Literature Reviews

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

• A Portable Hong Kong Sign Language Translation Platform with Deep Learning and Jetson Nano

  Zhenxing Zhou, Yisiang Neo, King-Shan Lui, Vincent W.L. Tam, Edmund Y. Lam, Ngai Wong (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents a portable platform for translating Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) into spoken language using deep learning and edge computing hardware. The system addresses a significant communication gap: Hong Kong has over 155,00…

  • sign language recognition
  • deep learning
  • edge computing
  • mobile accessibility
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • assistive technology
  • Hong Kong Sign Language

• SoundWatch: Exploring Smartwatch-based Deep Learning Approaches to Support Sound Awareness for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users

  Dhruv Jain, Hung Ngo, Pratyush Patel, Steven Goodman, Leah Findlater, Jon Froehlich (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This paper presents SoundWatch, a smartwatch-based sound awareness system that uses deep learning to classify environmental sounds in real time and provide visual and haptic notifications to deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users. The research addresse…

  • deaf accessibility
  • hard of hearing
  • sound awareness
  • deep learning
  • wearable technology
  • smartwatch
  • machine learning
  • sound classification

• A Saliency-Driven Video Magnifier for People with Low Vision

  Ali Selman Aydin, Shirin Feiz, Vikas Ashok, I V Ramakrishnan (2020) — Proceedings of the 17th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents SViM (Saliency-driven Video Magnifier), a system that uses deep learning-based visual saliency prediction to automatically guide screen magnification to the most important regions of a video for people with low visio…

  • low vision
  • screen magnifier
  • video accessibility
  • computer vision
  • deep learning
  • assistive technology
  • saliency detection

• Accessible PDFs: Applying Artificial Intelligence for Automated Remediation of STEM PDFs

  Felix M. Schmitt-Koopmann, Elaine M. Huang, Alireza Darvishy (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2022)

  This Ph.D. research paper presents a plan to leverage artificial intelligence to automate the remediation of PDF documents from STEM fields, addressing one of the most significant barriers to information access for people with visual impairments. The…

  • PDF accessibility
  • document remediation
  • artificial intelligence
  • STEM accessibility
  • mathematical formulae
  • screen readers
  • document analysis
  • deep learning
  • assistive technology

• Case Study: In-the-Field Accessibility Information Collection Using Gamification

  Akihiro Miyata, Kazuki Okugawa, Yusaku Murayama, Akihiro Furuta, Keihiro Ochiai, Yuko Murayama (2023) — Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This study introduces and evaluates a crowdsourcing platform designed to collect real-world accessibility information for constructing accessibility maps that support people with mobility disabilities. Accessibility maps are critical for safe navigat…

  • crowdsourcing
  • gamification
  • accessible maps
  • physical accessibility
  • pedestrian infrastructure
  • deep learning
  • urban accessibility
  • mobile application
  • wheelchair accessibility
  • computer vision

• Using Convolutional Neural Networks for Visual Sign Language Recognition: Towards a system that provides instant feedback to learners of sign language

  Rami Aldahir, Ronald R. Grau (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper presents a prototype system that uses computer vision and a convolutional neural network (CNN) to recognize finger-spelled letters in British Sign Language (BSL), providing real-time feedback to learners. The system addresses a gap i…

  • sign language
  • British Sign Language
  • computer vision
  • deep learning
  • fingerspelling
  • deaf accessibility
  • education
  • assistive technology

• Beyond Sight: Empowering Visually Impaired Users with Audible Graphs

  Wajdi Aljedaani, Uday Kiran Chimpiri, Durgasantosh Gaddam, Vaseem Ahammed Shaik, Yaswitha Karasala, Marcelo M. Eler (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This technical note presents a tool designed to make data visualizations accessible to people with visual impairments by converting them into audible and textual representations. The tool addresses a significant gap: while data visualization is centr…

  • data visualization
  • visual impairments
  • sonification
  • screen readers
  • optical character recognition
  • deep learning
  • assistive technology
  • text-to-speech

• SignStreamNet: Streaming Sign Language Video-to-Text Translation for Accessibility

  Warfa Ahmed (2025) — Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2025)

  This paper introduces SignStreamNet, a hybrid neural network architecture designed to translate sign language video into written text in near real-time. The system addresses a fundamental accessibility barrier: over 70 million Deaf and Hard-of-Hearin…

  • sign language translation
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • real-time translation
  • deep learning
  • computer vision
  • streaming neural networks
  • assistive technology

• Deep Learning Compensation of Rotation Errors During Navigation Assistance for People with Visual Impairments or Blindness

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Sergio Mascetti, Cristian Bernareggi, João Guerreiro, Uran Oh, Chieko Asakawa (2019) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper addresses a critical but often overlooked problem in turn-by-turn navigation assistance for people with visual impairments or blindness (VIB): rotation errors at turning points. While much navigation research focuses on improving localizat…

  • navigation assistance
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • deep learning
  • turn-by-turn navigation
  • indoor navigation
  • rotation errors
  • over-rotation