Literature Reviews

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

• ABCD SW: Autistic Behavior & Computer-based Didactic Software

  M. Claudia Buzzi, Marina Buzzi, Davide Gazzè, Caterina Senette, Maurizio Tesconi (2012) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demo paper from IIT-CNR in Pisa presents ABCD SW, an open-source web application designed to support Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) intervention with low-functioning autistic children. The software implements Discrete Trial Training (DTT) — a s…

  • autism
  • cognitive accessibility
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • educational technology
  • assistive technology
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • adaptive interfaces

• Mobile Sign Language Translation System for Deaf Community

  Mehrez Boulares, Mohamed Jemni (2012) — Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Tunis presents a mobile web service for translating written text into sign language using a 3D virtual signing agent on Android devices. The system addresses two interrelated accessibility challenges: deaf and hard o…

  • sign language
  • deaf accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • machine translation
  • signing avatar
  • assistive technology
  • web services
  • 3D animation

• Widget Design Authoring Toolkit

  Elaine Pearson, Franck-Olivier Perrin (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents WIDGaT (Widget Design and Authoring Toolkit), an open-source, code-free online tool that enables non-technical teaching and support staff to create personalised widgets for disabled students in higher education. The project, devel…

  • education accessibility
  • personalization
  • authoring tools
  • learning disabilities
  • assistive technology
  • open source
  • inclusive design
  • educational technology

• Predictive, Accessible Web Automation: A Longitudinal Study

  Yury Puzis, Yevgen Borodin, I.V. Ramakrishnan (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a six-week longitudinal pilot study of Automation Assistant, a predictive web automation system designed to improve non-visual web browsing for blind users. The core problem is that screen readers force users to navigate web pages…

  • screen readers
  • web automation
  • blindness
  • non-visual web access
  • adaptive interfaces
  • machine learning
  • usability
  • assistive technology

• Listen to Everything You Want to Read with Capti Narrator

  Yevgen Borodin, Yuri Puzis, Andrii Soviak, James Bouker, Bo Feng, Richard Sicoli, Andrii Melnyk, Valentyn Melnyk, Vikas Ashok, Glenn Dausch, I.V. Ramakrishnan (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Capti Narrator, a cross-platform text-to-speech application developed by Charmtech Labs that enables hands-free consumption of digital content. Unlike traditional screen readers that are tightly coupled to operating system interfa…

  • text-to-speech
  • print disability
  • screen reader
  • mobile accessibility
  • universal access
  • reading accessibility
  • assistive technology

• Can a Blind Person Understand Your World?

  Chieko Asakawa (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Chieko Asakawa of IBM Research presents a vision for the next frontier of accessibility for blind people: moving from digital information access to real-world understanding through cognitive computing. Asakawa charts the exponen…

  • blindness
  • cognitive assistance
  • image recognition
  • computer vision
  • machine learning
  • crowdsourcing
  • assistive technology
  • navigation
  • augmented reality

• APSIS4all: Personalisation as a Strategy to Ensure Accessibility and Enhance User Experience of Public Digital Terminals

  R. Ignacio Madrid, Christopher Bailey (2014) — Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the APSIS4all project, a European Commission-funded initiative that uses personalisation to make Public Digital Terminals (PDTs) — specifically ATMs and Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) — accessible to people with disabilities, olde…

  • kiosk accessibility
  • personalization
  • public digital terminals
  • ATM accessibility
  • user experience
  • assistive technology
  • NFC
  • sign language avatar
  • user profiles
  • adaptive interfaces

• WebAnywhere: A Screen Reader On-the-Go

  Jeffrey P. Bigham, Craig M. Prince, Richard E. Ladner (2008) — Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A 2008)

  This paper introduces WebAnywhere, a web-based, self-voicing screen reader that enables blind users to access the web from virtually any computer with an Internet connection and sound output, without installing any software. The system addresses a fu…

  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • assistive technology
  • web-based
  • text-to-speech
  • public access
  • low cost
  • user study

• Ajax Live Regions: Chat as a Case Example

  Peter Thiessen, Charles Chen (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents one of the earliest practical implementations of WAI-ARIA live regions, using an accessible Ajax chat application called Reef Chat as a proof of concept. The authors — Peter Thiessen from the University of Toronto's Adaptive Techn…

  • WAI-ARIA
  • ARIA live regions
  • AJAX
  • Web 2.0
  • screen readers
  • dynamic content
  • chat accessibility
  • assistive technology

• Accessibility of Emerging Rich Web Technologies: Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web

  Michael Cooper (2007) — Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Michael Cooper of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative examines the accessibility challenges and opportunities created by the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies in the mid-2000s. Cooper frames Web 2.0 as a paradigm shift characte…

  • WAI-ARIA
  • Web 2.0
  • Semantic Web
  • rich internet applications
  • web standards
  • assistive technology
  • accessibility API
  • dynamic content