Literature Reviews

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

• EZ Ballot with Multimodal Inputs and Outputs

  Seunghyun Lee, Xiao Xiong, Liu Elaine Yilin, Jon Sanford (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper presents the EZ Ballot, a prototype accessible voting system that fundamentally reconceptualizes ballot design to provide an equal voting experience for all voters regardless of ability. Current accessible voting machines add…

  • accessible voting
  • multimodal interface
  • cognitive accessibility
  • visual impairment
  • dexterity
  • universal design
  • gestural input
  • iPad
  • civic participation

• Accessible Skimming: Faster Screen Reading of Web Pages

  Faisal Ahmed (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents an automated approach to enable non-visual skimming of web pages for screen reader users. Sighted people routinely skim web content through quick eye movements (saccades) that let them glance over headlines and…

  • screen readers
  • blind users
  • web accessibility
  • text summarization
  • natural language processing
  • skimming
  • information overload
  • aural browsing
  • cognitive load

• Reusable Game Interfaces for People with Disabilities

  Javier Torrente (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes that creating specialized, reusable accessibility tools for game developers can significantly reduce the cost and effort of making games accessible to people with disabilities. The author argues that while game…

  • game accessibility
  • serious games
  • audio games
  • eyes-free interaction
  • 3D audio
  • game development tools
  • reusable components
  • Android
  • authoring tools

• Back Navigation Shortcuts for Screen Reader Users

  Romisa Rohani Ghahari, Mexhid Ferati, Tao Yang, Davide Bolchini (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper introduces two novel back navigation strategies — topic-based back and list-based back — designed to make backtracking through previously visited web pages dramatically more efficient for screen reader users. The fundamental problem is tha…

  • screen readers
  • navigation
  • information architecture
  • blind users
  • web accessibility
  • usable accessibility
  • back navigation
  • aural browsing
  • cognitive load

• Design Recommendations for TV User Interfaces for Older Adults: Findings from the eCAALYX Project

  Francisco Nunes, Maureen Kerwin, Paula Alexandra Silva (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents thirteen design recommendations for TV-based user interfaces for older adults, derived from the eCAALYX (Enhanced Complete Ambient Assisted Living Experiment) project. eCAALYX is a European health monitoring system that uses a TV …

  • older adults
  • interactive television
  • user interface design
  • design guidelines
  • ambient assisted living
  • health monitoring
  • usability testing
  • age-related changes
  • remote control
  • chronic conditions

• Evaluation of Dynamic Image Pre-Compensation for Computer Users with Severe Refractive Error

  Jian Huang, Armando Barreto, Malek Adjouadi (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper presents a dynamic image pre-compensation method designed to improve computer accessibility for users with severe refractive errors such as high-degree myopia, hyperopia, and astigmatism. Refractive error affects over 30.5 million American…

  • low vision
  • refractive error
  • image enhancement
  • visual impairment
  • eye tracking
  • computer accessibility
  • image pre-compensation
  • ocular aberration

• IDEAL: A Dyslexic-Friendly eBook Reader

  Gaurang Kanvinde, Luz Rello, Ricardo Baeza-Yates (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper presents the IDEAL eBook Reader, an Android application that displays ePub-formatted ebooks with a text layout specifically adapted for readers with dyslexia. The design is grounded in empirical research: layout guidelines we…

  • dyslexia
  • readability
  • ebook
  • ePub
  • text-to-speech
  • assistive technology
  • Android
  • text layout
  • reading accessibility
  • cognitive accessibility

• SymbolPath: A Continuous Motion Overlay Module for Icon-Based Assistive Communication

  Karl Wiegand, Rupal Patel (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper introduces SymbolPath, an overlay module designed to improve the speed and ease of message formulation in icon-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Traditional icon-based AAC devices require users t…

  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • AAC
  • motor impairment
  • speech impairment
  • icon-based communication
  • continuous motion input
  • text-to-speech
  • natural language processing
  • touch screen

• Automated Description Generation for Indoor Floor Maps

  Devi A. Paladugu, Hima Bindu Maguluri, Qiongjie Tian, Baoxin Li (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper presents a prototype system that automatically generates verbal descriptions of indoor floor maps to support navigation for people with visual impairments. The system addresses a practical gap: while tools like canes, guide d…

  • visual impairment
  • indoor navigation
  • wayfinding
  • image processing
  • floor plans
  • verbal description
  • web crawling
  • landmark detection

• Detecting the Hand-Mouthing Behavior of Children with Intellectual Disability Using Kinect Imaging Technology

  Tzu-Wei Wei (2012) — Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This short paper presents a system that uses Microsoft Kinect depth-sensing technology to automatically detect hand-mouthing behavior in children with severe intellectual disabilities. Hand-mouthing — the repetitive placement of fingers into the mout…

  • intellectual disability
  • stereotypic behavior
  • self-injurious behavior
  • Kinect
  • behavior detection
  • special education
  • assistive technology
  • depth sensing