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• LocalEyes: Accessible GPS and Points of Interest

  Jason Behmer, Stillman Knox · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This student research paper presents LocalEyes, an open-source Android application that provides accessible GPS and points-of-interest information for blind and low-vision users. The authors identify that existing accessible GPS devices like the Trekker Talking GPS cost between…

  visual impairment · GPS navigation · mobile accessibility · points of interest · wayfinding

• EPG: Speech Access to Program Guides for People with Disabilities

  Michael Johnston, Amanda J. Stent · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This demo paper from AT&T Labs Research presents an Electronic Program Guide (EPG) prototype that uses speech input and text-to-speech output to make television listing navigation accessible to people with visual disabilities or limited hand mobility. The authors identify that…

  speech recognition · voice interface · television accessibility · visual impairment · motor impairment

• Assistive Web Browsing with Touch Interfaces

  Faisal Ahmed, Muhammad Asiful Islam, Yevgen Borodin, I. V. Ramakrishnan · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This demo paper from Stony Brook University proposes a touch-based directional navigation technique to improve web browsing for blind users on touch devices (iPhone, MacBook trackpad). The authors identify two key problems with Apple's VoiceOver touch interface: the "fat finger"…

  web accessibility · touch interface · screen reader · VoiceOver · visual impairment

• Vi-Bowling: A Tactile Spatial Exergame for Individuals with Visual Impairments

  Tony Morelli, John Foley, Eelke Folmer · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents VI Bowling, an accessible exergame (exercise video game) for blind and visually impaired players that introduces tactile dowsing — a novel interaction technique using vibrotactile feedback from a Nintendo Wii remote to perform spatial aiming challenges…

  exergame · visual impairment · haptic technology · game accessibility · physical activity

• Designing Auditory Cues to Enhance Spoken Mathematics for Visually Impaired Users

  Emma Murphy, Enda Bates, Dónal Fitzpatrick · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents a novel auditory math system designed to make spoken mathematical equations more accessible to visually impaired users. The core challenge addressed is that visual mathematical notation conveys structure — such as fractions, superscripts, subscripts, and…

  mathematical accessibility · auditory display · non-speech sound · spearcons · visual impairment

• In-Situ Study of Blind Individuals Listening to Audio-Visual Contents

  Claude Chapdelaine · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents an in-situ observational study examining how ten legally blind individuals (WHO levels 3-5) listen to and comprehend audio-visual content such as films, television dramas, and science reports. The research aims to understand the type, quantity, and frequency…

  audio description · video description · visual impairment · blindness · residual vision

• A System of Clothes Matching for Visually Impaired Persons

  Shuai Yuan · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper presents a proof-of-concept computer vision system designed to help blind and visually impaired people determine whether two clothing items match in both color and pattern. The system addresses a common daily living challenge: selecting appropriate clothing…

  computer vision · blindness · visual impairment · daily living · independent living

• Quantitative Evaluation for Web Accessibility with Respect to Disabled Groups

  Pornpat Sirithumgul, Atiwong Suchato, Proadpran Punyabukkana · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper proposes a methodology for evaluating web accessibility that goes beyond standard WCAG conformance levels to assess suitability for specific disability groups, particularly vision-impaired and hearing-impaired users. The authors argue that WCAG conformance levels (A,…

  accessibility metrics · web accessibility · barrier walkthrough · quantitative evaluation · visual impairment

• Audio Presentation of Auto-Suggest Lists

  Andy Brown, Caroline Jay, Simon Harper · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper investigates how to make auto-suggest lists (ASLs) — the dropdown suggestions that appear as users type in search boxes and form fields — accessible through audio for visually impaired users. Part of the SASWAT (Structured Accessibility Stream for Web 2.0 Access…

  visual impairment · screen readers · dynamic content · Web 2.0 · auto-suggest

• Getting mobile with mobile devices: using the web to improve transit accessibility

  Darren Minifie, Yvonne Coady · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibililty (W4A)

  This paper proposes a mobile web-based architecture for making public transit accessible to blind and visually impaired travelers. Drawing on direct feedback from the blind community (including one of the authors, who is visually impaired), the paper identifies four key barriers…

  mobile accessibility · public transportation · visual impairment · blindness · GPS

• TeleWeb: accessible service for web browsing via phone

  Yevgen Borodin, Glenn Dausch, I. V. Ramakrishnan · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibililty (W4A)

  This paper presents TeleWeb, a telephony service that enables web browsing via any standard telephone using speech and keypad input. Built on top of the HearSay non-visual web browser engine from Stony Brook University, TeleWeb allows users to call a phone number and then search…

  screen readers · voice interface · visual impairment · blindness · telephony

• Combining SADIe and AxsJAX to Improve the Accessibility of Web Content

  Darren Lunn, Simon Harper, Sean Bechhofer · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Manchester presents a prototype system that combines two accessibility approaches — SADIe and Google's AxsJAX framework — to improve web content access for visually impaired screen reader users. SADIe (Semantic Annotation for Document Interfaces…

  screen readers · web accessibility · transcoding · ARIA · CSS

• Exploring Visual and Motor Accessibility in Navigating a Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Mark Laff, Vicki Hanson, Anna Cavender · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper explores accessibility requirements for 3D virtual worlds, using PowerUp—an educational multiplayer game teaching middle schoolers about renewable energy—as a testbed. Virtual worlds present unique accessibility challenges: they rely on visual realism and dynamic…

  virtual reality · game accessibility · visual impairment · cerebral palsy · motor accessibility

• Rock Vibe: Rock Band® Computer Games for People with No or Limited Vision

  Troy Allman, Rupinder K. Dhillon, Molly A.E. Landau, Sri H. Kurniawan · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents Rock Vibe, a modification of the commercial Rock Band® video game that replaces visual cues with haptic vibrations and audio feedback to enable people with no or limited vision to play the drumming component. The system uses an Arduino microcontroller to…

  game accessibility · visual impairment · blindness · haptic feedback · sensory substitution

• Freedom to Roam: A Study of Mobile Device Adoption and Accessibility for People with Visual and Motor Disabilities

  Shaun K. Kane, Chandrika Jayant, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Richard E. Ladner · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a two-method qualitative study examining how people with visual and motor disabilities select, adapt, and use mobile devices in their daily lives. The researchers interviewed 20 participants (ages 20-66) with visual disabilities (blindness, low vision) and…

  mobile accessibility · visual impairment · motor impairment · blindness · low vision

• Haptic User Interface Design for Students with Visual Impairments

  Hyung Nam Kim · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper explores the design of haptic user interfaces to help students with visual impairments understand science concepts related to heat and temperature — topics where common misconceptions are prevalent even among sighted students and where traditional teaching…

  haptic technology · visual impairment · STEM accessibility · science education · multimodal interaction

• Haptic Handheld Wayfinder with Pseudo-Attraction Force for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Tomohiro Amemiya, Hisashi Sugiyama · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a compact handheld haptic device that guides visually impaired pedestrians by generating a directional force sensation — a feeling of being pulled or pushed toward the correct direction. The device exploits a perceptual phenomenon called "pseudo-attraction…

  haptic technology · wayfinding · visual impairment · navigation · kinesthetic perception

• Instant Tactile-Audio Map: Enabling Access to Digital Maps for People with Visual Impairment

  Zheshen Wang, Baoxin Li, Terri Hedgpeth, Teresa Haven · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents an automated system for converting standard digital map images into interactive tactile-audio maps that people who are blind can explore independently. The core problem addressed is that while online map services like Google Maps provide rich geographical…

  tactile maps · visual impairment · multimodal interaction · audio feedback · navigation

• Making Microsoft Excel Accessible: Multimodal Presentation of Charts

  Iyad Abu Doush, Enrico Pontelli, Dominic Simon, Tran Cao Son, Ou Ma · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a system for making Microsoft Excel charts accessible to people with visual impairments through a combination of haptic force feedback and audio cues. The authors identify that while screen readers and specialised tools can handle tabular data in Excel, the…

  data visualization · haptic technology · sonification · visual impairment · charts

• TextSL: A Command-Based Virtual World Interface for the Visually Impaired

  Eelke Folmer, Bei Yuan, Dave Carr, Manjari Sapre · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents TextSL, a text-based client for the virtual world Second Life that enables access via screen readers. Second Life is a non-game virtual world where users control avatars to explore 3D environments, socialise with others, and interact with user-created objects…

  virtual worlds · visual impairment · screen readers · game accessibility · social interaction

• Enabling Access to Geo-referenced Information: Atlas.txt

  Kavita E. Thomas, Livia Sumegi, Leo Ferres, Somayajulu Sripada · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Aberdeen and Carleton University presents Atlas.txt, a data-to-text natural language generation (NLG) system designed to make geo-referenced data — such as census maps and thematic choropleth maps — accessible to visually impaired users. The…

  natural language generation · visual impairment · data accessibility · geographic information · data visualization

• The SADIe Transcoding Platform

  Darren Lunn, Sean Bechhofer, Simon Harper · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper presents the SADIe (Structural-Semantics for Accessibility and Device Independence) transcoding platform, developed at the University of Manchester. SADIe addresses a fundamental challenge for visually impaired screen reader users: web pages are designed…

  web accessibility · transcoding · screen readers · visual impairment · semantic web

• Multimodal Trajectory Playback for Teaching Shape Information and Trajectories to Visually Impaired Computer Users

  Andrew Crossan, Stephen Brewster · 2008 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This research investigates how haptic (force-feedback) and audio trajectory playback can teach shapes and gestures to blind and visually impaired computer users. The fundamental challenge addressed is that spatial information—shapes, diagrams, graphs, maps—is difficult to convey…

  haptic technology · multimodal interaction · visual impairment · force feedback · tactile graphics

• TAIG: textually accessible information graphics

  Seniz Demir · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This short paper presents TAIG (Textually Accessible Information Graphics), a system designed to make bar charts and other information graphics accessible to people with visual impairments by generating coherent natural language summaries. TAIG extends the SIGHT system, which is…

  data visualization · graph summarization · screen readers · visual impairment · natural language generation

• Refreshable tactile graphics applied to schoolbook illustrations for students with visual impairment

  Grégory Petit, Aude Dufresne, Vincent Levesque, Vincent Hayward, Nicole Trudeau · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents research on making schoolbook illustrations accessible to students with visual impairments using a refreshable tactile display system. The system combines the STReSS2 (Stimulator of Tactile Receptors by Skin Stretch), a device that produces tactile feedback…

  tactile graphics · visual impairment · education · haptic technology · refreshable displays