Literature Reviews

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

• Teacher Views of Math E-learning Tools for Students with Specific Learning Disabilities

  Zikai Alex Wen, Erica Silverstein, Yuhang Zhao, Anjelika Lynne Amog, Katherine Garnett, Shiri Azenkot (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper examines how teachers use math e-learning tools with students who have specific learning disabilities (SLDs) in grades 5-8, a population where approximately 5% of US public school students are identified as having an SLD. SLDs predominantl…

  • learning disabilities
  • education accessibility
  • educational technology
  • dyscalculia
  • dyslexia
  • assistive technology
  • cognitive accessibility
  • game accessibility
  • inclusive design

• CaseGuide: Making Cheap Smartphones Accessible to Individuals with Visual Impairments in Informal Settlements

  Roos van Greevenbroek (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This short paper presents CaseGuide, a low-cost concept for making cheap smartphones accessible to individuals with visual impairments living in informal settlements (IVIIS). The majority of visually impaired people live in low-income areas where les…

  • visual accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • global accessibility
  • Global South accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • digital divide
  • low vision
  • digital financial inclusion
  • inclusive design

• The Compliance Mindset: Exploring Accessibility Adoption in Client-Based Settings

  Emma L. Holliday (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This short paper investigates how web accessibility is adopted in client-based settings such as consultancies and freelance work, where practitioners must navigate the tension between their own accessibility knowledge and client priorities. The study…

  • web accessibility
  • organizational accessibility
  • compliance
  • WCAG
  • automated testing
  • usability testing
  • accessibility culture
  • design methodology

• Establishing a Serious Game on Relationship Boundaries for People with Developmental Disabilities

  Samantha Conde (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This short paper presents "Boundaries," a serious game designed to help adults with developmental disabilities explore and discuss personal relationship boundaries — a topic motivated by alarming statistics on sexual violence against this population.…

  • developmental disability
  • serious games
  • safeguarding
  • sexuality
  • cognitive accessibility
  • social cognition
  • game accessibility
  • education

• Student and Teacher Perspectives of Learning ASL in an Online Setting

  Garreth W. Tigwell, Roshan L Peiris, Stacey Watson, Gerald M. Garavuso, Heather Miller (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This experience report examines the challenges and opportunities of teaching and learning American Sign Language (ASL) online during the COVID-19 pandemic, from the perspectives of both students and a Deaf instructor at Rochester Institute of Technol…

  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • sign language
  • education accessibility
  • videoconferencing
  • remote learning
  • communication accessibility
  • COVID-19

• Access Differential and Inequitable Access: Inaccessibility for Doctoral Students in Computing

  Kristen Shinohara, Michael McQuaid, Nayeri Jacobo (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper investigates why the pipeline of students with disabilities pursuing doctoral degrees in computing remains so thin, despite increased support at the undergraduate level. In 2018, the NSF reported that only about 3% of math and computer sci…

  • education accessibility
  • disability rights
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • blindness and low vision
  • digital accessibility
  • screen readers
  • accessibility barriers
  • organizational accessibility

• Inclusive improvisation through sound and movement mapping: from DMI to ADMI

  Alon Ilsar, Gail Kenning (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents a case study of adapting the AirSticks, a gestural Digital Musical Instrument (DMI) designed for expert percussionists, into an Accessible Digital Musical Instrument (ADMI) for people with disabilities. The AirSticks use Razer Hyd…

  • music accessibility
  • accessible digital musical instruments
  • gesture interaction
  • inclusive design
  • dementia
  • creative accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • empowerment

• 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

• ThermalCane: Exploring Thermotactile Directional Cues on Cane-Grip for Non-Visual Navigation

  Arshad Nasser, Kai-Ning Keng, Kening Zhu (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents ThermalCane, a white-cane grip augmented with flexible Peltier thermoelectric modules that provide thermal directional cues for blind and visually impaired (BVI) navigation. While existing haptic navigation aids primarily use vibr…

  • visual accessibility
  • navigation
  • haptic technology
  • white cane
  • assistive technology
  • blindness and low vision
  • wayfinding
  • tactile accessibility
  • wearable technology

• Making Mobile Augmented Reality Applications Accessible

  Jaylin Herskovitz, Jason Wu, Samuel White, Amy Pavel, Gabriel Reyes, Anhong Guo, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper tackles a fundamental accessibility gap in augmented reality: AR applications are overwhelmingly visual, mixing virtual 3D objects with the real world in ways that existing screen readers and accessibility services cannot interpret. The re…

  • augmented reality
  • visual accessibility
  • blindness and low vision
  • mobile accessibility
  • screen readers
  • VoiceOver
  • inclusive design
  • emerging technology