Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
749 results found tagged assistive technology.
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The Gest-Rest: A Pressure-Sensitive Chairable Input Pad for Power Wheelchair Armrests
This paper introduces the Gest-Rest, a pressure-sensitive input device designed to fit over a standard power wheelchair armrest, enabling users to perform touch and gesture interactions without needing to reach for or hold a separate device. The conc…
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Text Entry Using a Compact Keypad with OSDS
This demo paper presents OSDS (OnScreenDualScribe), a Windows software tool that enables people with neuromuscular diseases to replace a standard full-size keyboard with a compact 19-key numeric keypad called the DualPad. For people with conditions t…
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AccessBraille: Tablet-based Braille Entry
This paper presents AccessBraille, an iOS framework that provides a virtual Braille keyboard for iPad applications. The system is designed as a reusable framework that any iOS developer can integrate into their apps, rather than being a standalone ap…
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OS-Level Surface Haptics for Touch-Screen Accessibility
This demonstration paper introduces an operating system-level implementation of surface haptic feedback for Android tablets, built on the TPad Tablet platform developed at Northwestern University. The TPad combines a standard 7-inch Android tablet wi…
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Text Entry via Discrete and Analog Myoelectric Signals
This demo paper presents a prototype system for text entry using surface electromyography (sEMG) signals detected from muscles in the user's forearm. The system is intended for people with upper extremity disabilities who retain the ability to contro…
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Tactile Graphics with a Voice: Using QR Codes to Access Text in Tactile Graphics
This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes text labels in tactile graphics accessible by replacing Braille labels with QR codes that can be scanned and read aloud using a smartphone. The motivation is significant: wh…
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VisAural: A Wearable Sound-Localisation Device for People with Impaired Hearing
This paper presents VisAural, a wearable device that converts sound direction information into visual cues for people with hearing impairments. The system addresses a gap left by conventional hearing aids, which help with general sound detection but …
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Text Entry by Raising the Eyebrow with HaMCoS
This demo paper presents HaMCoS (HAnds-free Mouse COntrol System), a system that enables text entry for people with very severe physical disabilities using tiny contractions of the brow muscle. The system targets users in a "locked-in" state, where c…
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Reconstruction of Phonated Speech from Whispers Using Formant-Derived Plausible Pitch Modulation
This paper addresses a fundamental communication barrier for people who can only whisper due to voice impairments. While whispering is an occasional choice for most people, it is the primary—sometimes only—communication method for partial laryngectom…
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Keeping Up with Technology: Commentary on "Computers and People with Disabilities"
This reflective commentary by Alistair Edwards examines what has—and crucially, what has not—changed in accessible computing since Glinert and York's influential 1992 paper. Edwards frames his analysis through a fashion-versus-style metaphor: while t…