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• Automatic Natural Language Generation Applied to Alternative and Augmentative Communication for Online Video Content Services using SimpleNLG for Spanish

  Silvia García-Méndez, Milagros Fernández-Gavilanes, Enrique Costa-Montenegro, Jonathan Juncal-Martínez, Francisco Javier González-Castaño · 2018 · Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference (W4A 2018)

  This short paper presents the development of a Spanish version of SimpleNLG — a natural language generation (NLG) library — specifically enhanced for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) applications. The work addresses a gap at the intersection of AAC and online…

  AAC · natural language processing · pictograms · Spanish · natural language generation

• From Behavioral and Communication Intervention to Interaction Design: User Perspectives from Clinicians

  Yao Du, LouAnne Boyd, Seray Ibrahim · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This experience report from three clinicians-turned-researchers (a board certified behavior analyst from the US, and two speech and language therapists from the UK and US) reflects on the gap between clinical practice with neurodiverse children and HCI/assistive technology…

  AAC · autism · children · behavioral intervention · speech and language therapy

• Working Together: Technology as the Foundation for Better Employment Outcomes for People with Disability

  Alastair McEwin · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  Written by Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, this keynote paper draws on the findings of the 2016 "Willing to Work" national inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with…

  disability employment · disability rights · workplace accessibility · digital inclusion · disability discrimination

• The Cost of Turning Heads: A Comparison of a Head-Worn Display to a Smartphone for Supporting Persons with Aphasia in Conversation

  Kristin Williams, Karyn Moffatt, Jonggi Hong, Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah, Leah Findlater · 2016 · ASSETS '16: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This study directly compares head-worn displays (HWDs) to smartphones for providing vocabulary support to people with aphasia—an acquired language disorder caused by brain damage (typically stroke) that affects word-finding, comprehension, and language formulation. While…

  aphasia · AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · head-worn display · wearable computing

• A Web Based Multi-Linguists Symbol-to-Text AAC Application

  Chaohai Ding, Nawar Halabi, Lama Al-Zaben, Yunjia Li, E. A. Draffan, Mike Wald · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Symbol Dragoman, a web-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application that enables users who have no spoken language to communicate in both Arabic and English using pictographic symbols. The core problem addressed is that existing AAC…

  AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · symbol communication · multilingual accessibility · Arabic

• ChatWoz: Chatting through a Wizard of Oz

  Pedro Fialho, Luísa Coheur · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  ChatWoz is a Wizard of Oz system designed to enable autistic children to interact with caregivers through a virtual avatar. The system was motivated by widely reported cases of autistic children enthusiastically engaging with commercial virtual assistants like Apple's Siri and…

  autism · Wizard of Oz · virtual agent · dialogue systems · child-caregiver interaction

• Intelligibility Assessment and Speech Recognizer Word Accuracy Rate Prediction for Dysarthric Speakers in a Factor Analysis Subspace

  David Martínez, Phil Green, Heidi Christensen · 2015 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents a novel approach to assessing speech intelligibility and predicting automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy for speakers with dysarthria using iVectors, a technique from speaker verification research. The authors address a critical challenge in assistive…

  dysarthric speech · speech recognition · intelligibility assessment · iVectors · factor analysis

• Filteryedping: Design Challenges and User Performance of Dwell-Free Eye Typing

  Diogo Pedrosa, Maria da Graça Pimentel, Amy Wright, Khai N. Truong · 2015 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces Filteryedping, a dwell-free eye typing technique designed to help people with severe motor disabilities communicate through eye gaze. Traditional dwell-based eye typing requires users to fixate on a key for a specific duration (typically 400-1000ms) to…

  eye tracking · eye typing · dwell-free · motor disability · ALS

• Intelligent Assistive Communication and the Web as a Social Medium

  Karl Wiegand · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper presents doctoral research on applying natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning to improve augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems, with a particular focus on enabling web-based social interaction for people with severe speech…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · natural language processing · machine learning · social media accessibility

• Phoneme-based Predictive Text Entry Interface

  Ha Trinh, Annalu Waller, Keith Vertanen, Per Ola Kristensson, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents iSCAN-2, an iPad application that enables nonspeaking individuals to enter text by selecting phonemes (speech sounds) rather than spelling words with letters. People with severe speech impairments often face challenges in literacy acquisition, making…

  AAC · text entry · phoneme · speech impairment · word prediction

• Motion History to Improve Communication and Switch Access for People with Severe and Multiple Disabilities

  Guang Yang, Mamoru Iwabuchi, Rumi Hirabayashi, Kenryu Nakamura, Kimihiko Taniguchi, Syoudai Sano, Takamitsu Aoki · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents the application of Motion History — a computer vision technique that visualises a user's movement history as a heat map — to support communication and switch access for people with severe and multiple disabilities. The system is part of OAK (Observation…

  severe disabilities · multiple disabilities · switch access · computer vision · Kinect

• DigitCHAT: Enabling AAC Input at Conversational Speed

  Karl Wiegand, Rupal Patel · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents DigitCHAT, a prototype augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system designed for literate users with mild upper limb motor impairments who need fast, expressive face-to-face communication on mobile phones. The authors identify a gap in existing AAC…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · text entry · mobile accessibility · motor impairments

• Performing Locomotion Tasks in Immersive Computer Games with an Adapted Eye-Tracking Interface

  Stephen Vickers, Howell Istance, Aulikki Hyrskykari · 2013 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents an approach to designing and adapting eye-gaze interaction techniques for locomotion tasks in immersive 3D games, specifically targeting young people with severe physical disabilities. The researchers developed a "transparent overlay" technique where…

  eye tracking · game accessibility · cerebral palsy · muscular dystrophy · adaptive interfaces

• Improved Inference and Autotyping in EEG-based BCI Typing Systems

  Andrew Fowler, Brian Roark, Umut Orhan, Deniz Erdogmus, Melanie Fried-Oken · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper presents improvements to the RSVP Keyboard, a brain-computer interface (BCI) typing system designed for people with severe motor disabilities, particularly those with locked-in syndrome (LIS) resulting from ALS or brain stem stroke who cannot use any volitional…

  brain-computer interface · BCI · EEG · text entry · locked-in syndrome

• Optimization of Switch Keyboards

  Xiao (Cosmo) Zhang, Kan Fang, Gregory Francis · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper presents a method for optimizing the character layout of switch keyboards used by people with severe motor control difficulties, including those with locked-in syndrome resulting from spinal cord or brain injury. Switch keyboards work by scanning a cursor across…

  switch access · text entry · motor disability · locked-in syndrome · keyboard optimization

• SymbolPath: A Continuous Motion Overlay Module for Icon-Based Assistive Communication

  Karl Wiegand, Rupal Patel · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper introduces SymbolPath, an overlay module designed to improve the speed and ease of message formulation in icon-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems. Traditional icon-based AAC devices require users to make precise, discrete tap…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · motor impairment · speech impairment · icon-based communication

• Write-N-Speak: Authoring Multimodal Digital-Paper Materials for Speech-Language Therapy

  Anne Marie Piper, Nadir Weibel, James D. Hollan · 2011 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents Write-N-Speak, a digital pen toolkit that enables speech-language therapists to create custom multimodal therapy materials for clients with aphasia—a communication disorder often resulting from stroke that affects approximately 80,000 Americans annually. The…

  aphasia · speech-language therapy · AAC · digital pen · multimodal interaction

• Using a Computer Intervention to Support Phonological Awareness Development of Nonspeaking Adults

  Ha Trinh · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This short paper presents a pilot study investigating whether a computer-based intervention delivered on an iPad can help adults with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI) develop phonological awareness — the ability to identify and manipulate the sound structure of…

  phonological awareness · literacy · severe speech and physical impairments · computer-based intervention · iPad

• The PhonicStick: A Joystick to Generate Novel Words Using Phonics

  Rolf Black · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This short paper introduces the PhonicStick, a novel joystick-based device that enables non-speaking children to explore letter sounds (phonics) and blend them into words. The motivation stems from a key limitation of existing Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs): while VOCAs…

  AAC · phonological awareness · literacy · joystick · cerebral palsy

• A Mobile Phone Based Personal Narrative System

  Rolf Black, Annalu Waller, Nava Tintarev, Ehud Reiter, Joseph Reddington · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This paper describes the development and evaluation of a mobile phone-based data collection system that supports personal narrative for children with severe speech and physical impairments (SSPI). Personal narrative — the ability to tell others about one's experiences — is…

  AAC · personal narrative · cerebral palsy · natural language generation · mobile technology

• ITHACA: An Open Source Framework for Building Component-Based Augmentative and Alternative Communication Applications

  Alexandros Pino, Georgios Kouroupetroglou · 2010 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces ITHACA, an open source software framework for developing modular, customizable AAC applications. The authors address a persistent problem in assistive technology: AAC products are typically expensive, monolithic, difficult to customize, and limited in…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · open source · assistive technology · component-based development

• Click on Bake to Get Cookies: Guiding Word-Finding with Semantic Associations

  Sonya Nikolova, Marilyn Tremaine, Perry R. Cook · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents ViVA (Visual Vocabulary for Aphasia), a vocabulary navigation system that uses semantic associations to help people with aphasia find words more effectively. The authors address a core challenge in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC): navigating…

  aphasia · semantic networks · AAC · visual vocabularies · word-finding

• The Effect of Voice Output on AAC-Supported Conversations of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease

  Melanie Fried-Oken, Charity Rowland, Glory Baker, Mayling Dixon, Carolyn Mills, Darlene Schultz, Barry Oken · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigated whether digitized voice output on AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices would improve conversations for people with moderate Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hypothesized that voice output might function like partner-assisted word…

  AAC · Alzheimer's disease · dementia · voice output · cognitive accessibility

• A3: HCI Coding Guideline for Research Using Video Annotation to Assess Behavior of Nonverbal Subjects with Computer-Based Intervention

  Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, James Halle, Laura DeThorne, Mary-Kelsey Coletto · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces A3 (Annotation for ASD Analysis), a comprehensive coding guideline containing 21 dependent variables for assessing the behavior of nonverbal individuals interacting with computer-based interventions. The authors developed A3 through extensive video analysis…

  autism · nonverbal communication · video annotation · research methodology · behavioral assessment

• Evaluating the STANDUP Pun Generating Software with Children with Cerebral Palsy

  Annalu Waller, Rolf Black, David A. O'Mara, Helen Pain, Graeme Ritchie, Ruli Manurung · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper evaluates STANDUP (System To Augment Non-speakers' Dialogue Using Puns), software that uses natural language generation to enable children with complex communication needs (CCN) to create and tell novel punning riddles. Unlike traditional AAC systems that rely on…

  AAC · cerebral palsy · children · natural language generation · computational humor