Literature Reviews

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

• An Interactive Method for Accessing Tables in HTML

  Toshiya Oogane, Chieko Asakawa (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from IBM Japan proposes a method for converting HTML tables into non-visual, navigable representations for screen reader users. At the time, Screen Reader/2 (the Japanese version of OS/2's screen reader) could read displayed text informati…

  • web accessibility
  • screen reader
  • HTML tables
  • table accessibility
  • blind and low vision
  • non-visual interaction
  • web development

• VRML-Based Representations of ASL Fingerspelling on the World Wide Web

  S. Augustine Su, Richard K. Furuta (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents techniques for representing American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelling using 3D hand models in VRML 2.0 (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) on the World Wide Web. The authors argue that VRML offers a more effective way to documen…

  • sign language
  • American Sign Language
  • fingerspelling
  • VRML
  • virtual reality
  • web accessibility
  • deaf accessibility
  • 3D modeling
  • animation

• TGuide: A Guidance System for Tactile Image Exploration

  Martin Kurze (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents TGuide, a system that actively guides blind users' hands during exploration of tactile graphics using a novel vibrotactile directional output device. The author identifies three key problems with unaided tactile image exploration:…

  • tactile graphics
  • blind and low vision
  • vibrotactile display
  • haptic technology
  • directional guidance
  • image accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • tactile image exploration

• Haptic Virtual Reality for Blind Computer Users

  Chetz Colwell, Helen Petrie, Diana Kornbrot, Andrew Hardwick, Stephen Furner (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents three experiments investigating how blind and sighted people perceive virtual textures and 3D objects through the Impulse Engine 3000, a force-feedback haptic device with a probe that users manipulate in three degrees of freedom. …

  • haptic technology
  • virtual reality
  • blind and low vision
  • tactile accessibility
  • virtual texture
  • haptic perception
  • psychophysics
  • assistive technology

• Computer-Based Cognitive Prosthetics: Assistive Technology for the Treatment of Cognitive Disabilities

  Elliot Cole, Parto Dehdashti (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents over a decade of research and clinical work from the Institute for Cognitive Prosthetics on designing computer-based cognitive prosthetic (CBCP) systems for individuals with acquired cognitive disabilities from traumatic brain inj…

  • cognitive disability
  • cognitive prosthetic
  • traumatic brain injury
  • stroke recovery
  • brain injury rehabilitation
  • participatory design
  • assistive technology
  • executive function
  • cognitive rehabilitation

• Comparing Effects of Navigational Interface Modalities on Speaker Prosodics

  Julie Baca (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper investigates whether speech-only (displayless) interfaces impose a measurable cognitive burden on users compared to multimodal interfaces that include visual or tactile components. The research uses an innovative methodology: rather than r…

  • speech technology
  • cognitive load
  • non-visual interaction
  • navigation
  • prosody
  • displayless interface
  • multimodal interaction
  • blind and low vision
  • spatial data

• Digital Talking Books on a PC: A Usability Evaluation of the Prototype DAISY Playback Software

  Sarah Morley (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper describes the design and usability evaluation of the first PC-based DAISY (Digital Audio-Based Information System) playback software, developed at the request of the Swedish Braille and Talking Book Library. The DAISY system represented a …

  • DAISY
  • digital talking book
  • usability testing
  • blind and low vision
  • auditory navigation
  • accessible publishing
  • structured audio
  • screen reader

• Head Pointing and Speech Control as a Hands-Free Interface to Desktop Computing

  Rainer Malkewitz (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents a hands-free computer interface that combines head pointing with speech control to enable users who cannot use a mouse and keyboard to operate standard WIMP-style graphical user interfaces. Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute in…

  • head tracking
  • speech recognition
  • hands-free interface
  • alternative input
  • motor disability
  • assistive technology
  • graphical user interface accessibility
  • multimodal interaction

• Designing Interfaces for an Overlooked User Group: Considering the Visual Profiles of Partially Sighted Users

  Julie A. Jacko, Andrew Sears (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This position paper argues that partially sighted computer users represent a critically underserved population in interface design research. The authors identify a gap between two groups that have received significant attention — fully sighted users …

  • low vision
  • visual impairment
  • partial vision
  • visual profile
  • graphical user interface accessibility
  • user interface design
  • contrast sensitivity
  • visual acuity
  • human-computer interaction

• A Phoneme Probability Display for Individuals with Hearing Disabilities

  Deb Roy, Alex Pentland (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from MIT Media Lab presents a speech-to-visual-display system designed to aid individuals with hearing impairments by converting continuous speech into an animated graphical representation of phoneme probabilities. Rather than attempting t…

  • hearing accessibility
  • speech technology
  • speech visualization
  • neural networks
  • phoneme recognition
  • assistive technology
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • wearable technology