Literature Reviews

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

• Capturing Phrases for ICU-Talk, a Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

  S. Ashraf, A. Judson, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, N. Alm, B. Gordon, F. MacAulay, J. K. Brodie, M. Etchels, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the vocabulary gathering methods used for ICU-Talk, a three-year multidisciplinary project at the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital that developed an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid specifically for…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • AAC
  • intensive care
  • vocabulary selection
  • phrase-based communication
  • speech synthesis
  • medical accessibility
  • intubation

• A New Generation of Communication Aids under the ULYSSES Component-Based Framework

  Georgios Kouroupetroglou, Alexandros Pino (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from the University of Athens introduces ULYSSES, a component-based software framework for building customisable AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices. The core problem ULYSSES addresses is that AAC users have highly div…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • component-based framework
  • software engineering
  • assistive technology
  • speech synthesis
  • switch access
  • symbol communication
  • scanning

• Enhancing Scanning Input with Non-Speech Sounds

  Stephen A. Brewster, Veli-Pekka Raty, Atte Kortekangas (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper proposes adding structured non-speech sounds (earcons) to scanning input systems used by people with severe motor disabilities who can only operate a single switch. Scanning input works by sequentially highlighting items in a grid; the use…

  • scanning input
  • earcons
  • sonification
  • auditory display
  • switch access
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • multimodal interaction
  • motor disability

• Multimodal Input for Computer Access and Augmentative Communication

  Alice Smith, John Dunaway, Patrick Demasco, Denise Peischl (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper from the University of Delaware describes a research project exploring the integration of speech recognition with head-pointing as a multimodal input method for people with physical disabilities who cannot use standard keyboards and mice. …

  • multimodal interaction
  • speech recognition
  • head pointing
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • assistive technology
  • computer access
  • motor disability
  • alternative input

• Context aware documenting for aphasics

  Thomas de Wolf, Dirk W.H. Gooren, Jean-Bernard O.S. Martens (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes two student design projects aimed at creating tools for people with aphasia to document and share their everyday experiences. Aphasia, a communication impairment caused by brain damage (typically from stroke), affects about 0.3% …

  • aphasia
  • tangible interaction
  • context-aware computing
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • storytelling
  • photo-based communication
  • participatory design
  • independent living

• Speaking Through Pictures: Images vs. Icons

  Xiaojuan Ma, Jordan Boyd-Graber, Sonya Nikolova, Perry R. Cook (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether freely available web images can serve as effective substitutes for professionally designed icons in assistive communication systems for people with aphasia. Existing icon-based systems like Lingraphica and C-VIC (Compu…

  • aphasia
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • visual communication
  • icon-based communication
  • assistive technology
  • web images
  • elderly users
  • cognitive accessibility

• Designing AAC Interfaces for Commercial Brain-Computer Interaction Gaming Hardware

  Stephen Steward (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper explores repurposing a low-cost commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) gaming device — the OCZ Technologies Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) — as an input device for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The NIA is a headband t…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • brain-computer interface
  • assistive technology
  • motor impairment
  • speech impairment
  • switch access
  • interface design

• Utterance-Based Systems: Organization and Design of AAC Interfaces

  Timothy J. Walsh (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper describes the design and development of an utterance-based AAC interface for literate, high-functioning adults who need communication support in public situations such as restaurants or shops. The central design challenge in AAC interfaces…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • interface design
  • utterance-based system
  • communication rate
  • assistive technology
  • speech generation

• Introducing Multimodal Paper-Digital Interfaces for Speech-Language Therapy

  Anne Marie Piper, Nadir Weibel, James D. Hollan (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper explores how multimodal digital pen and paper technology can support speech-language therapy for adults with aphasia and apraxia of speech following stroke or brain injury. The researchers conducted five months of field observations with 1…

  • aphasia
  • apraxia of speech
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • speech-language therapy
  • older adults
  • multimodal interaction
  • digital pen
  • paper-digital interface
  • stroke
  • communication board

• What We Talk About: Designing a Context-Aware Communication Tool for People with Aphasia

  Shaun K. Kane, Barbara Linam-Church, Kyle Althoff, Denise McCall (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper describes the design and development of TalkAbout, a context-aware augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application for tablet devices that adapts its vocabulary to a user's current location and conversation partner. People wit…

  • aphasia
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • context-aware computing
  • participatory design
  • stroke
  • mobile devices
  • adaptive interfaces