Literature Reviews

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

• Design and Evaluation of a Networked Game to Support Social Connection of Youth with Cerebral Palsy

  Hamilton A. Hernandez, Mallory Ketcheson, Adrian Schneider, Zi Ye, Darcy Fehlings, Lauren Switzer, Virginia Wright, Shelly K. Bursick, Chad Richards, T.C. Nicholas Graham (2014) — ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents Liberi, a networked video game custom-designed to foster social interaction among youth with cerebral palsy (CP). Youth with CP—particularly those classified at GMFCS level III who require mobility aids—experience social isolation…

  • cerebral palsy
  • game accessibility
  • social interaction
  • motor impairments
  • inclusive design
  • exergaming
  • participatory design
  • youth

• Experiencing EVA Park, a Multi-User Virtual World for People with Aphasia

  Julia Galliers, Stephanie Wilson, Jane Marshall, Richard Talbot, Niamh Devane, Tracey Booth, Celia Woolf, Helen Greenwood (2017) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study examines the user experience of EVA Park, a multi-user virtual world designed specifically for people with aphasia (PWA) to practice conversations. Aphasia, a communication disorder most commonly caused by stroke (occurring in 45% of strok…

  • aphasia
  • virtual worlds
  • stroke rehabilitation
  • speech-language therapy
  • social interaction
  • user experience

• The TalkingBox.: Revealing Strengths of Adults with Severe Cognitive Disabilities

  Filip Bircanin, Laurianne Sitbon, Bernd Ploderer, Andrew Azaabanye Bayor, Michael Esteban, Stewart Koplick, Margot Brereton (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents a case study of TalkingBox, a tangible communication device co-designed with Chris (pseudonym), a young adult with a severe cognitive disability, and his support network at a community day centre in Brisbane, Australia. Chris is m…

  • intellectual disability
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • tangible interaction
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • cognitive accessibility
  • empowerment
  • social interaction

• Accessing Passersby Proxemic Signals through a Head-Worn Camera: Opportunities and Limitations for the Blind

  Kyungjun Lee, Daisuke Sato, Saki Asakawa, Chieko Asakawa, Hernisa Kacorri (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper explores the potential and limitations of using head-worn cameras with computer vision to help blind people access proxemic signals — the spatial behaviour of nearby people that sighted individuals perceive visually, such as someone's pres…

  • blind and low vision
  • proxemics
  • wearable camera
  • smart glasses
  • pedestrian detection
  • computer vision
  • social interaction
  • social distancing
  • assistive technology

• Enabling meaningful use of AI-infused educational technologies for children with blindness: Learnings from the development and piloting of the PeopleLens curriculum

  Cecily Morrison, Edward Cutrell, Martin Grayson, Elisabeth RB Becker, Vasiliki Kladouchou, Linda Pring, Katherine Jones, Rita Faia Marques, Camilla Longden, Abigail Sellen (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper presents the development and pilot evaluation of a curriculum designed to support the meaningful use of PeopleLens, an AI-powered augmented reality system that helps children born blind develop social attention skills. PeopleLens uses a he…

  • blindness
  • children
  • AI accessibility
  • augmented reality
  • spatial audio
  • social interaction
  • educational technology
  • assistive technology
  • curriculum design
  • low-incidence disability

• Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing Users' Preferences for Hearing Speakers' Behavior during Technology-Mediated In-Person and Remote Conversations

  Matthew Seita, Sarah Andrew, Matt Huenerfauth (2021) — Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the first quantitative evidence of Deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) individuals' preferences for specific speech and non-verbal behaviors from hearing conversational partners during technology-mediated communication. The researchers…

  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • automatic speech recognition
  • videoconferencing
  • communication accessibility
  • speechreading
  • deaf accessibility
  • social interaction

• VRBubble: Enhancing Peripheral Awareness of Avatars for People with Visual Impairments in Social Virtual Reality

  Tiger F. Ji, Brianna Cochran, Yuhang Zhao (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2022)

  This paper introduces VRBubble, an audio-based interaction technique designed to make social virtual reality environments accessible to people with visual impairments (PVI). While social VR platforms like VRChat and Rec Room are growing rapidly as sp…

  • virtual reality accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • spatial audio
  • proxemics
  • social interaction
  • peripheral awareness
  • audio feedback
  • earcons
  • assistive technology
  • avatar awareness

• Understanding How Visually Impaired Players Socialize in Mobile Games

  Zihe Ran, Xiyu Li, Qing Xiao, Yanyun Wang, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Zhicong Lu (2025) — Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2025)

  This study examines how visually impaired players in China use mobile games as platforms for socialization, going beyond the typical focus on gameplay accessibility to investigate the social dimensions of gaming. The researchers conducted semi-struct…

  • game accessibility
  • blind and low vision
  • social interaction
  • mobile accessibility
  • Global South accessibility
  • social isolation
  • inclusive design
  • gaming