Literature Reviews

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

• The TalkingBox.: Revealing Strengths of Adults with Severe Cognitive Disabilities

  Filip Bircanin, Laurianne Sitbon, Bernd Ploderer, Andrew Azaabanye Bayor, Michael Esteban, Stewart Koplick, Margot Brereton (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents a case study of TalkingBox, a tangible communication device co-designed with Chris (pseudonym), a young adult with a severe cognitive disability, and his support network at a community day centre in Brisbane, Australia. Chris is m…

  • intellectual disability
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • tangible interaction
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • cognitive accessibility
  • empowerment
  • social interaction

• Disability design and innovation in computing research in low resource settings

  Dafne Zuleima Morgado-Ramirez, Giulia Barbareschi, Maggie Kate Donovan-Hall, Mohammad Sobuh, Nida' Elayyan, Brenda T Nakandi, Robert Tamale Ssekitoleko, Joyce Olenja, Grace Nyachomba Magomere, Sibylle Daymond, Jake Honeywill, Ian Harris, Nancy Mbugua, Laurence Kenney, Catherine Holloway (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This experience report from a large international team spanning UCL, University of Southampton, University of Jordan, Makerere University (Uganda), University of Nairobi (Kenya), University of Salford, and the Global Disability Innovation Hub present…

  • disability innovation
  • ICT4D
  • low resource settings
  • Disability Interaction
  • inclusive design
  • Global South
  • participatory design
  • wheelchair provision
  • prosthetics
  • mobile phones
  • co-design

• Teaching Digital Fabrication to Early Intervention Specialists for Designing Their Own Tools

  Florian Güldenpfennig, Peter Fikar, Roman Ganhör (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This demonstration paper describes a co-design project in which researchers from New Design University and TU Wien taught basic digital fabrication skills to four experienced early intervention therapists who work with children with cerebral visual i…

  • digital fabrication
  • DIY assistive technology
  • co-design
  • early intervention
  • cerebral visual impairment
  • therapeutic toys
  • children
  • visual impairment
  • maker culture
  • participatory design

• Contextual Adaptive Communication Aid: Supporting Individuals with Neurological Disease in Communication

  Lula Albar (2020) — Proceedings of the 17th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes a context-aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system designed to support people with communication impairments (CI) caused by neurological disease or acquired brain injury, such as aphasia an…

  • AAC
  • communication impairment
  • aphasia
  • context-aware computing
  • co-design
  • neurological disease
  • speech therapy

• Meeting Participants with Intellectual Disabilities during COVID-19 Pandemic: Challenges and Improvisation

  Leandro Soares Guedes, Monica Landoni (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This short paper (poster) shares lessons learned from conducting participatory design research with adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) during the COVID-19 pandemic, in the context of a project aimed at making museum visits more accessible, re…

  • intellectual disability
  • co-design
  • COVID-19
  • museum accessibility
  • participatory design
  • improvisation
  • research methods
  • cultural accessibility

• Designing an App to Help Individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities to Recognize Abuse

  Thomas Howard, Krishna Venkatasubramanian, Jeanine L M Skorinko, Pauline Bosma, John Mullaly, Brian Kelly, Deborah Lloyd, Mary Wishart, Emiton Alves, Nicole Jutras, Mariah Freark, Nancy A. Alterio (2021) — The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2021)

  This paper presents the design of Recognize, a mobile app intended to teach individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) how to identify and report abuse. The work addresses a critical safety issue: abuse of people with I/DD is…

  • intellectual disability
  • developmental disability
  • co-design
  • abuse prevention
  • mobile app
  • self-advocacy
  • e-learning
  • empowerment
  • safeguarding

• "That's in the eye of the beholder": Layers of Interpretation in Image Descriptions for Fictional Representations of People with Disabilities

  Emory James Edwards, Kyle Lewis Polster, Isabel Tuason, Emily Blank, Michael Gilbert, Stacy Branham (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper investigates how to create accurate and sensitive image descriptions for fictional representations of people with disabilities — a challenge that arises when real subjects cannot be consulted about their preferred identity terminology. The…

  • image accessibility
  • alt text
  • image descriptions
  • disability representation
  • design systems
  • ableism
  • blind and low vision
  • co-design
  • identity

• Aided Nonverbal Communication through Physical Expressive Objects

  Stephanie Valencia, Mark Steidl, Michael Rivera, Cynthia Bennett, Jeffrey Bigham, Henny Admoni (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents an in-depth case study of co-designing a physical expressive "sidekick" device to support nonverbal communication for an augmented communicator (AC) named Mark, who has cerebral palsy and uses a head-switch-operated AAC device. Wh…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • nonverbal communication
  • co-design
  • participatory design
  • cerebral palsy
  • physical disability
  • robotics
  • tangible interaction
  • assistive technology

• Learning Music Blind: Understanding the Application of Technology to Support BLV Music Learning

  Leon Lu (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This doctoral consortium paper outlines a three-study PhD research program investigating how wearable technologies with vibrotactile feedback can support blind and low vision (BLV) music learners. The research is motivated by the significant barriers…

  • music accessibility
  • blindness
  • low vision
  • haptic technology
  • wearable technology
  • music education
  • co-design
  • vibrotactile feedback
  • assistive technology

• Socially Connecting Adults with Intellectual Disabilities Through Inclusive Co-Design of Tangible and Visual Technology

  Manesha Andradi (2022) — Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents an in-progress PhD research program exploring how tangible and visual technologies can be co-designed with adults who have intellectual disabilities to foster social connections at non-residential learning hubs…

  • intellectual disability
  • co-design
  • tangible technology
  • social connection
  • participatory design
  • communication
  • reverse inclusion
  • self-expression