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• Automating Tactile Graphics Translation

  Richard E. Ladner, Melody Y. Ivory, Rajesh Rao, Sheryl Burgstahler, Dan Comden, Sangyun Hahn, Matthew Renzelmann, Satria Krisnandi, Mahalakshmi Ramasamy, Beverly Slabosky, Andrew Martin, Amelia Lacenski, Stuart Olsen, Dmitri Groce · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper addresses the critical shortage of tactile graphics available to blind students in mathematics, science, and engineering (MSE) courses. Postsecondary science textbooks may have images on half their pages — sometimes up to 500 images per book — yet these graphical…

  tactile graphics · braille · STEM accessibility · image processing · machine learning

• Online Focus Groups Used as an Accessible Participatory Research Method

  Ted L. Wattenberg · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper proposes the use of online focus groups as a method for meaningfully including people with disabilities in participatory research, addressing persistent barriers to their involvement in technology studies. The author situates this work within a troubling context:…

  participatory research · accessibility · research methods · screen readers · disability inclusion

• A Parametric Approach to Sign Language Synthesis

  Amanda Irving, Richard Foulds · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper describes a parametric approach to synthesizing American Sign Language (ASL) using a commercially available human avatar (UGS Jack) driven by kinematic parameters. The system addresses the fundamental challenge that signed and spoken languages are not mutually…

  sign language · sign language synthesis · signing avatar · American Sign Language · animation

• A System for Creating Personalized Synthetic Voices

  Debra Yarrington, Chris Pennington, John Gray, H. Timothy Bunnell · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents the ModelTalker Voice Creation System, a tool that enables individuals to create personalized synthetic voices with unrestricted vocabulary for use in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The system addresses a significant problem in AAC:…

  speech synthesis · voice banking · AAC · amyotrophic lateral sclerosis · text-to-speech

• Requirements Gathering with Alzheimer's Patients and Caregivers

  Kirstie Hawkey, Kori M. Inkpen, Kenneth Rockwood, Michael McAllister, Jacob Slonim · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents a requirements gathering study for an information appliance designed to alleviate repetitive questioning behaviour in people with Alzheimer's disease (AD), a leading cause of caregiver stress. The interdisciplinary team from Dalhousie University's Computer…

  Alzheimer's disease · dementia · cognitive accessibility · assistive technology · user-centered design

• Sparsha: A Comprehensive Indian Language Toolset for the Blind

  Anirban Lahiri, Satya Jyoti Chattopadhyay, Anupam Basu · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents Sparsha ("feeling of touch" in Hindi), the first comprehensive toolset enabling over 13 million visually impaired people in the Indian subcontinent to read and write in their native languages using a computer. Existing Braille translation systems and screen…

  braille · visual impairment · Indian languages · multilingual accessibility · screen reader

• Semantic Knowledge in Word Completion

  Jianhua Li, Graeme Hirst · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper proposes an integrated word-completion system that combines semantic knowledge with traditional n-gram statistical models to produce more contextually appropriate predictions for users with linguistic or physical disabilities. Standard word-completion systems use…

  word prediction · word completion · natural language processing · text entry · AAC

• Visualizing Non-Speech Sounds for the Deaf

  Tara Matthews, Janette Fong, Jennifer Mankoff · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper investigates peripheral visual displays that help people who are deaf maintain awareness of non-speech sounds in their environment — sounds like phone ringing, doorbells, knocking, fire alarms, children playing, dogs barking, and appliances operating. While commercial…

  deaf accessibility · sound visualization · peripheral display · sound recognition · ambient display

• What Help Do Older People Need? Constructing a Functional Design Space of Electronic Assistive Technology Applications

  Dennis Maciuszek, Johan Aberg, Nahid Shahmehri · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper constructs a functional design space for electronic assistive technology (EAT) applications aimed at frail older people, providing both users and designers with a common framework for choosing and producing relevant EAT. The researchers conducted a multi-site field…

  aging · assistive technology · design space · ageing in place · activities of daily living

• Accuracy and Frequency Analysis of MultiTouch Interfaces for Individuals with Parkinsonian and Essential Hand Tremor

  Eric J. Frett, Kenneth E. Barner · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This 2005 study from the University of Delaware compares four computer pointing devices — an optical mouse, optical trackball, isotonic joystick, and a FingerWorks MultiTouch Surface (MTS) — for users with Parkinsonian tremor and essential tremor. The researchers recruited five…

  motor accessibility · input devices · Parkinson's disease · essential tremor · multitouch

• Multimodal User Input Patterns in a Non-Visual Context

  Xiaoyu Chen, Marilyn Tremaine · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This exploratory study from the New Jersey Institute of Technology investigates how users choose between speech and hand (touchpad) inputs when performing tasks in a non-visual interface. The research used AudioBrowser, a system that organizes information items into hierarchies…

  multimodal interaction · non-visual interaction · speech input · touchpad · visual impairment

• Touchable Online Braille Generator

  Wooseob Jeong · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This short paper from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee presents a prototype online Braille generator that uses consumer force feedback mouse technology to make web text tactilely accessible to blind and visually impaired users. The system takes any plain text entered or…

  braille · force feedback · haptic technology · visual impairment · web accessibility

• Wizard-of-Oz Test of ARTUR: a Computer-Based Speech Training System with Articulation Correction

  Olle Bälter, Olov Engwall, Anne-Marie Öster, Hedvig Kjellström · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm presents a Wizard-of-Oz evaluation of ARTUR (the ARticulation TUtoR), a computer-based speech training system designed to help children with language disorders improve their articulation. ARTUR's distinguishing…

  speech technology · speech training · articulation · language disorder · child development

• An Adaptive Technologies Course in a CS Curriculum

  Blaise W. Liffick · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This poster paper from Millersville University describes part two of an NSF-funded project to integrate assistive technology (AT) into an undergraduate computer science curriculum through an HCI approach. The author argues that computer professionals have expertise in developing…

  accessibility education · computer science curriculum · assistive technology · human-computer interaction · professional development

• Gist Summaries for Visually Impaired Surfers

  Simon Harper, Neha Patel · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from the University of Manchester addresses a fundamental problem in web accessibility for visually impaired users: the inability to quickly assess a web page's relevance before committing to having the entire page read aloud by a screen reader. The authors draw…

  visual impairment · web accessibility · text summarization · screen readers · cognitive overload

• Interactive Virtual Client for Teaching Occupational Therapy Evaluative Processes

  Sharon Stansfield, Tom Butkiewicz, Evan Suma, Marilyn Kane · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from Ithaca College describes a computer-based educational tool for occupational therapy (OT) students learning client evaluation techniques. The system uses a dialogue-based interface where students interact with a virtual client — a 3D character built using Valve's…

  occupational therapy · virtual patient · educational technology · simulation · serious games

• Autism/Excel Study

  Mary Hart · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This study investigates whether high school students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can learn Microsoft Excel at a level comparable to a regular education computing class, and whether the structured spreadsheet environment might support development of multi-step planning…

  autism spectrum disorder · education · cognitive accessibility · adapted curriculum · executive function

• Solo: Interactive Task Guidance

  Edmund LoPresti, Ned Kirsch, Richard Simpson, Debra Schreckenghost · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper describes Solo, a cognitive orthosis being developed by AT Sciences, the University of Michigan, the University of Pittsburgh, and TRACLabs to help cognitively impaired clients and their caregivers manage daily activities. Solo builds on the earlier COGORTH system,…

  cognitive assistive technology · traumatic brain injury · cognitive disability · task guidance · scheduling

• Gestural Text Entry on Multiple Devices

  Jacob O. Wobbrock, Brad A. Myers · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from Carnegie Mellon University presents adaptations of the EdgeWrite unistroke text entry method across multiple computer input devices: styluses, touchpads, displacement and isometric joysticks, four keys or buttons, and trackballs. EdgeWrite was originally designed…

  text entry · input methods · motor accessibility · gestural input · EdgeWrite

• 3D Sound Interactive Environments for Problem Solving

  Jaime Sánchez, Mauricio Sáenz · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from the University of Chile presents AudioChile, a 3D sound virtual environment designed to help children with visual disabilities develop problem-solving skills through interactive exploration of Chilean geography and culture. AudioChile is a role-playing game…

  spatial audio · visual impairment · blindness · audio game · cognitive development

• Talking Braille: A Wireless Ubiquitous Computing Network for Orientation and Wayfinding

  David A. Ross, Alexander Lightman · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents the design and initial evaluation of the Talking Braille system, a wireless ubiquitous computing network designed to help people with vision loss navigate indoor public spaces. The system is built around the "Cyber Crumb" concept: tiny, inexpensive…

  wayfinding · orientation · blindness · ubiquitous computing · indoor navigation

• Automatic Production of Tactile Graphics from Scalable Vector Graphics

  Stephen E. Krufka, Kenneth E. Barner · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper from the University of Delaware presents a method for automatically converting Scalable Vector Graphics (SVG) into tactile representations for blind users using a Braille embosser. The key innovation exploits the hierarchical tree structure inherent in vector graphics…

  tactile graphics · blindness · scalable vector graphics · braille embosser · image accessibility

• An Exploratory Investigation of Handheld Computer Interaction for Older Adults with Visual Impairments

  V. Kathlene Leonard, Julie A. Jacko, Joseph J. Pizzimenti · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This study investigates factors affecting handheld computer interaction for older adults with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD), extending prior desktop-focused HCI research to small-screen mobile devices. Thirteen participants with AMD and visually-healthy controls used a…

  macular degeneration · older adults · handheld computers · mobile computing · visual impairment

• PLUMB: Displaying Graphs to the Blind Using an Active Auditory Interface

  Robert F. Cohen, Rui Yu, Arthur Meacham, Joelle Skaff · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This short paper presents PLUMB (exPLoring graphs at UMB), a system developed at UMass Boston that enables blind users to explore relational graphs through an active auditory interface on a tablet PC. The system addresses a fundamental barrier in computer science education: many…

  sonification · graph accessibility · blindness · auditory interface · computer science education

• The Information-Theoretic Analysis of Unimodal Interfaces and their Multimodal Counterparts

  Melanie Baljko · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper applies Shannon Information Theory to formally analyse and quantify the hypothesised benefits of multimodal interfaces over unimodal ones, with particular focus on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices such as Voice Output Communication Aids…

  multimodal interfaces · AAC · information theory · voice output communication aids · speech generating devices