Literature Reviews

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

• A context aware handheld wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairments

  Yao-Jen Chang, Shih-Kai Tsai, Tsen-Yung Wang (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a context-aware wayfinding system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments navigate indoor environments independently, with a focus on workplace and community travel. The system consists of three components: a handh…

  • cognitive disability
  • wayfinding
  • QR code
  • ubiquitous computing
  • navigation
  • supported employment
  • context awareness
  • independent living
  • distributed cognition

• Customizing Directions in an Automated Wayfinding System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

  Alan L. Liu, Harlan Hile, Gaetano Borriello, Pat A. Brown, Mark Harniss, Henry Kautz, Kurt Johnson (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of a mobile wayfinding system that provides customized navigation directions to individuals with cognitive impairments such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. The cent…

  • cognitive impairment
  • wayfinding
  • navigation
  • mobile technology
  • Markov decision process
  • personalization
  • adaptive systems
  • independent living

• Haptic Handheld Wayfinder with Pseudo-Attraction Force for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Tomohiro Amemiya, Hisashi Sugiyama (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a compact handheld haptic device that guides visually impaired pedestrians by generating a directional force sensation — a feeling of being pulled or pushed toward the correct direction. The device exploits a perceptual phenomenon…

  • haptic technology
  • wayfinding
  • visual impairment
  • navigation
  • kinesthetic perception
  • assistive technology
  • pedestrian navigation
  • orientation and mobility

• MGuider: Mobile Guiding and Tracking System in Public Transit System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Wei-Hsun Chen (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents MGuider, a mobile guiding and tracking system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments navigate public transit systems independently. Developed in collaboration with NGOs running supported employment programs in Tai…

  • cognitive accessibility
  • wayfinding
  • mobile technology
  • public transit
  • assistive technology
  • supported employment
  • location-based services

• LocalEyes: Accessible GPS and Points of Interest

  Jason Behmer, Stillman Knox (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This student research paper presents LocalEyes, an open-source Android application that provides accessible GPS and points-of-interest information for blind and low-vision users. The authors identify that existing accessible GPS devices like the Trek…

  • visual impairment
  • GPS navigation
  • mobile accessibility
  • points of interest
  • wayfinding
  • low vision
  • assistive technology

• Accessible Indoor Navigation

  Kyle Montague (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents early-stage research on designing an accessible indoor navigation application for disabled users. Montague identifies a key gap: while outdoor navigation benefits from GPS, indoor wayfinding remains a significa…

  • indoor navigation
  • wayfinding
  • adaptive interface
  • mobile accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • user-centered design

• Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Help (NOAH) for Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment: A Pilot Study

  Pooja Viswanathan, James J. Little, Alan K. Mackworth, Alex Mihailidis (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This paper describes NOAH (Navigation and Obstacle Avoidance Help), an intelligent powered wheelchair system designed to provide adaptive navigation assistance to older adults with cognitive impairment in long-term care settings. An estimated 60-80% …

  • intelligent wheelchair
  • dementia
  • cognitive impairment
  • collision avoidance
  • wayfinding
  • computer vision
  • older adults
  • assistive technology
  • machine learning
  • long-term care

• 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

• Supporting Spatial Awareness and Independent Wayfinding for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Rayoung Yang, Sangmi Park, Sonali R. Mishra, Zhenan Hong, Clint Newsom, Hyeon Joo, Erik Hofer, Mark W. Newman (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents Talking Points 3 (TP3), a location- and orientation-aware smartphone system designed to increase the "legibility" of indoor environments for pedestrians with visual impairments, fostering spatial awareness rather than simply provi…

  • blindness and low vision
  • wayfinding
  • indoor navigation
  • spatial cognition
  • mobile accessibility
  • independent living
  • navigation
  • situation awareness

• Situation-based Indoor Wayfinding System for the Visually Impaired

  Eunjeong Ko, Jin Sun Ju, Eun Yi Kim (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents an indoor wayfinding system for visually impaired people that uses situation-aware color codes affixed to building walls to guide users to destinations in unfamiliar environments. The key innovation is a situation-based approach: …

  • blindness and low vision
  • indoor navigation
  • wayfinding
  • computer vision
  • assistive technology
  • mobile accessibility
  • navigation