Literature Reviews

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

• Understanding Pointing Problems in Real World Computing Environments

  Amy Hurst, Jennifer Mankoff, Scott E. Hudson (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper develops techniques for collecting and analysing pointing performance data during real-world computer use, rather than solely in laboratory settings, to understand how pointing behaviour varies over time for individuals with motor impairme…

  • motor disability
  • pointing
  • input methods
  • assistive technology
  • cerebral palsy
  • adaptive systems
  • research methodology
  • in-the-wild study
  • mouse accessibility

• Software and Technologies Designed for People with Autism: What Do Users Want?

  Cynthia Putnam, Lorna Chong (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper reports on an online survey of 114 respondents (12 adults with ASD completing it themselves, 102 submissions about children with ASD from parents, teachers, and professionals) investigating what users actually want from software and techno…

  • autism
  • user-centered design
  • cognitive accessibility
  • assistive technology
  • educational technology
  • social skills
  • user research
  • technology adoption

• Hover or Tap? Supporting Pen-based Menu Navigation for Older Adults

  Karyn Moffatt, Sandra Yuen, Joanna McGrenere (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper investigates "drifting" — an error specific to pen-based (Tablet PC) interaction where users accidentally hover over an adjacent menu head, causing their intended menu to close and the wrong one to open. This occurs because inductive pen t…

  • aging
  • input methods
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • inclusive design
  • user interface design
  • motor accessibility
  • pen input
  • older adults
  • menu design

• Investigating Sighted Users' Browsing Behaviour to Assist Web Accessibility

  Eleni Michailidou, Simon Harper, Sean Bechhofer (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents an eye tracking study investigating how sighted users browse web pages, with the goal of using these insights to improve web accessibility for visually impaired users. The core argument is that understanding sighted users' visual …

  • eye tracking
  • web accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • web design
  • visual complexity
  • screen readers
  • user research
  • browsing behavior
  • transcoding

• RouteCheckr: Personalized Multicriteria Routing for Mobility Impaired Pedestrians

  Thorsten Völkel, Gerhard Weber (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents RouteCheckr, a client/server system for personalised pedestrian navigation that calculates routes optimised for multiple criteria relevant to mobility impaired users. The authors identify three key shortcomings of existing navigat…

  • navigation
  • wayfinding
  • wheelchair accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • mobility
  • personalization
  • crowdsourcing
  • algorithms
  • pedestrian navigation
  • urban accessibility

• Tactile Chart Generation Tool

  Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a Java application that automatically generates tactile bar and pie charts from raw data values provided in a formatted text file. Developed in collaboration with Vision Australia, the tool addresses the time-consuming and expensi…

  • tactile graphics
  • data visualization
  • visual impairment
  • braille
  • accessible publishing
  • education
  • assistive technology
  • design tools

• A Camera Phone Based Currency Reader for the Visually Impaired

  Xu Liu (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a camera phone-based system for identifying U.S. paper currency denominations for people who are blind or visually impaired. The work addresses a specific accessibility gap: unlike currencies in many other countries, U.S. paper bi…

  • visual impairment
  • computer vision
  • assistive technology
  • mobile accessibility
  • object recognition
  • financial accessibility
  • machine learning
  • independent living

• PowerUp: An Accessible Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Vicki L. Hanson, Mark R. Laff, Anna Cavender (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the design and validation of accessibility features for PowerUp, an IBM-developed multiplayer 3D virtual world educational game aimed at middle school students. The researchers were tasked with making the game usable by players w…

  • game accessibility
  • virtual reality
  • visual impairment
  • blindness
  • cognitive accessibility
  • motor disability
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • inclusive design
  • navigation
  • self-voicing interface
  • sonification

• Performance-Based Functional Assessment: An Algorithm for Measuring Physical Capabilities

  Kathleen J. Price, Andrew Sears (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents PB-FACT (Performance-Based Functional Assessment for Computer Technology), a novel tool for objectively and quantitatively measuring an individual's physical capabilities in relation to their use of information technology. The aut…

  • functional assessment
  • motor disability
  • assistive technology
  • physical disability
  • human-computer interaction
  • measurement
  • research methodology
  • rehabilitation

• Effective Simulations to Support Academics in Inclusive Online Learning Design

  George Papadopoulos, Elaine Pearson, Steve Green (2008) — Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the development and evaluation of accessibility simulations designed to help academic staff in higher education understand the barriers disabled students face when accessing online learning materials. The research was conducted a…

  • accessibility simulation
  • disability awareness
  • inclusive learning
  • cognitive accessibility
  • continuing professional development
  • higher education
  • e-learning