Literature Reviews

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

• An Operantly Conditioned Looking Task for Assessing Infant Auditory Processing Ability

  Jason Nawyn, Cynthia Roesler, Teresa Realpe-Bonilla, Naseem Choudhury, April A. Benasich (2007) — Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper from the Center for Molecular & Behavioral Neuroscience at Rutgers University describes the design and evaluation of a gaze-driven interface for assessing rapid auditory processing (RAP) abilities in infants aged 4 to 6 months. The researc…

  • early intervention
  • eye tracking
  • infant assessment
  • auditory processing
  • language impairment
  • operant conditioning
  • clinical tools
  • developmental disabilities
  • dyslexia

• visiBabble for Reinforcement of Early Vocalization

  Harriet Fell, Cynthia Cress, Joel MacAuslan, Linda Ferrier (2003) — Proceedings of the 6th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '04)

  This paper presents visiBabble, a real-time system that detects syllable-like vocalizations in infant babbling and responds with brightly coloured animations as visual reinforcement. The system targets infants at risk for speech impairments due to co…

  • early intervention
  • speech and language
  • child development
  • acoustic analysis
  • developmental disabilities
  • cerebral palsy
  • biofeedback
  • assistive technology
  • speech technology
  • AAC

• A Storytelling Robot for Pediatric Rehabilitation

  Catherine Plaisant, Allison Druin, Corinna Lathan, Kapil Dakhane, Kris Edwards, Jack Maxwell Vice, Jaime Montemayor (2000) — Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory and AnthroTronix describes PETS (Personal Electronic Teller of Stories), a storytelling robot designed for pediatric rehabilitation. Children control a large furry rob…

  • assistive robotics
  • pediatric rehabilitation
  • therapeutic play
  • participatory design
  • cerebral palsy
  • developmental disabilities
  • children
  • cooperative inquiry

• Automatic Babble Recognition for Early Detection of Speech Related Disorders

  Harriet J. Fell, Joel MacAuslan, Karen Chenausky, Linda J. Ferrier (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents the Early Vocalization Analyzer (EVA), a program that automatically analyzes digitized recordings of infant babbling to detect syllable boundaries, with the goal of screening infants who may be at risk for later communication prob…

  • early intervention
  • speech technology
  • child development
  • speech disorders
  • babbling
  • acoustic analysis
  • developmental disabilities
  • screening

• ZigAlert: A ZigBee Alert for Toileting Training Children with Developmental Delay in a Public School Setting

  Yi-Chien Chen (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper presents ZigAlert, a wireless sensor network system based on ZigBee technology designed to assist with toilet training for children with severe developmental delays in a public school setting. The system addresses a practical challen…

  • assistive technology
  • developmental disabilities
  • intellectual disability
  • wireless sensor network
  • special education
  • toilet training
  • Internet of Things

• Broadening Accessibility Through Special Interests: A New Approach for Software Customization

  Robert R. Morris, Connor R. Kirschbaum, Rosalind W. Picard (2010) — Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper from MIT Media Lab presents a software approach for automatically embedding the special interests of individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) into computer-based interventions. People with ASD often have intense, narrow interests — …

  • autism spectrum disorder
  • special interests
  • software customization
  • personalization
  • computer-mediated intervention
  • developmental disabilities
  • motivation
  • game accessibility

• Computer Usage by Children with Down Syndrome: Challenges and Future Research

  Jinjuan Feng, Jonathan Lazar, Libby Kumin, Ant Ozok (2010) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This landmark study presents findings from a large-scale survey of approximately 600 parents of children with Down syndrome (DS) about their children's computer usage challenges. The research addresses a critical gap: while DS characteristics are wel…

  • Down syndrome
  • cognitive accessibility
  • developmental disabilities
  • children
  • survey research
  • input devices
  • educational technology

• Designing Gesture-Based Applications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Guidelines from User Studies in India

  Sumita Sharma, Blessin Varkey, Krishnaveni Achary, Jaakko Hakulinen, Markku Turunen, Tomi Heimonen, Saurabh Srivastava, Nitendra Rajput (2018) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents the design, evaluation, and resulting guidelines from three gesture-based applications created for individuals with developmental disabilities in India, developed through a long-term collaboration with Tamana, an NGO and special e…

  • developmental disabilities
  • gesture interaction
  • special education
  • inclusive design
  • Global South accessibility
  • autism spectrum disorder
  • intellectual disability
  • Kinect
  • life skills