Literature Reviews

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

• AudioFunctions.web: Multimodal Exploration of Mathematical Function Graphs

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, João Guerreiro, Sergio Mascetti, Anna Capietto (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This full research paper presents AudioFunctions.web, a web application that enables blind and visually impaired people to explore mathematical function graphs through a combination of sonification, earcons, and speech synthesis. The system is the pl…

  • sonification
  • mathematics accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • STEM accessibility
  • multimodal interaction
  • data visualization
  • assistive technology
  • web accessibility
  • user study
  • touchscreen
  • keyboard accessibility

• Comparative Analysis of Web Accessibility Standards and Regulations

  Shantanu D. Ladkat (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes a comparative analysis of web accessibility standards and regulations across different regions and organizations. The author identifies a practical problem facing the accessibility industry: there is no systema…

  • accessibility standards
  • WCAG
  • Section 508
  • accessibility compliance
  • accessibility policy
  • project management
  • accessibility remediation

• An Easy to Use Data Logger for Local User Studies

  Vagner Figueredo de Santana, Felipe Eduardo Ferreira Silva (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper introduces User Test Logger, an open-source Firefox browser add-on designed to capture detailed user interaction data during local usability and accessibility studies. The authors identify a gap in available tooling: existing…

  • usability testing
  • accessibility evaluation
  • interaction logging
  • data collection
  • open source tools
  • user studies
  • web accessibility

• Evaluation of a Prototype Interactive Working Memory Application for Children with Learning Disabilities

  Elaine Pearson, Adel Shaban (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper presents an expert evaluation of a prototype working memory training application designed specifically for children aged 7-9 with learning disabilities. The application was built using a novel design framework that integrates three d…

  • learning disability
  • cognitive accessibility
  • working memory
  • gamification
  • cognitive load
  • children
  • heuristic evaluation
  • user-centered design
  • educational technology

• SafeExit4All: An Inclusive Indoor Emergency Evacuation System for People With Disabilities

  Seyed Ali Cheraghi, Anup Sharma, Vinod Namboodiri, Güler Arsal (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents SafeExit4All, a smartphone-based emergency evacuation system designed to help people with disabilities independently find safe exits from indoor spaces during emergencies such as fires, tornadoes, and active shooter situations. Th…

  • indoor navigation
  • emergency evacuation
  • wayfinding
  • visual impairment
  • mobility impairment
  • cognitive impairment
  • BLE beacons
  • personalized routing
  • inclusive design
  • assistive technology

• Multimodal Exploration of Mathematical Function Graphs with AudioFunctions.web

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Niccolò Cantù, Cristian Bernareggi, João Guerreiro, Sergio Mascetti, Anna Capietto (2019) — Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents AudioFunctions.web, a web-based system designed to make mathematical function graphs accessible to people who are blind or have visual impairments. Function graphs are a fundamental tool in mathematics education and …

  • sonification
  • mathematics accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • STEM accessibility
  • multimodal interaction
  • data visualization
  • assistive technology
  • web accessibility

• A Portable Hong Kong Sign Language Translation Platform with Deep Learning and Jetson Nano

  Zhenxing Zhou, Yisiang Neo, King-Shan Lui, Vincent W.L. Tam, Edmund Y. Lam, Ngai Wong (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents a portable platform for translating Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) into spoken language using deep learning and edge computing hardware. The system addresses a significant communication gap: Hong Kong has over 155,00…

  • sign language recognition
  • deep learning
  • edge computing
  • mobile accessibility
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • assistive technology
  • Hong Kong Sign Language

• Navigating Graduate School with a Disability

  Dhruv Jain, Venkatesh Potluri, Ather Sharif (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This paper presents a three-person autoethnography by computer science Ph.D. students at the University of Washington, each with a different disability: Dhruv Jain (hard of hearing, congenital bilateral sensorineural hearing loss), Venkatesh Potluri …

  • education accessibility
  • disability identity
  • autoethnography
  • accommodation
  • STEM accessibility
  • higher education
  • disability disclosure
  • lived experience

• SoundWatch: Exploring Smartwatch-based Deep Learning Approaches to Support Sound Awareness for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users

  Dhruv Jain, Hung Ngo, Pratyush Patel, Steven Goodman, Leah Findlater, Jon Froehlich (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This paper presents SoundWatch, a smartwatch-based sound awareness system that uses deep learning to classify environmental sounds in real time and provide visual and haptic notifications to deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) users. The research addresse…

  • deaf accessibility
  • hard of hearing
  • sound awareness
  • deep learning
  • wearable technology
  • smartwatch
  • machine learning
  • sound classification

• Designing and Evaluating Head-based Pointing on Smartphones for People with Motor Impairments

  Muratcan Cicek, Ankit Dave, Wenxin Feng, Michael Xuelin Huang, Julia Katherine Haines, Jeffry Nichols (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This paper presents a calibration-free head-based pointing (HBP) system for Android smartphones that uses the standard front-facing camera to enable people with motor impairments to control an on-screen cursor through head movements. The system was d…

  • motor accessibility
  • head tracking
  • alternative input
  • mobile accessibility
  • Fitts law
  • computer vision
  • assistive technology