Literature Reviews

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

• COSMA: Cooperative Self-Management Tool for Adolescents with Autism

  Myeonghan Ryu, Eunkyung Jo, Sung-In Kim (2017) — Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This student research competition paper presents COSMA, a mobile application prototype designed to support cooperative self-management of behavior for adolescents with autism during their transition through puberty. Adolescence is particularly challe…

  • autism
  • self-management
  • adolescents
  • behavior change
  • mobile application
  • caregiving
  • self-regulation
  • co-design

• Interdependence as a Frame for Assistive Technology Research and Design

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Erin Brady, Stacy M. Branham (2018) — Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This influential paper introduces interdependence as a complementary frame to the traditional focus on independence in assistive technology research and design. The authors argue that "independence" — long the unquestioned gold standard of AT design …

  • disability studies
  • assistive technology
  • interdependence
  • independence
  • disability justice
  • inclusive design
  • social model of disability
  • accessibility theory
  • co-design

• "Wow! You're Wearing a Fitbit, You're a Young Boy Now!": Socio-Technical Aspirations for Children with Autism in India

  Sumita Sharma, Krishnaveni Achary, Harmeet Kaur, Juhani Linna, Markku Turunen, Blessin Varkey, Jaakko Hakulinen, Sanidhya Daeeyya (2018) — Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This paper explores how socio-technical aspirations — the ambitions and desires of stakeholders to own or use technology for personal benefit or societal acceptance — influence technology adoption for children with autism in India. The research is ba…

  • autism
  • Global South accessibility
  • technology adoption
  • wearable technology
  • physical activity
  • cultural accessibility
  • co-design
  • children

• Maritime Buoyage on 3D-Printed Tactile Maps

  Mathieu Simonnet, Serge Morvan, Dominique Marques, Olivier Ducruix, Arnaud Grancher, Sylvie Kerouedan (2018) — Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This demonstration paper presents work from the Brest Bay Touch project to create 3D-printed maritime maps accessible to people with visual impairments, with a particular focus on representing sea marks (buoys, lighthouses, and other navigational aid…

  • 3D printing
  • tactile maps
  • visual impairment
  • spatial cognition
  • maritime accessibility
  • co-design
  • blindness

• Co-design of Robotic Technology with Care Home Residents and Care Workers

  Helena Anna Frijns, Ralf Vetter, Matthias Hirschmanner, Reinhard Grabler, Laura Vogel, Sabine Theresia Koeszegi (2024) — Proceedings of the 17th International Conference on PErvasive Technologies Related to Assistive Environments (PETRA)

  This paper documents a co-design workshop series conducted at two care homes in Austria, involving 25 participants: 13 care workers (mean age 43.5) and 12 care home residents (mean age 80.6). The research question was whether introducing technology c…

  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • older adults
  • care homes
  • robotics
  • assistive robotics
  • human-robot interaction
  • conversational AI
  • computer vision
  • aging

• What Not to Wearable: Using Participatory Workshops to Explore Wearable Device Form Factors for Blind Users

  Michele A. Williams, Erin Buehler, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane (2015) — Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper documents two participatory design workshops conducted with a team of eight visually impaired adults to explore features and form factors for a wearable navigation device. The research team met monthly over nine months as a "design team," …

  • wearable technology
  • participatory design
  • blind users
  • navigation
  • assistive technology
  • prototyping
  • co-design
  • form factor design

• SoundCells: Designing a Browser-Based Music Technology for Braille and Print Notation

  William Payne, Fabiha Ahmed, Michael Gardell, R. Luke DuBois, Amy Hurst (2022) — Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from New York University presents SoundCells, a free, open-source, browser-based music notation tool designed to be accessible to screen reader users while outputting music in three formats simultaneously: audio playback, visual print scor…

  • music accessibility
  • blindness
  • visual impairment
  • braille
  • screen readers
  • co-design
  • creative accessibility
  • web accessibility

• HowToApp: Supporting Life Skills Development of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability

  Andrew A. Bayor (2019) — Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract describes the co-design and preliminary evaluation of HowToApp, a mobile application that helps young adults with intellectual disability (ID) search for, watch, archive, and share YouTube videos related to their person…

  • intellectual disability
  • co-design
  • social media
  • YouTube
  • skills development
  • ability-based design
  • digital inclusion
  • self-determination
  • cognitive accessibility

• Bespoke Reflections: Creating a One-Handed Braille Keyboard

  Kirsten Ellis, Ross De Vent, Reuben Kirkham, Patrick Olivier (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper documents an 18-month co-design process to build a one-handed braille keyboard for Ross, a blind person who lost the use of his right arm following a stroke at age five. Most assistive technologies are designed for single impairment groups…

  • bespoke assistive technology
  • DIY assistive technology
  • braille
  • co-design
  • blindness
  • one-handed use
  • hardware design
  • intersecting disabilities

• Lessons from Expert Focus Groups on how to Better Support Adults with Mild Intellectual Disabilities to Engage in Co-Design

  Ryan Colin Gibson, Mark D. Dunlop, Matt-Mouley Bouamrane (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper proposes and evaluates a two-stage procedure for making co-design workshops accessible to adults with mild intellectual disabilities (ID). The context is the development of a clinical AAC application to help people with mild ID communicate…

  • intellectual disability
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • healthcare accessibility
  • research methods
  • inclusive design
  • design methodology