Literature Reviews

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

• Conversational Gestures for Direct Manipulation on the Audio Desktop

  T. V. Raman (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper by T. V. Raman of Adobe Systems' Advanced Technology Group presents a systematic methodology for designing auditory interfaces by decomposing visual interaction into "conversational gestures" — the atomic building blocks of human-computer …

  • auditory interface
  • audio desktop
  • speech-enabling
  • conversational gestures
  • direct manipulation
  • non-visual interaction
  • blind users
  • Emacspeak
  • auditory icons
  • game accessibility

• Sudoku Access: A Sudoku Game for People with Motor Disabilities

  Stéphane Norte, Fernando G. Lobo (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper from the University of Algarve, Portugal presents Sudoku Access, an accessible version of the Sudoku puzzle game designed for people with motor disabilities. The system provides two alternative input methods: switch-based scanning and spee…

  • game accessibility
  • motor disability
  • scanning input
  • speech recognition
  • switch access
  • educational games
  • inclusive design
  • cerebral palsy
  • spina bifida

• Blind Hero: Enabling Guitar Hero for the Visually Impaired

  Bei Yuan, Eelke Folmer (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper from the University of Nevada, Reno presents Blind Hero, a modification of the popular video game Guitar Hero that replaces visual stimuli with haptic feedback to enable visually impaired players to participate. The system uses a custom ha…

  • game accessibility
  • haptic feedback
  • visual impairment
  • sensory substitution
  • rhythm game
  • blind users
  • inclusive design
  • haptic glove

• PowerUp: An Accessible Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Vicki L. Hanson, Mark R. Laff, Anna Cavender (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the design and validation of accessibility features for PowerUp, an IBM-developed multiplayer 3D virtual world educational game aimed at middle school students. The researchers were tasked with making the game usable by players w…

  • game accessibility
  • virtual reality
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • cognitive accessibility
  • motor disability
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • inclusive design
  • navigation
  • self-voicing interface
  • sonification

• TextSL: A Command-Based Virtual World Interface for the Visually Impaired

  Eelke Folmer, Bei Yuan, Dave Carr, Manjari Sapre (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents TextSL, a text-based client for the virtual world Second Life that enables access via screen readers. Second Life is a non-game virtual world where users control avatars to explore 3D environments, socialise with others, and inter…

  • virtual worlds
  • visual impairment
  • screen readers
  • game accessibility
  • social interaction
  • command-line interface
  • Second Life
  • alternative interface

• Rock Vibe: Rock Band® Computer Games for People with No or Limited Vision

  Troy Allman, Rupinder K. Dhillon, Molly A.E. Landau, Sri H. Kurniawan (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents Rock Vibe, a modification of the commercial Rock Band® video game that replaces visual cues with haptic vibrations and audio feedback to enable people with no or limited vision to play the drumming component. The system uses an Ar…

  • game accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • haptic feedback
  • sensory substitution
  • inclusive design
  • music accessibility

• Vi-Bowling: A Tactile Spatial Exergame for Individuals with Visual Impairments

  Tony Morelli, John Foley, Eelke Folmer (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents VI Bowling, an accessible exergame (exercise video game) for blind and visually impaired players that introduces tactile dowsing — a novel interaction technique using vibrotactile feedback from a Nintendo Wii remote to perform spa…

  • exergame
  • visual impairment
  • haptic technology
  • game accessibility
  • physical activity
  • sensory substitution
  • motor learning
  • blindness
  • Wii remote
  • tactile feedback

• Broadening Accessibility Through Special Interests: A New Approach for Software Customization

  Robert R. Morris, Connor R. Kirschbaum, Rosalind W. Picard (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper from MIT Media Lab presents a software approach for automatically embedding the special interests of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) into computer-based interventions. People with ASD often have intense, narrow interests — …

  • autism spectrum disorder
  • special interests
  • software customization
  • personalization
  • computer-mediated intervention
  • developmental disabilities
  • motivation
  • game accessibility

• Does a Sonar System Make a Blind Maze Navigation Computer Game More "Fun"?

  Matt Wilkerson, Amanda Koenig, James Daniel (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This student research paper from the Blind Programming Project at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville presents "The Dark Labyrinth," a zombie-killing maze navigation game designed entirely for blind players. The broader project goal is to creat…

  • game accessibility
  • audio game
  • blind users
  • sonification
  • accessible programming
  • auditory feedback

• Accessibility of 3D Game Environments for People with Aphasia: An Exploratory Study

  Julia Galliers, Stephanie Wilson, Sam Muscroft, Jane Marshall, Abi Roper, Naomi Cocks, Tim Pring (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating how people with aphasia interact with 3D game environments and related technologies. Conducted as part of the GReAT (Gesture Recognition in Aphasia Therapy) project at City University London, t…

  • aphasia
  • game accessibility
  • virtual reality
  • stroke recovery
  • cognitive accessibility
  • gesture recognition
  • participatory design
  • interaction design