Literature Reviews

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

• Accessible PDFs: Applying Artificial Intelligence for Automated Remediation of STEM PDFs

  Felix M. Schmitt-Koopmann, Elaine M. Huang, Alireza Darvishy (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2022)

  This Ph.D. research paper presents a plan to leverage artificial intelligence to automate the remediation of PDF documents from STEM fields, addressing one of the most significant barriers to information access for people with visual impairments. The…

  • PDF accessibility
  • document remediation
  • artificial intelligence
  • STEM accessibility
  • mathematical formulae
  • screen readers
  • document analysis
  • deep learning
  • assistive technology

• AAC with Automated Vocabulary from Photographs: Insights from School and Speech-Language Therapy Settings

  Mauricio Fontana de Vargas, Jiamin Dai, Karyn Moffatt (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents Click AAC, a prototype mobile application that automatically generates situation-specific communication boards from photographs using computer vision and natural language processing. Traditional symbol-based AAC devices organize v…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • AAC
  • autism
  • computer vision
  • just-in-time vocabulary
  • visual scene display
  • aided language stimulation
  • complex communication needs
  • artificial intelligence
  • symbol-based communication

• Toward Effective Communication of AI-Based Decisions in Assistive Tools: Conveying Confidence and Doubt to People with Visual Impairments at Accelerated Speech

  Taslima Akter, Manohar Swaminathan, Apu Kapadia (2024) — Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates how people with visual impairments (PVIs) perceive confidence and doubt in speakers' voices when audio is played at accelerated speeds — a critical question because AI-based assistive tools (scene descriptors, facial recogniti…

  • visual impairments
  • artificial intelligence
  • speech processing
  • screen readers
  • assistive technology
  • explainable AI
  • accelerated speech
  • trust

• Check Now, Can You See It?: Exploring Voice and Video-Capable Language Models for Identifying and Spatially Locating Items of Interest for Blind and Low-Vision Travelers

  Aziz N Zeidieh, JooYoung Seo (2025) — ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This experience report documents the lived experiences of two blind travelers — Aziz (28, blind in left eye, 20/2200 in right) and JooYoung (35, blind in right eye, limited vision in left) — as they adapted commercially available voice and video-capa…

  • artificial intelligence
  • navigation
  • blindness and visual impairment
  • multimodal AI
  • large language models
  • orientation and mobility
  • wearable technology
  • lived experience

• Designing Through Lived Experience: Reflections on Control, Embodiment, and Social Bias in Accessibility Research

  Atieh Taheri, Misha Sra, Patrick Carrington, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2025) — Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents an analytic autoethnography of three accessibility research projects led by the first author, Atieh Taheri, a disabled researcher with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) who has used a wheelchair her entire life. Each project emerged f…

  • disability studies
  • autoethnography
  • crip technoscience
  • participatory design
  • disability justice
  • embodied cognition
  • ableism
  • virtual reality
  • vibrotactile feedback
  • artificial intelligence
  • motor impairment

• Misfitting With AI: How Blind People Verify and Contest AI Errors

  Rahaf Alharbi, Pa Lor, Jaylin Herskovitz, Sarita Schoenebeck, Robin N. Brewer (2024) — ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an in-depth qualitative study with 26 blind participants examining how they encounter, verify, and contest errors produced by AI-enabled visual assistance technologies (AI VAT) such as Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, and ChatGPT. While bli…

  • blind users
  • artificial intelligence
  • visual assistance technology
  • explainable AI
  • AI errors
  • verification
  • responsible AI
  • disability studies
  • misfitting

• Context-Aware Image Descriptions for Web Accessibility

  Ananya Gubbi Mohanbabu, Amy Pavel (2024) — Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper addresses a fundamental limitation of current AI-generated image descriptions: they describe images in isolation without considering the surrounding webpage context. When blind and low-vision (BLV) users encounter images on the web, what t…

  • alt text
  • image descriptions
  • blind and low vision
  • artificial intelligence
  • large language models
  • web accessibility
  • screen readers

• The Future of Urban Accessibility: The Role of AI

  Jon E. Froehlich, Chu Li, Maryam Hosseini, Fabio Miranda, Andres Sevtsuk, Yochai Eisenberg (2024) — Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This workshop paper examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence in designing equitable and accessible cities, transportation systems, and navigation tools for people with disabilities. The authors — spanning HCI, urban planning, public heal…

  • urban accessibility
  • artificial intelligence
  • smart cities
  • autonomous vehicles
  • pedestrian infrastructure
  • wayfinding
  • built environment
  • computer vision