Literature Reviews

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

• Haptic Virtual Reality for Blind Computer Users

  Chetz Colwell, Helen Petrie, Diana Kornbrot, Andrew Hardwick, Stephen Furner (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents three experiments investigating how blind and sighted people perceive virtual textures and 3D objects through the Impulse Engine 3000, a force-feedback haptic device with a probe that users manipulate in three degrees of freedom. …

  • haptic technology
  • virtual reality
  • blind and low vision
  • tactile accessibility
  • virtual texture
  • haptic perception
  • psychophysics
  • assistive technology

• Combining Haptic and Braille Technologies: Design Issues and Pilot Study

  Christophe Ramstein (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper presents the Pantobraille, a novel device that combines a single braille cell with a pantograph-based force feedback device to allow blind users to navigate and read content on graphical user interfaces. Developed as part of the CITI PC-Ac…

  • braille
  • haptic technology
  • force feedback
  • braille display
  • tactile accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • non-visual interaction
  • graphical user interface accessibility

• Interactive Tactile Display System: A Support System for the Visually Disabled to Recognize 3D Objects

  Yoshihiro Kawai, Fumiaki Tomita (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper from the Electrotechnical Laboratory in Tsukuba, Japan describes an interactive tactile display system that combines stereo computer vision with a pin-based tactile display and voice synthesis to help blind users recognize three-dimensiona…

  • blindness and low vision
  • tactile display
  • stereo vision
  • computer vision
  • 3D object recognition
  • haptic technology
  • assistive technology
  • refreshable display

• Touching and Hearing GUIs: Design Issues for the PC-Access System

  Christophe Ramstein, Odile Martial, Aude Dufresne, Michel Carignan, Patrick Chassé, Philippe Mabilleau (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This 1996 paper from Canada's Centre for Information Technology Innovation presents PC-Access, a pioneering multimodal system that combines haptic (touch) and auditory feedback to make Microsoft Windows graphical user interfaces accessible to visuall…

  • haptic technology
  • force feedback
  • multimodal interface
  • GUI accessibility
  • blind users
  • sonification
  • haptic feedback
  • accessibility history
  • assistive technology

• Refreshable tactile graphics applied to schoolbook illustrations for students with visual impairment

  Grégory Petit, Aude Dufresne, Vincent Levesque, Vincent Hayward, Nicole Trudeau (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents research on making schoolbook illustrations accessible to students with visual impairments using a refreshable tactile display system. The system combines the STReSS2 (Stimulator of Tactile Receptors by Skin Stretch), a device tha…

  • tactile graphics
  • visual impairment
  • education
  • haptic technology
  • refreshable displays
  • children
  • multimodal interaction
  • STEM accessibility
  • inclusive education

• Making Microsoft Excel Accessible: Multimodal Presentation of Charts

  Iyad Abu Doush, Enrico Pontelli, Dominic Simon, Tran Cao Son, Ou Ma (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a system for making Microsoft Excel charts accessible to people with visual impairments through a combination of haptic force feedback and audio cues. The authors identify that while screen readers and specialised tools can handle…

  • data visualization
  • haptic technology
  • sonification
  • visual impairment
  • charts
  • multimodal interaction
  • Microsoft Excel
  • accessible graphs

• Haptic Handheld Wayfinder with Pseudo-Attraction Force for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Tomohiro Amemiya, Hisashi Sugiyama (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a compact handheld haptic device that guides visually impaired pedestrians by generating a directional force sensation — a feeling of being pulled or pushed toward the correct direction. The device exploits a perceptual phenomenon…

  • haptic technology
  • wayfinding
  • visual impairment
  • navigation
  • kinesthetic perception
  • assistive technology
  • pedestrian navigation
  • orientation and mobility

• Haptic User Interface Design for Students with Visual Impairments

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

  This short paper explores the design of haptic user interfaces to help students with visual impairments understand science concepts related to heat and temperature — topics where common misconceptions are prevalent even among sighted students and whe…

  • haptic technology
  • visual impairment
  • STEM accessibility
  • science education
  • multimodal interaction
  • participatory design
  • assistive technology

• 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

• Providing Haptic Feedback Using the Kinect

  Brandon T. Shrewsbury (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper presents a system that combines the Microsoft Kinect depth camera with a custom haptic glove to provide spatial awareness to people who are blind or visually impaired. The research addresses a gap in existing mobility aids: while ca…

  • haptic technology
  • sensory substitution
  • blindness and low vision
  • assistive technology
  • depth camera
  • navigation
  • wearable technology