Literature Reviews

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

• LaboSignes: an Interactive French Sign Language Recognition Interface

  Jules Françoise, Julie Lascar, Cyril Verrechia, Sidonie Minodier, Michèle Gouiffès, Annelies Braffort (2026) — Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  LaboSignes is a web-based interactive French Sign Language (LSF) recognition system aimed at search-by-sign, addressing the fact that most online resources, including bilingual dictionaries and news sites, are navigable only through written French, w…

  • sign language
  • French Sign Language
  • sign language recognition
  • Deaf accessibility
  • gesture recognition
  • interface design
  • transformer
  • pose estimation
  • web accessibility

• Open, Accurate, and Calibration-Free Muscle-Computer Interfaces

  Ethan Eddy, Evan Campbell, Erik J. Scheme, Scott Bateman (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Eddy and colleagues tackle one of the long-standing barriers to practical muscle-computer interfaces (MCIs): that accurate, cross-user gesture recognition from forearm EMG has historically required either per-user calibration or access to closed data…

  • muscle-computer interface
  • electromyography
  • EMG
  • gesture recognition
  • machine learning
  • wearable technology
  • alternative input
  • myoelectric control
  • open source
  • prosthetics

• Giving Meaning to Movements: Challenges and Opportunities in Expanding Communication by Pairing Unaided AAC with Speech Generated Messages

  Imran Kabir, Sharon Ann Redmon, Lynn R. Elko, Kevin Williams, Mitchell A. Case, Dawn J. Sowers, Krista Wilkinson, Syed Masum Billah (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Kabir and colleagues tackle a long-standing split in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC): aided AAC — speech-generating devices, symbol boards, tablet apps — produces standardised, intelligible output but is slow, visually demanding, and…

  • AAC
  • augmentative and alternative communication
  • motor impairment
  • speech impairment
  • wearable technology
  • IMU
  • gesture recognition
  • machine learning
  • personalization
  • participatory design
  • datasets

• DiG-Net: Enhancing Human–Robot Interaction through Hyper-Range Dynamic Gesture Recognition in Assistive Robotics

  Eran Bamani Beeri, Eden Nissinman, Avishai Sintov (2026) — ACM Transactions on Human-Robot Interaction

  DiG-Net (Distance-aware Gesture Network) addresses a fundamental limitation in gesture-controlled assistive robotics: existing dynamic gesture recognition systems work reliably only within about seven metres of the camera, severely constraining their…

  • assistive robotics
  • gesture recognition
  • human-robot interaction
  • mobility impairment
  • accessibility
  • computer vision
  • deep learning
  • nonverbal communication

• The Intelligent Voice-Interactive Interface

  Christopher Schmandt, Eric A. Hulteen (1982) — Proceedings of the 1982 Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '82)

  Schmandt and Hulteen describe the 'Put That There' system built at MIT's Architecture Machine Group (the precursor to the Media Lab), one of the earliest working implementations of a conversational, multimodal human–computer interface. Seated in a ch…

  • speech recognition
  • voice interface
  • multimodal interaction
  • gesture recognition
  • historical
  • natural language interface
  • redundant input
  • accessible input

• American Sign Language Recognition in Game Development for Deaf Children

  Helene Brashear, Valerie Henderson, Kwang-Hyun Park, Harley Hamilton, Seungyon Lee, Thad Starner (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents CopyCat, an educational computer game that uses gesture recognition technology to help young deaf children (ages 6-11) practice American Sign Language (ASL) skills. The project addresses a critical language development challenge: …

  • deaf education
  • sign language recognition
  • ASL
  • gesture recognition
  • computer vision
  • educational games
  • hidden Markov models
  • children
  • language acquisition

• The Use of Gestures in Multimodal Input

  Simeon Keates, Peter Robinson (1998) — Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from the University of Cambridge describes the development and evaluation of a prototype multimodal input system designed for users with motion impairments, for whom standard keyboard and mouse arrangements are often unusable. The system c…

  • gesture recognition
  • multimodal input
  • motor impairment
  • user studies
  • cognitive load
  • head tracking
  • assistive technology
  • human-computer interaction

• A Generic Direct-Manipulation 3D-Auditory Environment for Hierarchical Navigation in Non-Visual Interaction

  Anthony Savidis, Constantine Stephanidis, Andreas Korte, Kai Crispien, Klaus Fellbaum (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper presents a generic, reusable 3D-auditory environment designed to support hierarchical navigation in non-visual user interfaces. The authors address a significant gap in assistive technology development: while 3D audio had been used in a fe…

  • non-visual interaction
  • auditory interface
  • 3D audio
  • spatial audio
  • gesture recognition
  • voice input
  • assistive technology
  • toolkit design
  • hierarchical navigation

• A Gesture Recognition Architecture for Sign Language

  Annelies Braffort (1996) — Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper from LIMSI-CNRS in France presents a gesture recognition architecture specifically designed for sign languages, grounded in a detailed linguistic analysis of French Sign Language (LSF). The key insight is that sign languages differ fundame…

  • sign language
  • gesture recognition
  • French Sign Language
  • data glove
  • sign language recognition
  • machine learning
  • Hidden Markov Model
  • deaf accessibility
  • linguistics

• Accessibility of 3D Game Environments for People with Aphasia: An Exploratory Study

  Julia Galliers, Stephanie Wilson, Sam Muscroft, Jane Marshall, Abi Roper, Naomi Cocks, Tim Pring (2011) — The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating how people with aphasia interact with 3D game environments and related technologies. Conducted as part of the GReAT (Gesture Recognition in Aphasia Therapy) project at City University London, t…

  • aphasia
  • game accessibility
  • virtual reality
  • stroke recovery
  • cognitive accessibility
  • gesture recognition
  • participatory design
  • interaction design