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• New Technology Enables Many-Fold Reduction in the Cost of Refreshable Braille Displays

  John Roberts, Oliver Slattery, David Kardos, Brett Swope · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describes a novel rotating-wheel design for refreshable Braille displays that could reduce costs by up to a factor of ten compared to existing displays. The dominant cost factor in conventional Braille…

  braille · refreshable braille display · assistive technology · hardware · tactile accessibility

• A Study of Blind Drawing Practice: Creating Graphical Information Without the Visual Channel

  Hesham M. Kamel, James A. Landay · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from UC Berkeley investigates how blind users create drawings and proposes a grid-based model for non-visual drawing tools. The researchers began by observing that existing drawing tools for blind users fail because they lack adequate contextual feedback — blind users…

  tactile graphics · blindness and low vision · non-visual interaction · drawing tools · accessible graphics

• A Semantic Transcoding System to Adapt Web Services for Users with Disabilities

  Anita W. Huang, Neel Sundaresan · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from IBM Almaden Research Center presents Aurora, a semantic transcoding system that adapts web-based services for users with disabilities by extracting the meaning of web content rather than simply reformatting its syntax. The key problem Aurora addresses is that…

  web accessibility · web transcoding · content adaptation · XML · semantic web

• Programming by Voice, VocalProgramming

  Stephen C. Arnold, Leo Mark, John Goldthwaite · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents VocalProgrammer, a system designed to enable programming entirely by voice, motivated primarily by the high incidence of repetitive stress injuries (RSI) among programmers. The authors note that the total cost of RSI of all types was estimated at nearly $6…

  voice programming · speech recognition · repetitive stress injury · code accessibility · assistive technology

• Human Factors Issues in the Neural Signals Direct Brain-Computer Interface

  Melody M. Moore, Philip R. Kennedy · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents the software and human factors aspects of the Neural Signals direct brain-computer interface project — one of the first implanted BCI systems tested in humans. Unlike non-invasive BCIs that read EEG signals through the scalp, this system uses a neurotrophic…

  brain-computer interface · locked-in syndrome · neural prosthetics · assistive technology · human-computer interaction

• An Intelligent Tutoring System for Deaf Learners of Written English

  Lisa N. Michaud, Kathleen F. McCoy, Christopher A. Pennington · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the University of Delaware describes ICICLE (Interactive Communication and Correction of Language Errors), an intelligent tutoring system designed to improve written English literacy among deaf students who are native or near-native signers of American Sign…

  deaf literacy · intelligent tutoring system · American Sign Language · English literacy · second language acquisition

• A Storytelling Robot for Pediatric Rehabilitation

  Catherine Plaisant, Allison Druin, Corinna Lathan, Kapil Dakhane, Kris Edwards, Jack Maxwell Vice, Jaime Montemayor · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the University of Maryland's Human-Computer Interaction Laboratory and AnthroTronix describes PETS (Personal Electronic Teller of Stories), a storytelling robot designed for pediatric rehabilitation. Children control a large furry robot using body-worn sensors…

  assistive robotics · pediatric rehabilitation · therapeutic play · participatory design · cerebral palsy

• User Interface of a Nonvisual Table Navigation Method

  Chieko Asakawa, Takashi Itoh · 1999 · CHI '99 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This two-page CHI '99 late-breaking-results extended abstract addresses a problem that was central to the early accessible web: HTML tables were everywhere — used both for tabular data and, at the time, as a layout device — but talking web browsers read them strictly…

  web accessibility · screen readers · voice browser · table accessibility · blindness and low vision

• A Phoneme Probability Display for Individuals with Hearing Disabilities

  Deb Roy, Alex Pentland · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from MIT Media Lab presents a speech-to-visual-display system designed to aid individuals with hearing impairments by converting continuous speech into an animated graphical representation of phoneme probabilities. Rather than attempting traditional speech-to-text…

  hearing accessibility · speech technology · speech visualization · neural networks · phoneme recognition

• Head Pointing and Speech Control as a Hands-Free Interface to Desktop Computing

  Rainer Malkewitz · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents a hands-free computer interface that combines head pointing with speech control to enable users who cannot use a mouse and keyboard to operate standard WIMP-style graphical user interfaces. Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, the system uses a…

  head tracking · speech recognition · hands-free interface · alternative input · motor disability

• Designing Interfaces for an Overlooked User Group: Considering the Visual Profiles of Partially Sighted Users

  Julie A. Jacko, Andrew Sears · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This position paper argues that partially sighted computer users represent a critically underserved population in interface design research. The authors identify a gap between two groups that have received significant attention — fully sighted users and totally blind users —…

  low vision · visual impairment · partial vision · visual profile · graphical user interface accessibility

• Digital Talking Books on a PC: A Usability Evaluation of the Prototype DAISY Playback Software

  Sarah Morley · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper describes the design and usability evaluation of the first PC-based DAISY (Digital Audio-Based Information System) playback software, developed at the request of the Swedish Braille and Talking Book Library. The DAISY system represented a major advance over…

  DAISY · digital talking book · usability testing · blind and low vision · auditory navigation

• Comparing Effects of Navigational Interface Modalities on Speaker Prosodics

  Julie Baca · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper investigates whether speech-only (displayless) interfaces impose a measurable cognitive burden on users compared to multimodal interfaces that include visual or tactile components. The research uses an innovative methodology: rather than relying on subjective workload…

  speech technology · cognitive load · non-visual interaction · navigation · prosody

• Computer-Based Cognitive Prosthetics: Assistive Technology for the Treatment of Cognitive Disabilities

  Elliot Cole, Parto Dehdashti · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents over a decade of research and clinical work from the Institute for Cognitive Prosthetics on designing computer-based cognitive prosthetic (CBCP) systems for individuals with acquired cognitive disabilities from traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, and other…

  cognitive disability · cognitive prosthetic · traumatic brain injury · stroke recovery · brain injury rehabilitation

• Haptic Virtual Reality for Blind Computer Users

  Chetz Colwell, Helen Petrie, Diana Kornbrot, Andrew Hardwick, Stephen Furner · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents three experiments investigating how blind and sighted people perceive virtual textures and 3D objects through the Impulse Engine 3000, a force-feedback haptic device with a probe that users manipulate in three degrees of freedom. The research aimed to…

  haptic technology · virtual reality · blind and low vision · tactile accessibility · virtual texture

• TGuide: A Guidance System for Tactile Image Exploration

  Martin Kurze · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents TGuide, a system that actively guides blind users' hands during exploration of tactile graphics using a novel vibrotactile directional output device. The author identifies three key problems with unaided tactile image exploration: blind users cannot get a…

  tactile graphics · blind and low vision · vibrotactile display · haptic technology · directional guidance

• VRML-Based Representations of ASL Fingerspelling on the World Wide Web

  S. Augustine Su, Richard K. Furuta · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents techniques for representing American Sign Language (ASL) fingerspelling using 3D hand models in VRML 2.0 (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) on the World Wide Web. The authors argue that VRML offers a more effective way to document sign language online than…

  sign language · American Sign Language · fingerspelling · VRML · virtual reality

• An Interactive Method for Accessing Tables in HTML

  Toshiya Oogane, Chieko Asakawa · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from IBM Japan proposes a method for converting HTML tables into non-visual, navigable representations for screen reader users. At the time, Screen Reader/2 (the Japanese version of OS/2's screen reader) could read displayed text information line by line and word by…

  web accessibility · screen reader · HTML tables · table accessibility · blind and low vision

• Automatic Babble Recognition for Early Detection of Speech Related Disorders

  Harriet J. Fell, Joel MacAuslan, Karen Chenausky, Linda J. Ferrier · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents the Early Vocalization Analyzer (EVA), a program that automatically analyzes digitized recordings of infant babbling to detect syllable boundaries, with the goal of screening infants who may be at risk for later communication problems. The research is…

  early intervention · speech technology · child development · speech disorders · babbling

• Towards an EOG-Based Eye Tracker for Computer Control

  David W. Patmore, R. Benjamin Knapp · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper describes the development of an eye tracking system for computer control based on bio-electrical signals, intended as a pointing device for people with physical disabilities. The system combines two complementary biosignal approaches: the Electrooculogram (EOG), which…

  eye tracking · electrooculogram · alternative input · motor disability · bio-electrical signal

• Alliance for Technology Access: Making Assistive Technology Accessible to the Community

  Mary Ann Glicksman · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This one-page briefing paper describes the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), a national network of over 40 community-based, consumer-driven technology resource centers headquartered in San Rafael, California. At the time of publication, the network comprised 41…

  assistive technology · community resources · disability rights · technology access · organizational accessibility

• Expanded Interactions: Broadening Human-Centered Computing

  Richard A. Foulds, Arthur W. Joyce · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper reports on the preliminary results of an NSF-sponsored invitational workshop titled "Expanded Interaction: Broadening Human-Centered Computing," held at the Winterthur Museum and A.I. duPont Institute in Wilmington, Delaware in May 1997. Approximately 40 participants…

  human-centered computing · universal design · universal access · multimodal interaction · inclusive design

• Smart Rooms, Desks, and Clothes

  Alexander Pentland · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This keynote address from Assets '98, delivered by Alexander Pentland of MIT's Media Laboratory, outlines a vision for transforming everyday objects — rooms, desks, clothing, cars, and eyeglasses — into intelligent, perceptive systems that actively assist their users. Pentland…

  smart environments · wearable computing · perceptual computing · ambient intelligence · adaptive environments

• 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 combined two gestural input…

  gesture recognition · multimodal input · motor impairment · user studies · cognitive load

• A Model of Keyboard Configuration Requirements

  Shari Trewin, Helen Pain · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from the University of Edinburgh presents a user model — a computer program that observes a person's typing behaviour and automatically identifies keyboard difficulties, then recommends appropriate configuration settings. The model addresses four common keyboard…

  keyboard accessibility · motor impairment · user modelling · assistive technology · input devices