Literature Reviews

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

• Leveraging Proprioception to Make Mobile Phones More Accessible to Users with Visual Impairments

  Frank Chun Yat Li, David Dearman, Khai N. Truong (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper extends Virtual Shelves — an interaction technique that leverages proprioception (the sense of body position and movement) to provide eyes-free access to mobile phone shortcuts — for users with visual impairments. The core concept is elega…

  • visual impairment
  • proprioception
  • mobile accessibility
  • interaction techniques
  • eyes-free interaction
  • screen reader

• Improving Public Transit Accessibility for Blind Riders: A Train Station Navigation Assistant

  Markus Guentert (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This short paper presents a prototype iPhone application designed to help blind people navigate inside train stations — an environment where GPS is unavailable and orientation is particularly challenging. The author's motivation comes from interviews…

  • blindness
  • indoor navigation
  • public transit
  • iPhone
  • wayfinding
  • cognitive map
  • accessibility
  • commodity hardware
  • screen reader

• Tapulator: A Non-Visual Calculator Using Natural Prefix-Free Codes

  Vaspol Ruamviboonsuk, Shiri Azenkot, Richard E. Ladner (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper presents the Tapulator, a non-visual calculator for smartphones that replaces traditional on-screen buttons with a simple gesture-based numeric entry system using multi-finger taps and swipes. The core innovation is a natural…

  • blindness
  • low vision
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • screen reader
  • gesture input
  • mobile accessibility
  • non-visual interface
  • VoiceOver

• Capture: A Desktop Display-Centric Text Recorder

  Oren Laadan, Andrew Shu, Jason Nieh (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents Capture, a display-centric text recording system that continuously tracks all onscreen text and metadata across both foreground and background windows with low overhead and without requiring modifications to applications, window s…

  • screen reader
  • accessibility API
  • accessibility tree
  • text recording
  • desktop accessibility
  • GNOME
  • Linux
  • AT-SPI
  • caching architecture
  • assistive technology

• PassChords: Secure Multi-Touch Authentication for Blind People

  Shiri Azenkot, Kyle Rector, Richard Ladner, Jacob Wobbrock (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents PassChords, a non-visual multi-touch authentication method for blind mobile device users that is resistant to both aural and visual eavesdropping. The research begins with interviews of 13 blind smartphone users (average age 51, r…

  • accessible authentication
  • blind users
  • mobile security
  • touch screen
  • VoiceOver
  • eavesdropping
  • privacy
  • screen reader
  • iPhone
  • multi-touch

• Bypassing Lists: Accelerating Screen-Reader Fact-Finding with Guided Tours

  Tao Yang, Prathik Gadde, Robert Morse, Davide Bolchini (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates whether guided tours — a navigation pattern that linearly links content pages with next/previous controls — can help screen-reader users perform fact-finding tasks more efficiently than traditional index-based navigation, part…

  • screen reader
  • web navigation
  • blindness
  • visual impairment
  • information scent
  • guided tour
  • web accessibility
  • fact-finding
  • usability

• PlatMult: A Multisensory Platform with Web Accessibility Features for Low Vision Users

  Marcio Oyamada, Jorge Bidarra, Clodis Boscarioli (2013) — Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper presents PlatMult, an integrated hardware and software platform that combines three sensory modalities — visual, auditory, and tactile — to improve web accessibility for low vision users. The authors note that screen magnifiers, the…

  • low vision
  • screen magnifier
  • screen reader
  • haptic feedback
  • multisensory
  • assistive technology
  • web accessibility
  • open source

• VizLens: A Robust and Interactive Screen Reader for Interfaces in the Real World

  Anhong Guo, Xiang "Anthony" Chen, Haoran Qi, Samuel White, Suman Ghosh, Chieko Asakawa, Jeffrey P. Bigham (2016) — Proceedings of the 29th Annual Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2016)

  This paper introduces VizLens, a system that functions as a screen reader for physical interfaces in the real world, enabling blind people to independently use inaccessible appliances like microwaves, thermostats, kiosks, and checkout terminals. VizL…

  • visual accessibility
  • computer vision
  • crowdsourcing
  • blind users
  • physical interfaces
  • screen reader
  • assistive technology

• WordMelodies: Supporting the Acquisition of Literacy Skills by Children with Visual Impairment through a Mobile App

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, Barbara Leporini, Sergio Mascetti (2023) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  WordMelodies is a freely available mobile application designed to teach literacy skills to primary school children, with particular attention to accessibility for children with visual impairments or blindness (VIB). The app was developed through an i…

  • visual impairment
  • literacy education
  • mobile apps
  • children
  • screen reader
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • inclusive education
  • edutainment

• ChartMaster: A Tool for Interacting with Stock Market Charts using a Screen Reader

  Hong Zou, Jutta Treviranus (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents ChartMaster, a tool enabling screen reader users to query interactive stock market charts, developed through an inclusive co-design process with visually impaired participants. The authors frame the problem in economic terms: 1.3 …

  • blindness
  • screen reader
  • data visualization
  • financial literacy
  • inclusive design
  • co-design
  • charts and graphs
  • multimodal interface