Literature Reviews

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

• Real-Time Anomaly Detection for Traveling Individuals

  Tian-Shya Ma (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper presents a real-time anomaly detection system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments travel safely and independently on routine journeys such as commuting via public transportation. The system works by comparing a tr…

  • cognitive impairment
  • navigation
  • location awareness
  • anomaly detection
  • safety
  • independent living
  • mobile technology
  • ubiquitous computing

• Making Microsoft Excel Accessible: Multimodal Presentation of Charts

  Iyad Abu Doush, Enrico Pontelli, Dominic Simon, Tran Cao Son, Ou Ma (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a system for making Microsoft Excel charts accessible to people with visual impairments through a combination of haptic force feedback and audio cues. The authors identify that while screen readers and specialised tools can handle…

  • data visualization
  • haptic technology
  • sonification
  • visual impairment
  • charts
  • multimodal interaction
  • Microsoft Excel
  • accessible graphs

• Collaborative Web Accessibility Improvement: Challenges and Possibilities

  Hironobu Takagi, Shinya Kawanaka, Masatomo Kobayashi, Daisuke Sato, Chieko Asakawa (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper reports on the Social Accessibility Project, an experimental service developed by IBM Research in Tokyo that uses collaborative metadata authoring to improve web accessibility. The system works through a three-part architecture: end users …

  • web accessibility
  • collaborative accessibility
  • crowdsourcing
  • metadata
  • screen readers
  • social computing
  • web transcoding
  • alternative text

• Designing Judicious Interactions for Cognitive Assistance: The Acts of Assistance Approach

  Jérémy Bauchet, Hélène Pigot, Sylvain Giroux, Dany Lussier-Desrochers, Yves Lachapelle, Mounir Mokhtari (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents Archipel, a cognitive orthosis developed at the DOMUS Laboratory at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, designed to guide people with cognitive impairments through complex activities of daily living such as meal preparation. The…

  • cognitive assistance
  • intellectual disability
  • smart home
  • activities of daily living
  • pervasive computing
  • activity monitoring
  • independent living
  • adaptive systems

• Customizing Directions in an Automated Wayfinding System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

  Alan L. Liu, Harlan Hile, Gaetano Borriello, Pat A. Brown, Mark Harniss, Henry Kautz, Kurt Johnson (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of a mobile wayfinding system that provides customized navigation directions to individuals with cognitive impairments such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. The cent…

  • cognitive impairment
  • wayfinding
  • navigation
  • mobile technology
  • Markov decision process
  • personalization
  • adaptive systems
  • independent living

• Instant Tactile-Audio Map: Enabling Access to Digital Maps for People with Visual Impairment

  Zheshen Wang, Baoxin Li, Terri Hedgpeth, Teresa Haven (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents an automated system for converting standard digital map images into interactive tactile-audio maps that people who are blind can explore independently. The core problem addressed is that while online map services like Google Maps …

  • tactile maps
  • visual impairment
  • multimodal interaction
  • audio feedback
  • navigation
  • computer vision
  • OCR
  • tactile graphics

• Better Vocabularies for Assistive Communication Aids: Connecting Terms Using Semantic Networks and Untrained Annotators

  Sonya Nikolova, Jordan Boyd-Graber, Christiane Fellbaum, Perry Cook (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of ViVA (Visual Vocabulary for Aphasia), an assistive communication tool that uses semantic networks to help people with aphasia find words more easily. The authors address a fundamental problem with exis…

  • aphasia
  • assistive communication
  • semantic networks
  • visual vocabularies
  • adaptive tools
  • crowdsourcing
  • vocabulary navigation
  • AAC

• Let's Stay in Touch: Sharing Photos for Restoring Social Connectedness between Rehabilitants, Friends and Family

  Margit Biemans, Betsy van Dijk, Pavan Dadlani, Aart van Halteren (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a case study on using a photo sharing application to maintain social connectedness between people undergoing spinal cord lesion rehabilitation and their friends and family. Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries often requires ex…

  • social connectedness
  • rehabilitation
  • spinal cord injury
  • photo sharing
  • assistive technology
  • social interaction
  • wellbeing
  • digital communication

• Talking Points: The Differential Impact of Real-Time Computer Generated Audio/Visual Feedback on Speech-Like & Non-Speech-Like Vocalizations in Low Functioning Children with ASD

  Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, Laura DeThorne, James Halle (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper examines whether real-time computer feedback systems (CFS) can differentially impact speech-like versus non-speech-like vocalizations in low-functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The distinction matters because the goal of sp…

  • autism spectrum disorder
  • speech development
  • computer feedback system
  • vocalization
  • children
  • assistive technology
  • affective computing
  • multimodal interaction

• Haptic Handheld Wayfinder with Pseudo-Attraction Force for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Tomohiro Amemiya, Hisashi Sugiyama (2009) — Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a compact handheld haptic device that guides visually impaired pedestrians by generating a directional force sensation — a feeling of being pulled or pushed toward the correct direction. The device exploits a perceptual phenomenon…

  • haptic technology
  • wayfinding
  • visual impairment
  • navigation
  • kinesthetic perception
  • assistive technology
  • pedestrian navigation
  • orientation and mobility