The Personal Portable Profile Project
Blaise W. Liffick, Gary Zoppetti, Shane Shearer · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06) · doi:10.1145/1168987.1169047
Summary
This paper presents the Personal Portable Profile (P3) system, a hardware and software solution designed to let users with disabilities carry their computer accessibility settings between machines. The core problem addressed is that operating system user profiles — covering display, keyboard, mouse, and accessibility options — are tied to individual computers. Users with disabilities often invest significant time fine-tuning these settings for accessibility (such as sticky keys, high contrast displays, or adjusted mouse pointer speeds), but cannot easily replicate them when moving to a different computer. This is especially problematic in educational settings where students may need to use computers across multiple labs on different networks. The P3 system uses a UD-RW (universal device – read/write) USB flash drive with an auto-run capability. The device contains a special CD-ROM partition that triggers an auto-run program when inserted into a USB port. The software provides three simple operations via large buttons: Capture (save the current machine's profile settings to the device), Set (back up the target machine's profile and apply the stored settings), and Restore (return the target machine to its original settings). The system works by reading and writing Windows registry keys related to accessibility and interaction settings, translating them into system calls that take effect without requiring a restart or log-off.
Key findings
The P3 prototype successfully captures, sets, and restores keyboard and mouse settings across different Windows XP machines. The system uses a three-zone UD-RW flash drive architecture (CD-ROM zone, flash drive zone, and hidden memory zone) to enable auto-run functionality — critical for minimizing user interaction for people with disabilities. The technical challenge involved interpreting Windows registry key-value pairs and translating them into real-time system parameter calls, with some values requiring grouping into heterogeneous structures. The system was designed with minimal interaction in mind: just three buttons for the complete workflow. At the time of publication, display settings via the Accessibility Wizard, Accessibility Options applet, and Display applet were planned for the next version. User trials were planned with both non-disabled students and at least a dozen disabled users, focusing on system robustness and cross-hardware/software compatibility.
Relevance
Although this 2006 system targeted Windows XP and USB flash drives — technologies now largely superseded — the underlying problem remains highly relevant. Users with disabilities still face challenges when moving between devices, whether in workplaces, educational institutions, or public access terminals. Modern cloud-syncing of accessibility preferences (e.g., Apple iCloud, Microsoft account sync, GPII/Morphic) has its roots in projects like P3. The paper highlights an important accessibility principle: customization that is convenient for most users is essential for users with disabilities, and portability of those customizations is a prerequisite for equitable access to shared computing resources. The minimal-interaction design philosophy — reducing the entire profile transfer to three button presses — demonstrates thoughtful consideration of the target users' needs.
Tags: assistive technology · user profile · personalization · portable accessibility · operating system settings · USB device