditory interface
  • content accessibility

• Using Dynamic Audio Feedback to Support Peripersonal Reaching in Young Visually Impaired People

  Graham Wilson, Stephen A. Brewster (2016) — Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This paper investigates whether dynamic audio feedback — sound that changes based on the proximity between a reaching hand and target objects — can improve the accuracy of peripersonal reaching (reaching within arm's length) for blind and visually im…

  • blindness
  • visual impairment
  • sonification
  • spatial cognition
  • child development
  • rehabilitation
  • haptic technology
  • auditory interface
  • sensory substitution