Literature Reviews
Reviewed research papers, articles, and publications relevant to digital accessibility.
9 results found tagged built environment.
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Environmental Factors in Indoor Navigation Based on Real-World Trajectories of Blind Users
This paper addresses a methodological blind spot in blind-navigation research: studies typically report localization accuracy and completion time, but say almost nothing about how the physical environment itself shapes where users go wrong. The autho…
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Buildings and Users with Visual Impairment: Uncovering Factors for Accessibility Using BIT-Kit
This paper introduces BIT-Kit (Building Interactions Tool-kit), a mixed-method framework for gathering evidence about how buildings impact the accessibility of users with visual impairments. The framework combines three methods: semi-structured inter…
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"It Looks Beautiful but Scary": How Low Vision People Navigate Stairs and Other Surface Level Changes
This qualitative study investigates how people with low vision experience and navigate surface level changes — stairs, curbs, and other depth transitions — in built environments. Using contextual inquiry, the researchers observed and interviewed 14 p…
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Complementing standards by demonstrating commitment and progress
Written by consultants at The Paciello Group, this position paper argues that treating digital accessibility solely as a standards compliance activity is insufficient for organizations with large, complex digital estates. The authors draw a parallel …
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Travelling more independently: A Requirements Analysis for Accessible Journeys to Unknown Buildings for People with Visual Impairments
This paper presents a comprehensive survey with 106 people with visual impairments (63 blind, 43 low vision; ages 8-77, mean 46; predominantly German) examining how they plan and carry out journeys to unknown buildings. Unlike previous studies that f…
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The Future of Urban Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Data Collection, Analytics, Policy, and Tools
This workshop paper frames urban accessibility as a "wicked problem" spanning transportation, urban planning, disability studies, public health, and human geography, and assembles a remarkably diverse team of 28 co-organizers from six countries acros…
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Bring Environments to People – A Case Study of Virtual Tours in Accessibility Assessment for People with Limited Mobility
This study presents the first user research with people with limited mobility on using virtual tours — 3D digital replicas of physical environments captured with 360-degree cameras and depth sensors — to remotely assess the accessibility of indoor sp…
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MABLESim: A Simulation Framework for Studying Accessibility Challenges for People with Disabilities within Indoor Environments
This paper introduces MABLESim (Mapping for Accessible BuiLt Environments Simulator), a Unity-based simulation framework designed to study how people with disabilities navigate indoor spaces. The authors address a fundamental research gap: while phys…
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The Future of Urban Accessibility: The Role of AI
This workshop paper examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence in designing equitable and accessible cities, transportation systems, and navigation tools for people with disabilities. The authors — spanning HCI, urban planning, public heal…