Literature Reviews

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

• Making Multimedia Content Accessible for Screen Reader Users

  Hisashi Miyashita, Daisuke Sato, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from IBM Research Tokyo describes an accessible multimedia browser designed to address three critical barriers blind users face with web multimedia content. The first problem is audio conflict: when media plays on a page, its sound masks t…

  • multimedia accessibility
  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • audio description
  • video accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • dynamic content
  • Flash
  • streaming media
  • keyboard accessibility

• Accessibility for Simple to Moderate-Complexity DHTML Web Sites

  Cynthia C. Shelly, George Young (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This detailed technical paper from Microsoft provides practical design and coding techniques for making Dynamic HTML and AJAX applications accessible using the browser and assistive technology capabilities available in 2007 — deliberately without rel…

  • web accessibility
  • DHTML
  • AJAX
  • JavaScript
  • keyboard accessibility
  • screen readers
  • semantic HTML
  • web development
  • assistive technology
  • dynamic content

• Evaluation of techniques defined in WCAG 2.0 with older people

  Sergio Sayago, Laura Camacho, Josep Blat (2009) — Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibililty (W4A)

  This paper evaluates two specific WCAG 2.0 techniques — keyboard-based navigation (Guideline 2.1) and design of link purpose (Guideline 2.4) — with older people aged 65 to 80 in two real-world design projects for old-age pensioner associations in Bar…

  • aging
  • WCAG compliance
  • keyboard accessibility
  • link design
  • user testing
  • usability
  • older adults
  • web navigation

• The AccDC Enterprise API for Advanced UI Automation

  Bryan Garaventa (2011) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demo paper presents the AccDC Enterprise API, a JavaScript-based dynamic content management system designed to build Rich Internet Applications with automatic accessibility built in from the ground up. Created by Bryan Garaventa through WhatSock…

  • WAI-ARIA
  • JavaScript
  • rich internet applications
  • web accessibility
  • accessibility tools
  • dynamic content
  • screen readers
  • keyboard accessibility

• Is Wikipedia Usable for the Blind?

  Marina Buzzi, Barbara Leporini (2008) — Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper evaluates the accessibility and usability of Wikipedia for blind screen reader users by analyzing three key interaction modes: browsing the home page, searching and viewing results, and editing content. The authors tested both the English …

  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • wiki accessibility
  • usability
  • Wikipedia
  • JAWS
  • collaborative environments
  • keyboard accessibility
  • WAI-ARIA
  • e-learning

• Physical Usability and the Mobile Web

  Shari Trewin (2006) — Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper systematically compares the physical usability challenges faced by desktop web users with motor impairments and mobile web users, identifying where their needs overlap and diverge. Trewin first catalogs the interaction landscape for users …

  • motor accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • physical disability
  • device independence
  • input methods
  • keyboard accessibility
  • target size
  • text entry

• Using Acceptance Tests to Validate Accessibility Requirements in RIA

  Willian Massami Watanabe, Renata P. M. Fortes, Ana Luiza Dias (2012) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper addresses a significant gap in automated accessibility testing: the inability of traditional static HTML evaluation tools to assess Rich Internet Applications (RIA) that use Ajax, JavaScript, and dynamically generated DOM content. The auth…

  • automated testing
  • acceptance testing
  • continuous integration
  • rich internet applications
  • keyboard accessibility
  • dynamic content
  • ARIA
  • test-driven development

• Accessible Map Visualization Prototype

  Tania Calle-Jimenez, Sergio Luján-Mora (2016) — Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from Ecuador's National Polytechnic School and the University of Alicante presents a prototype for making online geographic maps accessible to people with visual disabilities. The authors identify four key accessibility barriers in web-bas…

  • data visualization
  • visual impairment
  • color blindness
  • SVG
  • web accessibility
  • geographic information
  • keyboard accessibility
  • screen readers

• HTML5 accessible video player: how and why

  Crista Earl, Elizabeth Neal (2016) — Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) describes the development of a free, open source HTML5 video player designed to address the widespread accessibility barriers in online video playback interfaces. The authors identify four k…

  • video accessibility
  • media accessibility
  • HTML5
  • keyboard accessibility
  • low vision
  • screen reader accessibility
  • captions
  • audio description

• Accessible OzPlayer Video Player

  Matt McLeod, Gian Wild (2016) — Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents OzPlayer, a web video player built by Australian accessibility consultancy AccessibilityOz specifically to address the widespread inaccessibility of popular video players on the web. The authors, who routinely audited …

  • video accessibility
  • media accessibility
  • keyboard accessibility
  • captions
  • audio description
  • web development
  • multimedia accessibility