Literature Reviews

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

• Web Accessibility for Low Bandwidth Input

  Jennifer Mankoff, Anind Dey, Udit Batra, Melody Moore (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper addresses web accessibility for users with severe motor and speech impairments who can only produce one to four input signals when interacting with a computer — termed "low bandwidth" users. These include people with locked-in syndrome usi…

  • motor impairment
  • web accessibility
  • switch access
  • low bandwidth input
  • scanning
  • web proxy
  • browser modification
  • locked-in syndrome

• Sketching Images Eyes-Free: A Grid-Based Dynamic Drawing Tool for the Blind

  Hesham M. Kamel, James A. Landay (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper presents IC2D (Integrated Communication 2 Draw), a keyboard-operated drawing tool that enables blind users to create and explore graphical images using a grid-based auditory interface. The system divides the screen into a 3x3 grid mapped t…

  • blindness
  • drawing
  • graphics
  • auditory interface
  • grid-based interface
  • nonvisual interaction
  • creativity
  • user study

• Auditory and Tactile Interfaces for Representing the Visual Effects on the Web

  Chieko Asakawa, Hironobu Takagi, Shuichi Ino, Tohru Ifukube (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from IBM Japan and Hokkaido University explores how blind users can perceive the visual structure and emphasis effects of web pages through auditory and tactile interfaces. The researchers identified a critical gap: modern web pages increa…

  • sonification
  • tactile interface
  • blindness
  • web accessibility
  • nonvisual interaction
  • visual effects
  • screen reader
  • multimodal interaction

• HaWCoS: The "Hands-free" Wheelchair Control System

  Torsten Felzer, Bernd Freisleben (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper introduces HaWCoS (Hands-free Wheelchair Control System), a system that enables people with severe physical disabilities to control an electrically powered wheelchair using muscle contractions from any single muscle group in their body, wi…

  • electromyography
  • wheelchair control
  • physical disability
  • alternative input
  • assistive technology
  • hands-free interaction
  • EMG signals

• Voice over Workplace (VoWP): Voice Navigation in a Complex Business GUI

  Frankie James, Jeff Roelands (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper explores the design of voice navigation interfaces for complex business GUIs, specifically SAP Workplace, to support physically disabled users who cannot use a mouse or keyboard. The authors conducted two user studies examining the fundame…

  • voice interface
  • speech recognition
  • physical disability
  • GUI accessibility
  • navigation
  • enterprise software
  • user study

• Multimodal Feedback: Establishing a Performance Baseline for Improved Access by Individuals with Visual Impairments

  Holly S. Vitense, Julie A. Jacko, V. Kathlene Emery (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This study investigates how different combinations of auditory, haptic, and visual feedback affect the performance of fully sighted users during a complex direct manipulation task. The researchers designed the study as a baseline from which to later …

  • multimodal interaction
  • haptic feedback
  • auditory feedback
  • visual impairment
  • workload measurement
  • pupillometry
  • direct manipulation
  • assistive technology

• Speech Recognition in University Classrooms: Liberated Learning Project

  Keith Bain, Sara H. Basson, Mike Wald (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the Liberated Learning Project (LLP), an international applied research initiative studying whether speech recognition technology can successfully convert live university lectures into real-time text displays, serving as an alter…

  • speech recognition
  • higher education
  • deaf accessibility
  • real-time captioning
  • universal design
  • lecture accessibility
  • notetaking

• Capturing Phrases for ICU-Talk, a Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

  S. Ashraf, A. Judson, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, N. Alm, B. Gordon, F. MacAulay, J. K. Brodie, M. Etchels, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the vocabulary gathering methods used for ICU-Talk, a three-year multidisciplinary project at the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital that developed an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid specifically for…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • AAC
  • intensive care
  • vocabulary selection
  • phrase-based communication
  • speech synthesis
  • medical accessibility
  • intubation

• Navigation of HTML Tables, Frames, and XML Fragments

  Enrico Pontelli, Douglas Gillan, Weiqiang Xiong, Elham Saad, Gopal Gupta, Arthur I. Karshmer (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper provides a progress report on a multi-institution project developing technology to support non-visual navigation of complex HTML tables, frames, and XML structures. The authors identify tables, frames, and forms as the most difficult areas…

  • table accessibility
  • web accessibility
  • screen readers
  • non-visual navigation
  • semantic navigation
  • HTML frames
  • XML accessibility
  • domain specific language

• Modeling Educational Software for People with Disabilities: Theory and Practice

  Nelson Baloian, Wolfram Luther, Jaime Sánchez (2002) — Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper proposes a unified modelling framework for developing educational software for people with sensory disabilities, drawing on two existing systems as case studies: AudioDoom for blind children and Whisper for hearing-impaired users. The auth…

  • accessible education
  • blind users
  • deaf users
  • sensory disabilities
  • audio games
  • spatial sound
  • virtual environments
  • tutoring systems
  • modelling methodology
  • cognitive development