Literature Reviews

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

• Zooming Interfaces! Enhancing the Performance of Eye Controlled Pointing Devices

  Richard Bates, Howell Istance (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from De Montfort University quantifies the performance problems of eye-based pointing on standard graphical user interfaces and demonstrates that adding a zoom facility dramatically improves usability. The researchers identified three fund…

  • eye tracking
  • pointing devices
  • assistive technology
  • motor disability
  • zoom interface
  • screen magnification
  • multimodal interaction
  • graphical user interface

• A Tool for Creating Eye-Aware Applications that Adapt to Changes in User Behavior

  Greg Edwards (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from Stanford University's Archimedes Project presents the Black Squirrel Eye Interpretation Engine, a development tool for creating eye-aware software applications that adapt in real-time to changes in a user's natural eye-movement behavi…

  • eye tracking
  • gaze interaction
  • eye-controlled interface
  • adaptive interface
  • ALS
  • motor disabilities
  • on-screen keyboard
  • Midas Touch problem
  • assistive technology

• Towards an EOG-Based Eye Tracker for Computer Control

  David W. Patmore, R. Benjamin Knapp (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper describes the development of an eye tracking system for computer control based on bio-electrical signals, intended as a pointing device for people with physical disabilities. The system combines two complementary biosignal approaches: the …

  • eye tracking
  • electrooculogram
  • alternative input
  • motor disability
  • bio-electrical signal
  • assistive technology
  • visual evoked potential
  • fuzzy logic

• Investigating Sighted Users' Browsing Behaviour to Assist Web Accessibility

  Eleni Michailidou, Simon Harper, Sean Bechhofer (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents an eye tracking study investigating how sighted users browse web pages, with the goal of using these insights to improve web accessibility for visually impaired users. The core argument is that understanding sighted users' visual …

  • eye tracking
  • web accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • web design
  • visual complexity
  • screen readers
  • user research
  • browsing behavior
  • transcoding

• Understanding the Role of Age and Fluid Intelligence in Information Search

  Shari Trewin, John T. Richards, Vicki L. Hanson, David Sloan, Bonnie E. John, Cal Swart, John C. Thomas (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This study investigates whether age or fluid intelligence is the more important factor driving differences in how people search for information in hierarchical web interfaces. The researchers recruited three groups: 14 younger adults with high fluid …

  • cognitive accessibility
  • aging
  • fluid intelligence
  • eye tracking
  • information search
  • mouse interaction
  • older adults
  • web navigation

• Evaluation of Dynamic Image Pre-Compensation for Computer Users with Severe Refractive Error

  Jian Huang, Armando Barreto, Malek Adjouadi (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents a dynamic image pre-compensation method designed to improve computer accessibility for users with severe refractive errors such as high-degree myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Refractive error affects over 30.5 million American…

  • low vision
  • refractive error
  • image enhancement
  • visual impairment
  • eye tracking
  • computer accessibility
  • image pre-compensation
  • ocular aberration

• Good Fonts for Dyslexia

  Luz Rello, Ricardo Baeza-Yates (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents the first experiment using eye tracking to objectively measure the impact of font type on reading performance for people with dyslexia. Using a within-subject design, 48 participants with clinically confirmed dyslexia (ages 11-50)…

  • dyslexia
  • typography
  • readability
  • eye tracking
  • font design
  • cognitive accessibility
  • text presentation
  • legibility

• Comparing Native Signers' Perception of American Sign Language Animations and Videos via Eye Tracking

  Hernisa Kacorri, Allen Harper, Matt Huenerfauth (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates whether eye tracking can serve as an alternative or complementary evaluation method for assessing the quality of synthesized American Sign Language (ASL) animations. Computer-generated ASL animations offer accessibility benefi…

  • sign language
  • American Sign Language
  • animation
  • eye tracking
  • deaf accessibility
  • facial expression
  • user study
  • sign language synthesis

• ClassInFocus: Enabling Improved Visual Attention Strategies for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

  Anna C. Cavender, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Richard E. Ladner (2009) — Assets '09: Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents ClassInFocus, a system designed to help deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) students manage the demanding visual attention requirements of modern multi-modal classrooms. DHH students face a unique challenge: while hearing students can …

  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • classroom accessibility
  • visual attention
  • notifications
  • eye tracking
  • sign language interpretation
  • real-time captioning
  • education

• Speech Dasher: A Demonstration of Text Input using Speech and Approximate Pointing

  Keith Vertanen, David J.C. MacKay (2014) — Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper demonstrates Speech Dasher, a multimodal text entry system that combines speech recognition with the Dasher zooming interface to enable fast, corrected text input using only voice and gaze direction. The core problem addressed is that whil…

  • speech recognition
  • eye tracking
  • gaze input
  • text entry
  • error correction
  • assistive technology
  • language model
  • multimodal interaction