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• Disability Studies as a Source of Critical Inquiry for the Field of Assistive Technology

  Jennifer Mankoff, Gillian R. Hayes, Devva Kasnitz · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This keynote-style paper argues that the assistive technology (AT) research community should draw more deeply from disability studies scholarship to improve both the problems it chooses to address and its research methods. The authors — two of whom identify as disabled — review…

  disability studies · assistive technology · social model of disability · medical model · critical theory

• Helping Older Adults Locate 'Lost' Cursors Using FieldMouse

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

  This short paper describes FieldMouse, a modified standard optical mouse augmented with a touch sensor (Quantum QT110) embedded in its top surface to detect when a user grasps the mouse after releasing it. The motivation addresses a common problem among older adult computer…

  aging · mouse cursor · pointing devices · input devices · assistive technology

• ZigAlert: A ZigBee Alert for Toileting Training Children with Developmental Delay in a Public School Setting

  Yi-Chien Chen · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper presents ZigAlert, a wireless sensor network system based on ZigBee technology designed to assist with toilet training for children with severe developmental delays in a public school setting. The system addresses a practical challenge: children with conditions…

  assistive technology · developmental disabilities · intellectual disability · wireless sensor network · special education

• Improving Public Transit Usability for Blind and Deaf-Blind People by Connecting a Braille Display to a Smartphone

  Shiri Azenkot, Emily Fortuna · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This short paper explores the public transit challenges faced by blind and deaf-blind people and presents MoBraille, a novel framework that connects any Wi-Fi-enabled Braille display to an Android smartphone. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews with four blind and…

  deafblindness · blindness · braille display · public transit accessibility · mobile accessibility

• 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

• Participation of High School and Undergraduate Students who are Deaf in Research on American Sign Language Animation

  Matt Huenerfauth · 2010 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing, Issue 97

  This SIGACCESS newsletter article describes the educational-outreach component of a five-year NSF CAREER Award (#0746556) research project at the Linguistic and Assistive Technologies Laboratory (LATLab) at Queens College, CUNY. The scientific goal of the project is to advance…

  American Sign Language · ASL animation · deaf community · STEM education · research outreach

• 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

• The Development and Evaluation of Performance-Based Functional Assessment: A Methodology for the Measurement of Physical Capabilities

  Katherine J. Price, Andrew Sears · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces PB-FACT (Performance-Based Functional Assessment for Computer Technology), a methodology for objectively measuring the physical capabilities of individuals with motor impairments to inform assistive technology selection. Traditional approaches rely on…

  motor impairments · functional assessment · assistive technology · motion sensors · user capabilities

• User Interaction with Word Prediction: The Effects of Prediction Quality

  Keith Trnka, John McCaw, Debra Yarrington, Kathleen F. McCoy, Christopher Pennington · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This study investigates how the quality of word prediction systems affects both communication speed and user behavior in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The researchers conducted a controlled experiment with 33 adult participants who used a simulated AAC…

  AAC · word prediction · language models · communication rate · user study

• MGuider: Mobile Guiding and Tracking System in Public Transit System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Wei-Hsun Chen · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents MGuider, a mobile guiding and tracking system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments navigate public transit systems independently. Developed in collaboration with NGOs running supported employment programs in Taipei, Taiwan, the system…

  cognitive accessibility · wayfinding · mobile technology · public transit · assistive technology

• Designing AAC Interfaces for Commercial Brain-Computer Interaction Gaming Hardware

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

  This paper explores repurposing a low-cost commercial brain-computer interface (BCI) gaming device — the OCZ Technologies Neural Impulse Actuator (NIA) — as an input device for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). The NIA is a headband that reads electrical signals…

  augmentative and alternative communication · brain-computer interface · assistive technology · motor impairment · speech impairment

• 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

• Sensation Augmentation to Relieve Pressure Sore Formation in Wheelchair Users

  Raphael P. Rush · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents SoreStop, an Arduino-based sensory augmentation device designed to prevent pressure sore formation in wheelchair users with spinal cord injuries. Pressure sores (decubitus ulcers) are a major cause of injury and death among patients who regularly use…

  pressure ulcer · spinal cord injury · wheelchair · sensory augmentation · assistive technology

• Speaking Through Pictures: Images vs. Icons

  Xiaojuan Ma, Jordan Boyd-Graber, Sonya Nikolova, Perry R. Cook · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether freely available web images can serve as effective substitutes for professionally designed icons in assistive communication systems for people with aphasia. Existing icon-based systems like Lingraphica and C-VIC (Computerized Visual Communication)…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · visual communication · icon-based communication · assistive technology

• NavTap: A Long Term Study with Excluded Blind Users

  Tiago Guerreiro, Hugo Nicolau, Joaquim Jorge, Daniel Gonçalves · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a long-term evaluation of NavTap, a navigational text-entry method designed specifically for blind users who cannot effectively use standard mobile phone text input. Unlike traditional MultiTap — where users press a key multiple times to cycle through letters…

  mobile accessibility · blind users · text entry · assistive technology · longitudinal study

• iSET: Enabling In Situ & Post Hoc Video Labeling

  Mish Madsen, Abdelrahman N. Mahmoud, Youssef Kashef · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This demonstration paper presents the interactive Social-Emotional Toolkit (iSET), a portable video recording and annotation system designed to support behavioral interventions for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). People with ASD frequently struggle to recognize and…

  autism spectrum disorder · video annotation · affective computing · social-emotional learning · behavioral intervention

• Comparing Evaluation Techniques for Text Readability Software for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

  Matt Huenerfauth, Lijun Feng, Noémie Elhadad · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates how to properly evaluate text simplification software designed for adults with mild intellectual disabilities (ID). The authors are developing a system that automatically simplifies news articles, displays them, and reads them aloud using text-to-speech —…

  intellectual disability · text simplification · readability · natural language processing · evaluation methodology

• 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

• Talking Points: The Differential Impact of Real-Time Computer Generated Audio/Visual Feedback on Speech-Like & Non-Speech-Like Vocalizations in Low Functioning Children with ASD

  Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, Laura DeThorne, James Halle · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper examines whether real-time computer feedback systems (CFS) can differentially impact speech-like versus non-speech-like vocalizations in low-functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The distinction matters because the goal of speech intervention is to…

  autism spectrum disorder · speech development · computer feedback system · vocalization · children

• 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

• Let's Stay in Touch: Sharing Photos for Restoring Social Connectedness between Rehabilitants, Friends and Family

  Margit Biemans, Betsy van Dijk, Pavan Dadlani, Aart van Halteren · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a case study on using a photo sharing application to maintain social connectedness between people undergoing spinal cord lesion rehabilitation and their friends and family. Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries often requires extended stays of up to a year…

  social connectedness · rehabilitation · spinal cord injury · photo sharing · assistive technology

• The One-Key Challenge: Searching for a Fast One-Key Text Entry Method

  I. Scott MacKenzie · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents SAK (Scanning Ambiguous Keyboard), a novel one-key text entry method designed for people who can only operate a single switch input. The design combines two established techniques — scanning keyboards (where items are highlighted sequentially and selected…

  text entry · switch access · scanning keyboard · ambiguous keyboard · motor disability

• Accessibility Commons: A Metadata Repository for Web Accessibility

  Shinya Kawanaka, Masatomo Kobayashi, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2009 · ACM SIGWEB Newsletter, Summer 2009

  This short SIGWEB Newsletter article proposes Accessibility Commons (AC), a shared federated repository for externally authored web-accessibility metadata. The authors argue that accessibility cannot scale as long as fixes depend on the original site owner inlining alt text,…

  web accessibility · metadata · semantic transcoding · social accessibility · crowdsourcing

• 20 years on: the Dexter Model of Hypertext and its impact on web accessibility

  Robert Dodd · 2008 · SIGACCESS Access. Comput.

  This paper examines the Dexter Reference Model of Hypertext, published in 1988, and asks whether the foundational assumptions it encodes still serve the needs of accessibility twenty years later. The Dexter Model was created as a superset description of what hypertext systems…

  hypertext models · HTML · assistive technology · adaptive content · web standards