Literature Reviews

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

• ElectroGrasp: Electrotactile Aids for Visually Impaired Individuals in Anticipatory Planning and Control of Grasp

  Hechuan Zhang, Rufei Song, Ruoyan Liu, Shengsheng Jiang, Xiaohui Tan, Tianren Luo, Yulin Jin, Hongnan Lin, Teng Han, Feng Tian (2026) — Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Sighted people pre-shape their hand before touching an object - a visually-driven anticipatory grasp plan that visually impaired (VI) users cannot form, leading to the characteristic 'double grip' (initial contact followed by compensatory regrasp) th…

  • blind and low vision
  • electrotactile feedback
  • haptic technology
  • assistive technology
  • wearable technology
  • spatial perception
  • grasping
  • proprioception
  • sensory substitution
  • motor control
  • cross-modal plasticity

• A Mixed Method for Evaluating Input Devices with Older Persons

  Murni Mahmud (2006) — Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This exploratory study introduces a mixed evaluation method for assessing common input devices used by older persons. The author argues that traditional input device studies rely too heavily on experimental tasks like Fitts's Law pointing tests, whic…

  • older adults
  • input devices
  • usability evaluation
  • mixed methods
  • psychometric testing
  • motor control
  • human factors

• Mouse Movements of Motion-Impaired Users: A Submovement Analysis

  Faustina Hwang, Simeon Keates, Patrick Langdon, John Clarkson (2003) — Proceedings of the 6th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '04)

  This paper presents a detailed submovement analysis of mouse cursor trajectories from six motion-impaired users (four with cerebral palsy of varying types — athetoid, athetoid with spasm, and general — and one with Friedrich's ataxia and tremor) and …

  • motor disability
  • cursor control
  • pointing device
  • target acquisition
  • cerebral palsy
  • ataxia
  • user research
  • interaction design
  • motor control
  • human factors

• A Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Program for Stroke Rehabilitation

  David Jack, Rares Boian, Alma Merians, Sergei V. Adamovich, Marilyn Tremaine, Michael Recce, Grigore C. Burdea, Howard Poizner (2000) — Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from Rutgers University presents a PC-based desktop virtual reality system designed to rehabilitate hand function in stroke patients. Stroke is identified as the leading cause of adult disability, with 65% of the nearly four million stroke…

  • virtual reality
  • stroke recovery
  • rehabilitation
  • haptic technology
  • force feedback
  • motor accessibility
  • motor control
  • game accessibility
  • adaptive systems
  • assistive technology

• Effects of Aging on Small Target Selection with Touch Input

  Afroza Sultana, Karyn Moffatt (2019) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study provides a detailed analysis of age-related touch selection errors on small touchscreen devices, extending prior work on mouse and pen interaction to finger touch input. Twenty older adults (ages 67-81, M=73.3) and sixteen younger adults (…

  • older adults
  • aging
  • touchscreen
  • mobile accessibility
  • target selection
  • Fitts Law
  • motor control
  • error analysis

• A Comparison of Touchscreen and Mouse for Real-World and Abstract Tasks with Older Adults

  Sung-Hee Kim, Kailun Zhang, Joanna McGrenere, Kellogg S. Booth, Claudia Jacova (2020) — ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates whether input device choice (touchscreen vs. mouse) affects performance on computerized cognitive tests for older adults, with implications for the C-TOC (Cognitive Testing on Computer) project developing self-administered onl…

  • older adults
  • aging
  • touchscreen
  • input devices
  • cognitive testing
  • motor control
  • Fitts Law
  • pointing
  • dragging

• Why Is Gesture Typing Promising for Older Adults? Comparing Gesture and Tap Typing Behavior of Older with Young Adults

  Yu-Hao Lin, Suwen Zhu, Yu-Jung Ko, Wenzhe Cui, Xiaojun Bi (2018) — Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This study from Stony Brook University investigates whether gesture typing (gliding a finger continuously across keys to spell words) is a viable alternative to traditional tap typing for older adults on smartphones. Text entry is one of the most sig…

  • older adults
  • text entry
  • gesture typing
  • touchscreen accessibility
  • mobile accessibility
  • motor control
  • aging
  • input methods