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• Embroidered Braille: Towards Accessible and Inclusive Educational Tools and Everyday Applications

  Pouya M Khorsandi, Sara Nabil · 2026 · CHI EA '26: Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This short CHI Extended Abstracts paper by Khorsandi and Nabil (Queen's University iStudio) stakes out digitally embroidered Braille as a design space for DIY making of accessible everyday artefacts, rather than as another institutional assistive-technology pipeline. The authors…

  braille · digital embroidery · tactile graphics · blind and low vision · DIY

• Beyond Beautiful: Embroidering Legible and Expressive Tactile Graphics

  Margaret Ellen Seehorn, Claris Winston, Bo Liu, Gene S-H Kim, Emily White, Nupur Gorkar, Kate S Glazko, Aashaka Desai, Jerry Cao, Megan Hofmann, Jennifer Mankoff · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper explores machine embroidery as a medium for producing tactile graphics—tangible representations of visual information used by blind and visually impaired (BVI) individuals. Current methods for producing tactile graphics, primarily embossing and swell paper printing,…

  tactile graphics · machine embroidery · blind and visually impaired · fabrication · braille

• Information Wayfinding of Screen Reader Users: Five Personas to Expand Conceptualizations of User Experiences

  J. Bern Jordan, Victoria Van Hyning, Mason A. Jones, Rachael Bradley Montgomery, Elizabeth Bottner, Evan Tansil · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents five user personas representing the diverse range of screen reader experiences, developed from observations across several studies with blind screen reader users. The authors challenge the common assumption in research and development that screen reader users…

  screen readers · blind users · personas · user experience · information wayfinding

• Exploring Blind and Low-Vision Youth's Digital Access Needs in School: Toward Accessible Instructional Technologies

  Natalie L. Shaheen · 2024 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This mixed methods study investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) youth ages 13-22 experience technology-mediated learning in US K-12 schools. The author, herself congenitally blind and a former teacher of blind students, conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 BLV youth…

  blind and low vision · K-12 education · instructional technology · access technology · screen readers

• Low-Cost Tactile Coloring Page Fabrication on a Cutting Machine: Assembly and user experiences of cardstock-layered tangible pictures

  Nicole Johnson, Tom Yeh, Ann Cunningham · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This short paper presents a design inquiry into using a consumer-grade Cricut cutting machine to create tactile pictures and coloring pages by layering cardstock, as a low-cost alternative to traditional tactile image production methods. The technique, developed over three…

  tactile graphics · blindness · low vision · early learning · DIY assistive technology

• SoundCells: Designing a Browser-Based Music Technology for Braille and Print Notation

  William Payne, Fabiha Ahmed, Michael Gardell, R. Luke DuBois, Amy Hurst · 2022 · Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from New York University presents SoundCells, a free, open-source, browser-based music notation tool designed to be accessible to screen reader users while outputting music in three formats simultaneously: audio playback, visual print scores, and braille music…

  music accessibility · blindness · visual impairment · braille · screen readers

• Tactile Materials in Practice: Understanding the Experiences of Teachers of the Visually Impaired

  Mahika Phutane, Julie Wright, Brenda Veronica Castro, Lei Shi, Simone R. Stern, Holly M. Lawson, Shiri Azenkot · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This research investigates how Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) create, acquire, and use tactile materials—tactile graphics, 3D models, and real objects—in their educational practice. Despite growing research interest in tactile material creation technologies, there has…

  visual impairment · blindness · tactile graphics · 3D models · education

• LaTeX as an Inclusive Accessibility Instrument for Highschool Mathematical Education

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, Marco Bracco, Nadir Murru, Tiziana Armano, Anna Capietto · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A '21)

  This paper reports on the design, implementation, and outcomes of a teaching activity in an Italian high school that used LaTeX typesetting language as an inclusive tool for mathematical education. The project was designed to support "Cristina" (pseudonym), a second-year applied…

  visual impairment · math accessibility · education accessibility · inclusive design · assistive technology

• Bespoke Reflections: Creating a One-Handed Braille Keyboard

  Kirsten Ellis, Ross De Vent, Reuben Kirkham, Patrick Olivier · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper documents an 18-month co-design process to build a one-handed braille keyboard for Ross, a blind person who lost the use of his right arm following a stroke at age five. Most assistive technologies are designed for single impairment groups, leaving people with…

  bespoke assistive technology · DIY assistive technology · braille · co-design · blindness

• Adaptable Accessibility Features for Mathematics on the Web

  Davide Cervone, Volker Sorge · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the accessibility features in MathJax version 3, the widely-used JavaScript library for rendering mathematics on the web. The fundamental challenge is that standard mathematical markup formats (LaTeX, ASCIIMath, presentation MathML) lack the semantic…

  mathematics accessibility · MathJax · STEM accessibility · screen reader · Braille

• Feel-It: Personalized Audio-Tactile Web Browsing

  Anatoliy Borodin, Yevgen Borodin, Andrii Soviak, Vikas Ashok, Shirin Disfani, I. V. Ramakrishnan · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents Feel-It, a hardware-software system for audio-tactile web browsing that enables blind users to explore the two-dimensional spatial layout of web pages through touch. The core problem addressed is that screen readers reduce web pages to a…

  blindness · haptic feedback · tactile display · web browsing · screen reader

• A Tangible Math Game for Visually Impaired Children

  Ana Cristina Pires, Sebastian Marichal, Fernando Gonzalez-Perilli, Ewelina Bakala, Bruno Fleischer, Gustavo Sansone, Tiago Guerreiro · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents iCETA, an inclusive interactive system for math learning that enables visually impaired children to autonomously engage with and solve additive composition tasks (addition and subtraction) through tangible interaction. The system was designed…

  visual impairment · children · mathematics accessibility · tangible user interface · inclusive design

• A Demonstration of Molder: An Accessible Design Tool for Tactile Maps

  Lei Shi, Yuhang Zhao, Elizabeth Kupferstein, Shiri Azenkot · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper presents Molder, an accessible design tool that enables teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs) and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists to create 3D printed tactile maps without requiring professional 3D modeling skills. The problem Molder…

  tactile maps · tactile graphics · 3D printing · visual impairment · orientation and mobility

• Research to Market Transition of Mobile Assistive Technologies for People with Visual Impairments

  Sergio Mascetti, Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper examines why so few mobile assistive technology research prototypes for people with visual impairments ever reach end users, and shares practical lessons from the authors’ experience developing and distributing three iOS apps through EveryWare Technologies, a…

  assistive technology · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · technology transfer · blind

• BrailleBlocks: Braille Toys for Cross-Ability Collaboration

  Vinitha Gadiraju · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract presents BrailleBlocks, a tangible learning system designed to help blind or visually impaired children learn Braille collaboratively with their sighted parents. Braille literacy in the United States is critically low — less than 10% of blind…

  braille · blind · education · children · tangible interaction

• Towards Devising a Low-cost and Easy-to-use Arithmetic Learning Framework for Economically Less-privileged Visually Impaired Children

  Tusher Chakraborty, Taslim Arefin Khan, A. B. M. Alim Al Islam · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper addresses a critical gap in assistive technology: the lack of affordable, easy-to-use tools for teaching arithmetic to visually impaired children in low-income countries. While assistive calculators and digital tools exist, they are prohibitively expensive for the 90%…

  visual impairment · blindness · mathematics education · low-resource settings · Braille

• BrailleSketch: A Gesture-based Text Input Method for People with Visual Impairments

  Mingzhe Li, Mingming Fan, Khai N. Truong · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper presents BrailleSketch, a gesture-based text input method for touchscreen smartphones designed for people with visual impairments who already know the Braille alphabet. Rather than requiring users to tap specific screen locations or use multi-finger chording (as with…

  text entry · braille · gesture interaction · visual impairment · mobile accessibility

• Tactile Graphics with a Voice

  Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Ryan Drapeau, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that uses QR codes and a smartphone application to make text labels on tactile graphics accessible to blind and low-vision users — particularly the estimated 60% of blind people who are not fluent in Braille.…

  tactile graphics · visual impairment · QR codes · STEM accessibility · Braille

• Online Nemeth Braille Input/Output Using Content MathML

  Samuel S. Dooley, Susan Osterhaus, Dan Brown, Edgar Lozano, Su H. Park · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents a software system that enables automatic two-way conversion between printed mathematical notation and Nemeth Braille, using Content MathML as an intermediary representation. Access to mathematical content remains one of the most challenging…

  braille · mathematics accessibility · STEM accessibility · visual impairment · MathML

• TactBack: VibroTactile braille output using smartphone and smartwatch for visually impaired

  Aritra Dhar, Aditya Nittala, Kuldeep Yadav · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents TactBack, a system that uses vibration patterns on off-the-shelf smartphones and smartwatches to convey braille characters haptically. The system was motivated by the limitations of audio-based screen reader feedback (TalkBack) for visually…

  braille · haptic technology · wearable technology · visual impairment · deafblindness

• Customizable 3D Printed Tactile Maps as Interactive Overlays

  Brandon Taylor, Anind Dey, Dan Siewiorek, Asim Smailagic · 2016 · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This paper presents an end-to-end system that enables visually impaired individuals to independently design, customize, and interact with 3D printed tactile maps. Traditional tactile map production has been limited by high costs (Braille embossers range from $1,800 to $80,000;…

  tactile maps · tactile graphics · 3D printing · visual impairment · navigation

• Tactile Accessibility: Does Anyone Need a Haptic Glove?

  Andrii Soviak, Anatoliy Borodin, Vikas Ashok, Yevgen Borodin, Yury Puzis, I.V. Ramakrishnan · 2016 · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This paper presents FeelX, a low-cost haptic glove system designed to enable blind users to tactilely explore graphical user interfaces (GUIs) by moving their hands on any flat surface such as a desk or table. The fundamental problem addressed is that screen readers reduce…

  blindness · haptic technology · tactile accessibility · screen reader · GUI accessibility

• An Evaluation of SingleTapBraille Keyboard: A Text Entry Method that Utilizes Braille Patterns on Touchscreen Devices

  Maraim Alnfiai, Srinivas Sampalli · 2016 · ASSETS '16: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  SingleTapBraille is a touchscreen keyboard that allows blind users to enter text by tapping braille dot patterns anywhere on the screen, eliminating the need to locate specific key positions. Unlike QWERTY keyboards that require users to slide their finger across the screen…

  braille · text entry · touchscreen accessibility · blind accessibility · mobile accessibility

• HoliBraille: Multipoint Vibrotactile Feedback on Mobile Devices

  Hugo Nicolau, Kyle Montague, Tiago Guerreiro, André Rodrigues, Vicki L. Hanson · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces HoliBraille, a hardware prototype that enables both Braille input and output on standard mobile touchscreen devices using vibrotactile motors. The system attaches six small vibration motors to a 3D-printed case that fits over a smartphone, with each motor…

  braille · blind and low vision · haptic technology · mobile accessibility · vibrotactile feedback

• Browser-Independent Accessible Math

  Neil Soiffer · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper describes the re-architecture of MathPlayer (version 4) from Design Science, transforming it from an Internet Explorer-only plugin into a standalone library that any assistive technology can use to make mathematical notation accessible in any browser or application.…

  MathML · STEM accessibility · screen readers · speech generation · braille