Literature Reviews

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

• AuslanSpell: An Interactive Technology for Improving Auslan Fingerspelling Comprehension

  Kalin Stefanov, Andre Ky Pham, Antony Smith Loose, Lucy M Robertson-Bell, Louisa Jane Vaughan Willoughby (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  AuslanSpell is an interactive learning tool that converts arbitrary English text into 3D motion-captured animations of Australian Sign Language (Auslan) fingerspelling, targeting hearing learners who struggle with the hardest part of sign-language le…

  • Auslan
  • fingerspelling
  • sign language
  • signing avatar
  • language learning
  • participatory design
  • educational technology
  • deaf accessibility

• Comparing Methods of Displaying Language Feedback for Student Videos of American Sign Language

  Matt Huenerfauth, Elaine Gale, Brian Penly, Mackenzie Willard, Dhananjai Hariharan (2015) — ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This research investigates how to effectively provide feedback to students learning American Sign Language (ASL), specifically comparing different methods of presenting information about errors and correct usage in their signing videos. The work is m…

  • American Sign Language
  • ASL
  • deaf education
  • language learning
  • video feedback
  • Wizard-of-Oz
  • computer-assisted instruction
  • sign language
  • hearing parents

• Teaching ASL Signs using Signing Avatars and Immersive Learning in Virtual Reality

  Lorna C. Quandt, Jason Lamberton, Athena S. Willis, Jianye Wang, Kaitlyn Weeks, Emily Kubicek, Melissa Malzkuhn (2020) — Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This demonstration paper presents SAIL (Signing Avatars & Immersive Learning), the first ASL instructional system built for immersive virtual reality. Developed at Gallaudet University by a majority-Deaf team, SAIL uses a signing avatar — a computer-…

  • sign language
  • American Sign Language
  • virtual reality
  • signing avatars
  • motion capture
  • embodied learning
  • Deaf accessibility
  • language learning
  • gesture tracking

• Towards an AI-Driven Video-Based American Sign Language Dictionary: Exploring Design and Usage Experience with Learners

  Saad Hassan, Matyas Bohacek, Chaelin Kim, Denise Crochet (2025) — Proceedings of the 22nd International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the design, implementation, and user evaluation of a fully automated video-based American Sign Language (ASL) dictionary that allows learners to look up unfamiliar signs by recording themselves performing the sign via webcam. Unli…

  • sign language technology
  • ASL dictionary
  • sign language recognition
  • video-based search
  • language learning
  • AI-driven accessibility

• Evaluation of Language Feedback Methods for Student Videos of American Sign Language

  Matt Huenerfauth, Elaine Gale, Brian Penly, Sree Pillutla, Mackenzie Willard, Dhananjai Hariharan (2017) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates how to best present video-based feedback to students learning American Sign Language (ASL), as part of a long-term project to build an automatic system that analyses student signing videos and provides immediate corrective fee…

  • sign language
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • ASL education
  • video feedback
  • language learning
  • Wizard-of-Oz
  • facial expression

• ZINinNGT: A Mobile Tool to Aid Hearing Parents Learning Dutch Sign Language

  Jos Ritmeester, Beyza Sümer, Marije Boonstra, Maartje de Meulder, Belinda van der Aa, Floris Roelofsen (2024) — Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This short paper examines the potential of ZINinNGT, a mobile learning application designed to help hearing parents of deaf and hard-of-hearing (DHH) children learn Dutch Sign Language (Nederlandse Gebarentaal, NGT). The research addresses a critical…

  • sign language
  • deaf and hard of hearing
  • language learning
  • mobile application
  • family communication
  • children