Literature Reviews

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

• KeyGlasses: Semi-transparent Keys on Soft Keyboard

  Mathieu Raynal (2014) — Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents KeyGlass, a text entry system designed to reduce pointer travel distance on soft (on-screen) keyboards by dynamically adding predicted character keys near the most recently typed character. Standard soft keyboards use QWERTY or AZ…

  • text entry
  • soft keyboard
  • character prediction
  • motor accessibility
  • input methods
  • assistive technology

• Exploring Visual and Motor Accessibility in Navigating a Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Mark Laff, Vicki Hanson, Anna Cavender (2009) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper explores accessibility requirements for 3D virtual worlds, using PowerUp—an educational multiplayer game teaching middle schoolers about renewable energy—as a testbed. Virtual worlds present unique accessibility challenges: they rely on vi…

  • virtual reality
  • game accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • cerebral palsy
  • motor accessibility
  • 3D environments
  • navigation

• Predictive Link Following Plug-In For Web Browsers

  Lyle Pierson Stachecki, John Magee (2017) — Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents the first public release of a target-aware pointing assistance plug-in for web browsers that uses Predictive Link Following to help people with motor impairments select links on web pages. Web browsing is challenging…

  • motor accessibility
  • web accessibility
  • mouse replacement interface
  • eye tracking
  • assistive technology
  • pointing assistance
  • browser extension
  • input methods

• GenURC: Generation Platform for Personal and Context-Driven User Interfaces

  Gottfried Zimmermann, J. Bern Jordan, Parikshit Thakur, Yuvarajsinh Gohil (2013) — Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents GenURC, a component within the Universal Remote Console (URC) framework that automatically generates user interfaces adapted to individual users' preferences, device characteristics, and situational context. The URC framework (sta…

  • adaptive user interfaces
  • personalization
  • universal design
  • smart home accessibility
  • user preferences
  • GPII
  • context-aware computing
  • motor accessibility
  • low vision

• Physical Usability and the Mobile Web

  Shari Trewin (2006) — Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper systematically compares the physical usability challenges faced by desktop web users with motor impairments and mobile web users, identifying where their needs overlap and diverge. Trewin first catalogs the interaction landscape for users …

  • motor accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • physical disability
  • device independence
  • input methods
  • keyboard accessibility
  • target size
  • text entry

• How Cloud Computing Can Support On-Demand Assistive Services

  Davide Mulfari, Antonio Celesti, Antonio Puliafito, Massimo Villari (2013) — Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Messina investigates how cloud computing and virtualisation can provide on-demand assistive technology services for people with disabilities who need to use shared or public computers. The core problem is that when a…

  • cloud computing
  • assistive technology
  • virtual desktop
  • screen reader
  • screen magnifier
  • motor accessibility
  • HTML5
  • remote desktop

• A Simple Solution: Solution Migration from Disabled to Small Device Context

  Yeliz Yesilada, Tianyi Chen, Simon Harper (2010) — Proceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper demonstrates how accessibility solutions developed for motor-impaired desktop users can be migrated to benefit small-device (mobile) users who experience similar input difficulties. The authors had previously replicated a study originally …

  • motor accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • input methods
  • situational impairment
  • error correction
  • universal design
  • assistive technology

• User Individuality Management in Websites Based on WAI-ARIA Annotations and Ontologies

  Xabier Valencia, Myriam Arrue, J. Eduardo Pérez, Julio Abascal (2013) — Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents a comprehensive system for automatically adapting websites to individual users' accessibility needs using WAI-ARIA-based annotations and an ontology that models users, adaptation techniques, and their relationships. Unlike previou…

  • WAI-ARIA
  • personalization
  • web accessibility
  • adaptive interfaces
  • ontology
  • content adaptation
  • user modeling
  • cognitive accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • motor accessibility

• JustSpeak: enabling universal voice control on Android

  Yu Zhong, T. V. Raman, Casey Burkhardt, Fadi Biadsy, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces JustSpeak, a universal voice control system for Android that works across all applications without requiring any developer intervention. Unlike Google Now or Siri, which only support pre-defined commands for specific apps, JustS…

  • voice interface
  • mobile accessibility
  • blindness
  • motor accessibility
  • Android
  • speech recognition
  • screen readers
  • assistive technology

• Exploratory study of web navigation strategies for users with physical disabilities

  J. Eduardo Pérez, Myriam Arrue, Xabier Valencia, Lourdes Moreno (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This exploratory study examined the web navigation strategies of 11 users with upper-body physical impairments, revealing substantial heterogeneity in how people with similar disability types interact with websites. Participants used a wide range of …

  • motor accessibility
  • physical disability
  • assistive technology
  • web navigation
  • input devices
  • adaptive interfaces
  • user research