Literature Reviews

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

• Uncovering Challenges and Opportunities for 3D Printing Assistive Technology with Physical Therapists

  Samantha McDonald, Niara Comrie, Erin Buehler, Nicholas Carter, Braxton Dubin, Karen Gordes, Sandy McCombe-Waller, Amy Hurst (2016) — Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This paper investigates the feasibility and challenges of integrating 3D printing into physical therapy (PT) practice for creating customized assistive technology (AT). Physical therapists routinely modify standardized AT devices using temporary mate…

  • 3D printing
  • assistive technology
  • DIY assistive technology
  • physical disability
  • digital fabrication
  • education
  • rehabilitation
  • co-design

• "But, I Don't Want/Need a Power Wheelchair": Toward Accessible Power Assistance for Manual Wheelchairs

  Dafne Zuleima Morgado Ramirez, Catherine Holloway (2017) — Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper explores the needs, expectations, and experiences of manual wheelchair users regarding power assist devices — motorized attachments that augment a manual wheelchair's propulsion without converting it into a full power wheelchair. Manual wh…

  • wheelchair accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • participatory design
  • physical disability
  • spinal cord injury
  • wearable technology
  • interaction design
  • DIY assistive technology
  • social accessibility

• Understanding Fatigue and Stamina Management Opportunities and Challenges in Wheelchair Basketball

  Patrick Carrington, Denzel Ketter, Amy Hurst (2017) — Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper investigates the current use and future potential of wearable fitness technologies for stamina and fatigue management in wheelchair basketball — a team sport originally created for paraplegic athletes that now includes people with a range …

  • adaptive sports
  • wearable technology
  • wheelchair
  • fitness tracking
  • physical disability
  • quantified self
  • inclusive design

• 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

• Exploratory study of web navigation strategies for users with physical disabilities

  J. Eduardo Pérez, Myriam Arrue, Xabier Valencia, Lourdes Moreno (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This exploratory study examined the web navigation strategies of 11 users with upper-body physical impairments, revealing substantial heterogeneity in how people with similar disability types interact with websites. Participants used a wide range of …

  • motor accessibility
  • physical disability
  • assistive technology
  • web navigation
  • input devices
  • adaptive interfaces
  • user research

• "I just went into it assuming that I wouldn't be able to have the full experience": Understanding the Accessibility of Virtual Reality for People with Limited Mobility

  Martez Mott, John Tang, Shaun Kane, Edward Cutrell, Meredith Ringel Morris (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents the first in-depth investigation of VR accessibility for people with limited mobility, a population largely overlooked in VR research that has focused primarily on rehabilitation applications rather than mainstream consumer VR use…

  • virtual reality
  • motor accessibility
  • physical disability
  • ability assumptions
  • inclusive design
  • input methods
  • wheelchair accessibility
  • emerging technology

• Sense and Accessibility: Understanding People with Physical Disabilities' Experiences with Sensing Systems

  Shaun K. Kane, Anhong Guo, Meredith Ringel Morris (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper examines how sensing systems — the increasingly pervasive technologies that mediate our interactions with the digital and physical world — create accessibility barriers for people with physical disabilities. Through an online survey of 40 …

  • physical disability
  • AI bias
  • AI fairness
  • sensors
  • ubiquitous computing
  • inclusive design
  • accessibility barriers
  • biometric authentication
  • digital divide
  • Internet of Things

• Aided Nonverbal Communication through Physical Expressive Objects

  Stephanie Valencia, Mark Steidl, Michael Rivera, Cynthia Bennett, Jeffrey Bigham, Henny Admoni (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents an in-depth case study of co-designing a physical expressive "sidekick" device to support nonverbal communication for an augmented communicator (AC) named Mark, who has cerebral palsy and uses a head-switch-operated AAC device. Wh…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • nonverbal communication
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • cerebral palsy
  • physical disability
  • robotics
  • tangible interaction
  • assistive technology

• It's Enactment Time!: High-fidelity Enactment Stage for Accessible Automated Driving System Technology Research

  Aaron Gluck, Hannah Solini, Julian Brinkley (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This pictorial paper documents the iterative design and construction of a high-fidelity enactment stage for researching accessible autonomous vehicle (AV) technology with older adults and people with disabilities. Autonomous vehicles hold transformat…

  • autonomous vehicles
  • accessible transportation
  • user enactment
  • older adults
  • physical disability
  • research methods
  • prototyping
  • human-machine interface
  • inclusive design

• Analyzing Walking with Ankle Foot Orthoses Using Shank-mounted Wearable Movement Sensors

  Cliona Blackwell (2023) — ASSETS 2023: The 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This extended abstract investigates using Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs) mounted on the shank (lower leg) to provide quantitative gait analysis for clinicians tuning Ankle Foot Orthoses (AFOs). AFOs are orthotic devices that encompass the ankle jo…

  • ankle foot orthosis
  • gait analysis
  • inertial measurement unit
  • wearable sensors
  • biomechanics
  • orthosis tuning
  • physical disability
  • mobility