Literature Reviews

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

• Usability and Accessibility Issues in the Localization of Assistive Technology

  Ira Jhangiani (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This doctoral consortium paper from Virginia Polytechnic Institute examines the usability and accessibility challenges that arise when assistive technology software designed in one country is localized for users with disabilities in another. The rese…

  • assistive technology
  • localization
  • internationalization
  • usability
  • low vision
  • partial sight
  • design guidelines
  • universal design
  • cultural accessibility

• A Flexible VXML Interpreter for Non-Visual Web Access

  Yevgen Borodin (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This doctoral consortium paper from Stony Brook University presents VXMLSurf, an open-source VoiceXML interpreter being developed as part of the HearSay project for non-visual web browsing. VoiceXML is the W3C standard for specifying interactive voic…

  • VoiceXML
  • non-visual browsing
  • voice browser
  • blind users
  • screen readers
  • speech recognition
  • web accessibility
  • open source

• A Prototype of Google Interfaces Modified for Simplifying Interaction for Blind Users

  Patrizia Andronico, Marina Buzzi, Carlos Castillo, Barbara Leporini (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This demo paper from Italy's National Research Council and Università di Roma presents a prototype that restructures Google's search and results pages to be more usable for blind screen reader users. Previous research had shown that blind users took …

  • search engine accessibility
  • blind users
  • screen readers
  • JAWS
  • usability
  • Google
  • XSLT
  • heading structure
  • keyboard navigation

• VoxBoox: A System for Automatic Generation of Interactive Talking Books

  Aanchal Jain, Gopal Gupta (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This poster paper from the University of Texas at Dallas presents VoxBoox, a system that automatically converts HTML-coded digital books into interactive talking books accessible via telephone. The system works by translating HTML pages into VoiceXML…

  • talking books
  • VoiceXML
  • aural navigation
  • visual impairment
  • blind users
  • HTML transformation
  • text-to-speech
  • accessible publishing

• Task Analysis for Sonification Applications Usability Evaluation

  Ag Asri Ag Ibrahim (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This poster paper from University Malaysia Sabah and the University of York proposes a task analysis framework for evaluating the usability of sonification applications — software that transforms data into sound representations. The author argues tha…

  • sonification
  • task analysis
  • usability inspection
  • auditory display
  • accessibility evaluation
  • non-visual interface

• Developing Steady Clicks: A Method of Cursor Assistance for People with Motor Impairments

  Shari Trewin, Simeon Keates, Karyn Moffatt (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from IBM Research and the University of British Columbia presents Steady Clicks, a cursor assistance feature designed to reduce clicking errors for mouse users with motor impairments. The system addresses three specific error types identif…

  • motor impairment
  • cursor assistance
  • mouse input
  • clicking errors
  • target acquisition
  • pointer control
  • Parkinson's disease
  • cerebral palsy
  • assistive technology

• Indoor Wayfinding: Developing a Functional Interface for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Alan L. Liu, Harlan Hile, Henry Kautz, Gaetano Borriello, Pat A. Brown, Mark Harniss, Kurt Johnson (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from the University of Washington describes the design and user evaluation of an indoor wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairments, including traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, and ce…

  • cognitive impairment
  • wayfinding
  • indoor navigation
  • wizard of oz
  • multimodal interface
  • adaptive interface
  • traumatic brain injury
  • Down syndrome
  • cerebral palsy
  • assistive technology

• Interactive Tracking of Movable Objects for the Blind on the Basis of Environment Models and Perception-Oriented Object Recognition Methods

  Andreas Hub, Tim Hartter, Thomas Ertl (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from the University of Stuttgart presents advances to an indoor navigation and object identification system for blind and deafblind users. The system combines a stereo camera and 3D inertial sensor mounted on a bicycle helmet with detailed…

  • indoor navigation
  • object recognition
  • blind users
  • computer vision
  • assistive technology
  • self-localization
  • 3D modeling
  • face detection
  • orientation and mobility

• Determining the Impact of Computer Frustration on the Mood of Blind Users Browsing the Web

  Jonathan Lazar, Jinjuan Feng, Aaron Allen (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from Towson University's Universal Usability Laboratory examines how computer frustration affects the mood of 100 blind web users — the first study to investigate the emotional impact of frustrating computing experiences specifically for u…

  • screen readers
  • visual impairment
  • user frustration
  • web accessibility
  • affective computing
  • usability
  • blind users
  • emotional impact

• A Three-Countries Case Study of Older People's Browsing

  Prush Sa-nga-ngam, Sri Kurniawan (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This short paper from the University of Manchester presents survey data on web browsing activities from 63 respondents aged 55 and over across three countries: 10 from Thailand, 40 from the UK, and 13 from the USA. The questionnaire, distributed duri…

  • older adults
  • web browsing
  • age-friendly design
  • cross-cultural
  • digital divide
  • browser accessibility
  • usability