Literature Reviews

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

• Online Focus Groups Used as an Accessible Participatory Research Method

  Ted L. Wattenberg (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper proposes the use of online focus groups as a method for meaningfully including people with disabilities in participatory research, addressing persistent barriers to their involvement in technology studies. The author situates this work wit…

  • participatory research
  • accessibility
  • research methods
  • screen readers
  • disability inclusion
  • focus groups
  • assistive technology
  • usability

• A System for Creating Personalized Synthetic Voices

  Debra Yarrington, Chris Pennington, John Gray, H. Timothy Bunnell (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents the ModelTalker Voice Creation System, a tool that enables individuals to create personalized synthetic voices with unrestricted vocabulary for use in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The system addresses …

  • speech synthesis
  • voice banking
  • AAC
  • amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
  • text-to-speech
  • personalized voice
  • assistive technology
  • concatenative synthesis

• A Parametric Approach to Sign Language Synthesis

  Amanda Irving, Richard Foulds (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper describes a parametric approach to synthesizing American Sign Language (ASL) using a commercially available human avatar (UGS Jack) driven by kinematic parameters. The system addresses the fundamental challenge that signed and spoken langu…

  • sign language
  • sign language synthesis
  • signing avatar
  • American Sign Language
  • animation
  • deaf accessibility
  • fingerspelling
  • motion capture

• Automating Tactile Graphics Translation

  Richard E. Ladner, Melody Y. Ivory, Rajesh Rao, Sheryl Burgstahler, Dan Comden, Sangyun Hahn, Matthew Renzelmann, Satria Krisnandi, Mahalakshmi Ramasamy, Beverly Slabosky, Andrew Martin, Amelia Lacenski, Stuart Olsen, Dmitri Groce (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper addresses the critical shortage of tactile graphics available to blind students in mathematics, science, and engineering (MSE) courses. Postsecondary science textbooks may have images on half their pages — sometimes up to 500 images per bo…

  • tactile graphics
  • braille
  • STEM accessibility
  • image processing
  • machine learning
  • visual impairment
  • assistive technology
  • automation
  • accessible publishing

• iSonic: Interactive Sonification for Non-visual Data Exploration

  Haixia Zhao, Catherine Plaisant, Ben Shneiderman (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents iSonic, an interactive sonification tool developed at the University of Maryland Human-Computer Interaction Lab that enables vision-impaired users to explore geo-referenced statistical data such as population distribution, crime r…

  • sonification
  • data visualization
  • visual impairment
  • auditory display
  • non-visual interaction
  • data exploration
  • spatial audio
  • universal usability
  • keyboard accessibility

• Effect of Age and Parkinson's Disease on Cursor Positioning Using a Mouse

  Simeon Keates, Shari Trewin (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents a detailed empirical study examining how age and Parkinson's disease affect the ability to perform point-and-click tasks with a computer mouse. The researchers recruited 24 participants across four groups: young adults (ages 20-30…

  • motor accessibility
  • aging
  • Parkinson's disease
  • cursor control
  • mouse interaction
  • pointing devices
  • motor impairment
  • input methods
  • usability testing

• visiBabble Demo

  Harriet Fell, Joel MacAuslan, Jun Gong, Josh Ostrow (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents a demonstration of visiBabble, a computer-based system designed to encourage and reinforce pre-speech vocalizations in infants at risk of being nonspeaking due to neurological or oral/motor impairments. The system consists of a no…

  • early intervention
  • pre-speech vocalizations
  • speech technology
  • visual feedback
  • assistive technology
  • child development
  • AAC
  • acoustic analysis

• The Migratory Cursor: Accurate Speech-Based Cursor Movement by Moving Multiple Ghost Cursors Using Non-Verbal Vocalizations

  Yoshiyuki Mihara, Etsuya Shibayama, Shin Takahashi (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents the migratory cursor, a novel voice-controlled cursor movement interface that combines two complementary techniques to achieve both speed and accuracy. The fundamental challenge with speech-based cursor control is that existing ap…

  • cursor control
  • voice interface
  • speech technology
  • motor accessibility
  • alternative input
  • assistive technology
  • non-verbal interaction

• Toward Goldilocks' Pointing Device: Determining a "Just Right" Gain Setting for Users with Physical Impairments

  Heidi Horstmann Koester, Edmund LoPresti, Richard C. Simpson (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper describes the design and evaluation of the Input Device Agent (IDA), a software-based agent that automatically recommends a pointing device gain (control-display sensitivity) setting for individual users with physical impairments. Gain det…

  • motor accessibility
  • pointing devices
  • adaptive systems
  • physical disability
  • cursor control
  • assistive technology
  • personalization

• Graphical Arithmetic for Learners with Dyscalculia

  Lena Pareto (2005) — Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper proposes a graphical model for arithmetic designed to complement symbolic mathematical notation and support conceptual understanding for learners with dyscalculia. The model represents numbers using adjacent groups of colored squares on a …

  • dyscalculia
  • mathematical accessibility
  • learning disabilities
  • educational technology
  • cognitive accessibility
  • inclusive education