Literature Reviews

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

• Using Accessible Math Textbooks with Students Who Have Learning Disabilities

  Preston Lewis, Steve Noble, Neil Soiffer (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper reports results from Project SMART (Supported Math Accessibility Reading Tool), a classroom study conducted at the University of Kentucky with 48 eighth grade students who had learning disabilities. The project provided digital versions of…

  • learning disabilities
  • mathematics accessibility
  • MathML
  • DAISY
  • print disabilities
  • assistive technology
  • K-12 education
  • text-to-speech
  • digital textbooks

• Social Predictors of Assistive Technology Proficiency Among Teachers of Students with Visual Impairments

  Valerie S. Morash, Yue-Ting Siu (2016) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates why only about 40% of Teachers of students with Visual Impairments (TVIs) integrate assistive technology into their practice, despite AT being critical for K-12 students' educational engagement and predictive of positive posts…

  • assistive technology
  • visual impairment
  • special education
  • teacher training
  • community of practice
  • K-12 education
  • professional development

• Exploring Blind and Low-Vision Youth's Digital Access Needs in School: Toward Accessible Instructional Technologies

  Natalie L. Shaheen (2024) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This mixed methods study investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) youth ages 13-22 experience technology-mediated learning in US K-12 schools. The author, herself congenitally blind and a former teacher of blind students, conducted semi-structured…

  • blind and low vision
  • K-12 education
  • instructional technology
  • access technology
  • screen readers
  • Braille
  • youth
  • design guidelines

• Making the Blockly Library Accessible via Touchscreen

  Logan B. Caraco, Sebastian Deibel, Yufan Ma, Lauren R. Milne (2019) — Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper presents two prototype designs for making Google's Blockly library — the foundation underlying popular block-based programming environments (BBPEs) like Scratch, MIT App Inventor, and the Code.org curriculum — accessible to u…

  • visual impairment
  • block-based programming
  • education
  • screen readers
  • ARIA
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • K-12 education
  • coding education

• How Teachers of the Visually Impaired Compensate with the Absence of Accessible Block-Based Languages

  Aboubakar Mountapmbeme, Stephanie Ludi (2021) — Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper reports on an interview study with twelve teachers of K-12 students with visual impairments (TVIs) across the United States, investigating how they navigate the lack of fully accessible block-based programming environments. Block-based pro…

  • visual impairment
  • block-based programming
  • K-12 education
  • computer science education
  • accessible programming
  • teachers of the visually impaired
  • assistive technology
  • screen readers

• Online Learning Accessibility during the COVID-19 Pandemic

  Shanna Russ, Foad Hamidi (2021) — Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This literature review examines 14 papers published over the past decade on e-learning accessibility, reframing their findings through the lens of the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on K-12 education. During the pandemic, elementary, middle, and hi…

  • education accessibility
  • online learning
  • universal design for learning
  • WCAG
  • digital accessibility
  • K-12 education
  • organizational accessibility