The literature-review database. Every paper Bob has reviewed (he has read many more), with a short summary, key findings, and tags. Browse, filter, search.
M. A. Naomi Jobrack · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)
This paper presents preliminary research toward developing a Refreshable Braille Oral Appliance (RBOA) — a refreshable Braille display embedded in an oral retainer that would allow users to read Braille with their tongue. The envisioned device connects to a wireless lapel…
braille · haptics · refreshable display · deaf accessibility · assistive technology
Giovanni Fusco, Valerie S. Morash · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility
This paper presents the Tactile Graphics Helper (TGH), a machine vision system that enables students who are blind or visually impaired to independently access clarifying information about tactile graphics without sighted assistance. Tactile graphics—raised line drawings,…
tactile graphics · visual impairment · blindness · STEM education · machine vision
Andrii Soviak · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility
This paper presents preliminary work on FeelX, a haptic gloves system designed to enable blind users to explore web page layouts through touch. The research addresses a fundamental limitation of screen readers: they present web content serially, creating a one-dimensional mental…
blindness · haptic interface · web accessibility · screen reader · tactile display
Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility
This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes text labels in tactile graphics accessible by replacing Braille labels with QR codes that can be scanned and read aloud using a smartphone. The motivation is significant: while tactile graphics are…
visual impairment · blindness · tactile graphics · QR codes · Braille
Stephanie Ludi, Michael Timbrook, Piper Chester · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)
This paper presents AccessBraille, an iOS framework that provides a virtual Braille keyboard for iPad applications. The system is designed as a reusable framework that any iOS developer can integrate into their apps, rather than being a standalone application. The…
braille · tablet · iOS accessibility · text entry · blindness
Nizar Bouhlel, Anis Rojbi · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)
This demo paper presents a Matlab-based software tool that semi-automates the conversion of visual geographic maps into tactile versions suitable for blind students. Tactile graphics are the most effective modality for blind people to comprehend graphical images, but converting…
tactile graphics · blindness · braille · image processing · OCR
Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)
This demonstration paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes labels on tactile graphics accessible to blind and low vision users who do not read Braille. STEM textbooks are filled with images — from parabolas to cell diagrams — that are essential…
tactile graphics · blindness and low vision · QR codes · STEM accessibility · braille
Kosuke Araki, Tetsuya Watanabe · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)
This short paper compares the accuracy and efficiency of reading tactile pie charts versus tactile band charts for determining proportional data through touch. The authors are developing software that automatically generates tactile charts from CSV data and needed to determine…
tactile graphics · data visualization · blind users · braille · pie charts
Lauren R. Milne, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)
This short paper presents VBGhost, an accessible educational smartphone game for blind and low vision children that reinforces Braille literacy through gameplay. The game is based on Ghost, a word-building game where players take turns adding letters to a growing word fragment…
braille · mobile accessibility · game accessibility · blind children · education
Hugo Nicolau, João Guerreiro, Tiago Guerreiro, Luís Carriço · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)
This paper presents UbiBraille, a wearable vibrotactile device that enables blind users to read textual information privately and inconspicuously by leveraging their existing knowledge of Braille. The device consists of six small vibration motors attached to adjustable aluminum…
braille · vibrotactile · wearable technology · blind users · haptic feedback
Sergio Mascetti, Cristian Bernareggi, Matteo Belotti · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)
This demonstration paper presents TypeInBraille, a novel text entry application for touchscreen smartphones that allows blind users to type using Braille code rather than the standard on-screen QWERTY keyboard. While screen readers like VoiceOver have made smartphones broadly…
blindness and low vision · braille · text entry · touchscreen accessibility · mobile accessibility
João Oliveira, Tiago Guerreiro, Hugo Nicolau, Joaquim Jorge, Daniel Gonçalves · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)
This paper investigates how individual differences among blind people affect their performance with different touchscreen text-entry methods. Thirteen blind participants (ages 24-62) were evaluated using four methods on a Samsung Galaxy S: QWERTY (standard VoiceOver-style…
blindness and low vision · text entry · touchscreen accessibility · mobile accessibility · ability-based design
Pierre-Antoine Champin, Benoît Encelle, Nicholas W. D. Evans, Magali O.-Beldame, Yannick Prié, Raphaël Troncy · 2010 · Proceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)
This paper presents the ACAV (Collaborative Annotation for Video Accessibility) project, a French research initiative involving Dailymotion, the University of Lyon (LIRIS), and EURECOM, aimed at making web video accessible to blind and deaf users through rich, collaborative…
video accessibility · audio description · captioning · crowdsourcing · speech recognition
Denise Prescher, Gerhard Weber, Martin Spindler · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)
This paper from Technische Universität Dresden presents the Braille Window System (BWS), a windowing interface designed for a large planar tactile display — the BrailleDis9000, a touch-sensitive pin-matrix of 120 columns and 60 rows (7,200 pins). Standard screen readers…
braille · tactile display · tactile graphics · gesture interaction · blindness
Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)
This paper presents a Java application that automatically generates tactile bar and pie charts from raw data values provided in a formatted text file. Developed in collaboration with Vision Australia, the tool addresses the time-consuming and expensive process of manually…
tactile graphics · data visualization · visual impairment · braille · accessible publishing
Benoît Encelle, Nadine Baptiste-Jessel · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)
This paper from IRIT at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse presents a model for generating personalized multimodal user interfaces for browsing XML content, driven by end-user requirements rather than developer-imposed defaults. The authors identify a core accessibility…
personalization · multimodal interaction · user profiles · content adaptation · XML
Cristian Bernareggi, Dominique Archambault · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)
This paper from the @Science European thematic network surveys the state of the art in making mathematical content on the web accessible to visually impaired people, arguing that MathML adoption is the key to unlocking accessibility. The authors explain a fundamental challenge:…
mathematical accessibility · visual impairment · blind users · MathML · braille
Dominique Archambault, Bernhard Stöger, Mario Batusic, Claudia Fahrengruber, Klaus Miesenberger · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)
This paper presents the software model behind the MaWEn (Mathematical Working Environment) project, a long-term collaboration between Johannes Kepler Universität Linz and Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. The project addresses a fundamental barrier in mathematics…
braille · mathematics accessibility · collaborative editing · MathML · inclusive education
Neil Soiffer · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)
This paper describes MathPlayer v2.1, a plug-in developed by Design Science, Inc. that renders MathML visually in Microsoft Internet Explorer and Adobe Acrobat/Reader while providing extensive accessibility features for people with print disabilities. Unlike previous math…
mathematical accessibility · MathML · screen readers · braille · print disabilities
Kristen Shinohara, Josh Tenenberg · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)
This paper from the University of Washington, Tacoma presents a rich, in-depth case study of Sara, a congenitally blind college student, observed and interviewed across multiple sessions as she interacts with a wide range of technologies in her home. The study uses Blythe, Monk…
blindness · assistive technology · case study · technology biographies · workarounds
Chandrika Jayant, Matt Renzelmann, Dana Wen, Satria Krisnandi, Richard Ladner, Dan Comden · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)
This paper describes two years of field work extending the Tactile Graphics Assistant (TGA), a system developed at the University of Washington to automate the translation of figures from mathematics, science, and engineering (STEM) textbooks into embossed tactile graphics for…
tactile graphics · Braille · STEM accessibility · blindness and low vision · image processing
Henrik Tonn-Eichstädt · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)
This paper adapts the GOMS (Goals, Operators, Methods, Selection rules) model — a well-established HCI method for estimating task execution times — to measure website usability specifically for blind screen reader users. The author argues that accessibility is fundamentally a…
screen readers · usability · web accessibility · GOMS · braille
Xuan Zhang, Cesar Ortega-Sanchez, Iain Murray · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)
This paper describes the implementation of a text-to-Braille translator in hardware using Field-Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), as an alternative to the software-based translators that dominate the market. The translator implements Paul Blenkhorn's algorithm for converting…
braille · braille translation · FPGA · hardware · embedded systems
Iain Murray, Andrew Pasquale · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)
This paper presents the development of a portable, handheld device that optically scans embossed Braille and translates it into printed text in real time. The device addresses a significant communication barrier: while many blind and vision-impaired people read and write using…
braille · optical braille recognition · assistive technology · visual impairment · communication
Alistair D N Edwards, Heather McCartney, Flavio Fogarolo · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)
This paper presents the Lambda System, a European Union-funded project designed to make mathematics accessible to blind students through a multimodal mathematical editor. Mathematics relies heavily on visual two-dimensional notation — fractions are stacked vertically, square…
visual impairment · mathematics · braille · education · MathML