Literature Reviews

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

• Accessible Web Automation Interface: A User Study

  Yury Puzis (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents the evaluation of two web automation user interfaces designed to help blind and low-vision screen reader users complete web browsing tasks more efficiently. The fundamental problem is that while the web has bec…

  • web accessibility
  • web automation
  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • low vision
  • JAWS
  • browsing efficiency
  • user study
  • assistive technology
  • implicit automation

• Toward Accessible Technology for Music Composers and Producers with Motor Disabilities

  Adam J. Sporka, Ben L. Carson, Paul Nauert, Sri H. Kurniawan (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This short paper reports on an initial user study with three motor-impaired musicians to identify challenges and research opportunities in making professional music software accessible. Modern music score-writing tools (Sibelius, Finale) and producti…

  • music accessibility
  • motor impairment
  • music composition
  • music production
  • assistive technology
  • adaptive instruments
  • user study

• Comparing Native Signers' Perception of American Sign Language Animations and Videos via Eye Tracking

  Hernisa Kacorri, Allen Harper, Matt Huenerfauth (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates whether eye tracking can serve as an alternative or complementary evaluation method for assessing the quality of synthesized American Sign Language (ASL) animations. Computer-generated ASL animations offer accessibility benefi…

  • sign language
  • American Sign Language
  • animation
  • eye tracking
  • deaf accessibility
  • facial expression
  • user study
  • sign language synthesis

• User Interaction with Word Prediction: The Effects of Prediction Quality

  Keith Trnka, John McCaw, Debra Yarrington, Kathleen F. McCoy, Christopher Pennington (2009) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This study investigates how the quality of word prediction systems affects both communication speed and user behavior in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The researchers conducted a controlled experiment with 33 adult participants wh…

  • AAC
  • word prediction
  • language models
  • communication rate
  • user study
  • assistive technology

• A Performance Comparison of On-Hand versus On-Phone Nonvisual Input by Blind and Sighted Users

  Uran Oh, Leah Findlater (2015) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This study investigates whether using one's own hand as an input surface offers performance advantages over touchscreen phones for blind users performing nonvisual interaction. On-body input is particularly attractive for blind users because it provi…

  • on-body interaction
  • mobile accessibility
  • blindness
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • gesture input
  • proprioception
  • tactile feedback
  • nonvisual interaction
  • alternative input
  • user study

• Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Users Evaluating Designs for Highlighting Key Words in Educational Lecture Videos

  Sushant Kafle, Becca Dingman, Matt Huenerfauth (2021) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This empirical study investigates design preferences for keyword highlighting in video captions among Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users. While style guides like the APA Publication Manual and Chicago Manual of Style provide recommendations for hig…

  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • captions
  • captioning
  • video accessibility
  • text highlighting
  • educational accessibility
  • user study

• Exploring the Strategies People with Parkinson's Disease Use to Self-track Symptoms and Medications

  Charlotte Tang, Imrul K. Shuva, Matthew Thelen, Linda Zhu, Nathaniel S. Miller (2024) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This qualitative study investigates how people with Parkinson's Disease (PwPD) track their symptoms, medications, and physical activities, with the goal of informing inclusive design of self-tracking technologies. The researchers conducted semi-struc…

  • Parkinson's disease
  • self-tracking
  • chronic illness
  • health technology
  • inclusive design
  • caregivers
  • wearable technology
  • motor impairment
  • user study

• Invisible, Unreadable, and Inaudible Cookie Notices: An Evaluation of Cookie Notices for Users with Visual Impairments

  Janice M. Clarke, Maryam Mehrnezhad, Ehsan Toreini (2024) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates the accessibility of cookie notices for users with visual impairments (VI), combining automated testing of 46 top UK websites with a user study of 100 participants who use assistive technology. The researchers employed multipl…

  • screen readers
  • visual impairments
  • privacy
  • web accessibility
  • cookie consent
  • user study
  • GDPR compliance
  • assistive technology

• Demographic and Experiential Factors Influencing Acceptance of Sign Language Animation by Deaf Users

  Hernisa Kacorri, Matt Huenerfauth, Sarah Ebling, Kasmira Patel, Mackenzie Willard (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper addresses a critical methodological gap in sign language animation research: the lack of standardized reporting on participant characteristics that may influence evaluation results. Sign language animation technology—which automatically sy…

  • deaf
  • sign language
  • animation
  • avatar
  • ASL
  • American Sign Language
  • user study
  • methodology

• WebAnywhere: A Screen Reader On-the-Go

  Jeffrey P. Bigham, Craig M. Prince, Richard E. Ladner (2008) — Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A 2008)

  This paper introduces WebAnywhere, a web-based, self-voicing screen reader that enables blind users to access the web from virtually any computer with an Internet connection and sound output, without installing any software. The system addresses a fu…

  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • assistive technology
  • web-based
  • text-to-speech
  • public access
  • low cost
  • user study