Literature Reviews

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

• Sounds and (Braille) Cells: Co-Designing Music Technology with Blind and Visually Impaired Musicians

  William Payne (2022) — Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper outlines a three-phase dissertation addressing the accessibility barriers that blind and visually impaired (BVI) musicians face when using music creation technologies. Music software has democratized composition, produc…

  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • music technology
  • braille music
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • assistive technology
  • screen readers

• How and Why We Run: Investigating the Experiences of Blind and Visually-Impaired Runners

  Sidas Saulynas, Mei-Lian Vader, Apoorva Bendigeri, Tristan King, Anirudh Nagraj, Ravi Kuber (2022) — Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This qualitative study investigates the running experiences of 13 legally blind individuals in the United States, exploring where and how they run, what assistance they use, the challenges they face, and how technology could better support them. Part…

  • blindness
  • visual impairment
  • physical activity
  • assistive technology
  • wearable technology
  • haptic feedback
  • guide runners
  • independent living
  • user research

• Improving the Accessibility of Screen-Shared Presentations by Enabling Concurrent Exploration

  Danyang Fan, Sasa Junuzovic, John Tang, Thomas Jaeger (2023) — Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper addresses a fundamental gap in remote meeting accessibility: when presenters screen-share slides during video calls, blind and low vision (BLV) screen reader users have no adequate way to independently explore slide content in real-time. W…

  • screen reader
  • blindness
  • presentations
  • screen sharing
  • spatial audio
  • cognitive load
  • videoconferencing
  • concurrent exploration
  • Microsoft Teams

• VisPhoto: Photography for People with Visual Impairments via Post-Production of Omnidirectional Camera Imaging

  Naoki Hirabayashi, Masakazu Iwamura, Zheng Cheng, Kazunori Minatani, Koichi Kise (2023) — Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper introduces VisPhoto, a novel photography system that fundamentally reimagines how people with visual impairments (PVI) take photographs. Rather than helping users aim a conventional camera at a target in real-time (the dominant approach in…

  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • photography
  • computer vision
  • object detection
  • omnidirectional camera
  • assistive technology
  • self-expression
  • creative accessibility

• TouchPilot: Designing a Guidance System that Assists Blind People in Learning Complex 3D Structures

  Xiyue Wang, Seita Kayukawa, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa (2023) — Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper introduces TouchPilot, a step-by-step guidance system designed to help blind people independently learn complex 3D structures through interactive 3D printed models (I3Ms). While existing I3Ms allow blind users to trigger audio labels by po…

  • 3D printed models
  • tactile learning
  • blindness
  • computer vision
  • guidance systems
  • interactive models
  • science education
  • museum accessibility
  • hand tracking

• Designing While Blind: Nonvisual Tools and Inclusive Workflows for Tactile Graphic Creation

  Lauren Race, Chancey Fleet, Danielle Montour, Lindsay Yazzolino, Marco Salsiccia, Claire Ferrari, Sheri Wells-Jensen, Amy Hurst (2023) — Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This experience report examines the challenges and opportunities of Blind-led tactile graphic design, documenting a project where a team of four Blind designers, one sighted designer, and one sighted researcher collaborated to create tactile graphics…

  • tactile graphics
  • blindness
  • co-design
  • inclusive design
  • nonvisual design
  • assistive technology
  • design tools

• An Investigation of the Experiences of Orientation and Mobility Trainers in India

  Rohit Asave, Ravi Kuber, Foad Hamidi (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This qualitative study examines the experiences of twelve orientation and mobility (O&M) trainers working across urban and rural settings in India, a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) where infrastructure, resources, and cultural attitudes toward…

  • orientation and mobility
  • visual impairment
  • Global South accessibility
  • training
  • blindness
  • disability stigma
  • assistive technology
  • low and middle income countries

• Touchpad Mapper: Exploring Non-Visual Touchpad Interactions for Screen-Reader Users

  Ather Sharif, Venkatesh Potluri, Jazz R. X. Ang, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Jennifer Mankoff (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This technical note introduces Touchpad Mapper, a system that repurposes the laptop touchpad — a widely available but underutilized input device for screen-reader users — as a spatial interface for exploring 2D digital content non-visually. The autho…

  • screen readers
  • blindness
  • touchpad
  • interaction design
  • input devices
  • image exploration
  • video accessibility
  • non-visual interaction

• Direct or Immersive? Comparing Smartphone-based Museum Guide Systems for Blind Visitors

  Xiyue Wang, Seita Kayukawa, Hironobu Takagi, Giorgia Masoero, Chieko Asakawa (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the first direct comparison of two smartphone-based museum guide paradigms for blind visitors: a "direct" system using turn-by-turn navigation with VoiceOver-controlled audio descriptions, and an "immersive" system using spatializ…

  • museum accessibility
  • blindness
  • indoor navigation
  • spatialized audio
  • screen readers
  • tactile exhibits
  • audio description
  • assistive technology

• Enhancing Walk-Light Detector Usage for the Visually Impaired: A Comparison of VR Exploration and Verbal Instructions

  Jonggi Hong, James Coughlan (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A '24)

  This paper from Stevens Institute of Technology and Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute compares two methods for teaching people with visual impairments (PVI) to use a walk-light detector smartphone app at traffic intersections: virtual reality (…

  • blindness
  • virtual reality
  • navigation
  • camera aiming
  • pedestrian safety
  • assistive technology training
  • orientation and mobility