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• HaWCoS: The "Hands-free" Wheelchair Control System

  Torsten Felzer, Bernd Freisleben · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper introduces HaWCoS (Hands-free Wheelchair Control System), a system that enables people with severe physical disabilities to control an electrically powered wheelchair using muscle contractions from any single muscle group in their body, without requiring the use of…

  electromyography · wheelchair control · physical disability · alternative input · assistive technology

• Older Adults' Evaluations of Speech Output

  Lorna Lines, Kate S. Hone · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper investigates older adults' subjective evaluations of different speech output voices in the context of an Intelligent Home System (IHS) designed to help older people live independently. Given that 66% of people with visual impairments in the UK are over 75, and that…

  speech output · older adults · aging · smart home · visual impairment

• Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments

  Brad A. Myers, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Sunny Yang, Brian Yeung, Jeffrey Nichols, Robert Miller · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper presents the Pebbles project from Carnegie Mellon University, which developed software allowing handheld computers (Palm PDAs) to substitute for a PC's mouse and keyboard for people with muscular dystrophy and similar neuromuscular disorders. The key insight is that…

  motor disability · muscular dystrophy · alternative input · assistive technology · handheld devices

• A Virtual Reality-Based Exercise Program for Stroke Rehabilitation

  David Jack, Rares Boian, Alma Merians, Sergei V. Adamovich, Marilyn Tremaine, Michael Recce, Grigore C. Burdea, Howard Poizner · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from Rutgers University presents a PC-based desktop virtual reality system designed to rehabilitate hand function in stroke patients. Stroke is identified as the leading cause of adult disability, with 65% of the nearly four million stroke survivors in the United…

  virtual reality · stroke recovery · rehabilitation · haptic technology · force feedback

• Wearable Interfaces for Orientation and Wayfinding

  David A. Ross, Bruce B. Blasch · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the Atlanta VA Rehabilitation R&D Center presents the development and evaluation of three wearable orientation interfaces designed to help people with severe visual impairment maintain spatial orientation while navigating, with street crossing as the critical…

  wayfinding · orientation and mobility · wearable technology · blindness and low vision · haptic feedback

• Evaluation of Scanning User Interfaces Using Real-Time-Data Usage Logs

  Peter O'Neill, Chris Roast, Mark Hawley · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from Sheffield Hallam University and Barnsley District General Hospital presents a novel approach to evaluating electronic assistive technology (EAT) for people with severe disabilities through automated analysis of real-time usage logs. The research focuses on the…

  switch access · scanning interface · assistive technology · cerebral palsy · usage analytics

• Neck Range of Motion and Use of Computer Head Controls

  Edmund LoPresti, David M. Brienza, Jennifer Angelo, Lars Gilbertson, Jonathan Sakai · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This study from the University of Pittsburgh investigates the relationship between neck range of motion and performance when using computer head controls — devices that translate head movements into cursor movements on screen. The research involved 15 subjects without…

  alternative input · head tracking · motor disability · multiple sclerosis · spinal cord injury

• The LF-ASD Brain Computer Interface: On-Line Identification of Imagined Finger Flexions in Subjects with Spinal Cord Injuries

  Steven G. Mason, Ziba Bozorgzadeh, Gary E. Birch · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents the first evaluation of the Low-Frequency Asynchronous Switch Design (LF-ASD) brain-computer interface with individuals who have high-level spinal cord injuries. The LF-ASD is a brain-controlled switch designed specifically for asynchronous control…

  brain-computer interface · spinal cord injury · EEG · switch access · motor imagery

• A Java Programming Tool for Students with Visual Disabilities

  Ann C. Smith, Joan M. Francioni, Sam D. Matzek · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents JavaSpeak, a specialized programming environment designed to make learning Java accessible to students with visual disabilities. The authors, computer science educators at Saint Mary's University and Winona State University, identified three key barriers…

  programming education · visual impairment · screen reader · code accessibility · auditory interface

• Fast Web by Using Updated Content Extraction and a Bookmark Facility

  Tsuyoshi Ebina, Seiji Igi, Teruhisa Miyake · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from Japan's Communications Research Laboratory presents two techniques for improving speech-based web navigation for visually impaired users. The core problem is that accessing web pages through speech output is significantly slower than visual browsing — users must…

  web accessibility · visual impairment · web navigation · screen reader · speech-based navigation

• New Technology Enables Many-Fold Reduction in the Cost of Refreshable Braille Displays

  John Roberts, Oliver Slattery, David Kardos, Brett Swope · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) describes a novel rotating-wheel design for refreshable Braille displays that could reduce costs by up to a factor of ten compared to existing displays. The dominant cost factor in conventional Braille…

  braille · refreshable braille display · assistive technology · hardware · tactile accessibility

• A Semantic Transcoding System to Adapt Web Services for Users with Disabilities

  Anita W. Huang, Neel Sundaresan · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from IBM Almaden Research Center presents Aurora, a semantic transcoding system that adapts web-based services for users with disabilities by extracting the meaning of web content rather than simply reformatting its syntax. The key problem Aurora addresses is that…

  web accessibility · web transcoding · content adaptation · XML · semantic web

• Programming by Voice, VocalProgramming

  Stephen C. Arnold, Leo Mark, John Goldthwaite · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents VocalProgrammer, a system designed to enable programming entirely by voice, motivated primarily by the high incidence of repetitive stress injuries (RSI) among programmers. The authors note that the total cost of RSI of all types was estimated at nearly $6…

  voice programming · speech recognition · repetitive stress injury · code accessibility · assistive technology

• Human Factors Issues in the Neural Signals Direct Brain-Computer Interface

  Melody M. Moore, Philip R. Kennedy · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper presents the software and human factors aspects of the Neural Signals direct brain-computer interface project — one of the first implanted BCI systems tested in humans. Unlike non-invasive BCIs that read EEG signals through the scalp, this system uses a neurotrophic…

  brain-computer interface · locked-in syndrome · neural prosthetics · assistive technology · human-computer interaction

• User Interface of a Nonvisual Table Navigation Method

  Chieko Asakawa, Takashi Itoh · 1999 · CHI '99 Extended Abstracts on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This two-page CHI '99 late-breaking-results extended abstract addresses a problem that was central to the early accessible web: HTML tables were everywhere — used both for tabular data and, at the time, as a layout device — but talking web browsers read them strictly…

  web accessibility · screen readers · voice browser · table accessibility · blindness and low vision

• A Phoneme Probability Display for Individuals with Hearing Disabilities

  Deb Roy, Alex Pentland · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from MIT Media Lab presents a speech-to-visual-display system designed to aid individuals with hearing impairments by converting continuous speech into an animated graphical representation of phoneme probabilities. Rather than attempting traditional speech-to-text…

  hearing accessibility · speech technology · speech visualization · neural networks · phoneme recognition

• Head Pointing and Speech Control as a Hands-Free Interface to Desktop Computing

  Rainer Malkewitz · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents a hands-free computer interface that combines head pointing with speech control to enable users who cannot use a mouse and keyboard to operate standard WIMP-style graphical user interfaces. Developed at the Fraunhofer Institute in Germany, the system uses a…

  head tracking · speech recognition · hands-free interface · alternative input · motor disability

• Computer-Based Cognitive Prosthetics: Assistive Technology for the Treatment of Cognitive Disabilities

  Elliot Cole, Parto Dehdashti · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents over a decade of research and clinical work from the Institute for Cognitive Prosthetics on designing computer-based cognitive prosthetic (CBCP) systems for individuals with acquired cognitive disabilities from traumatic brain injury (TBI), stroke, and other…

  cognitive disability · cognitive prosthetic · traumatic brain injury · stroke recovery · brain injury rehabilitation

• Haptic Virtual Reality for Blind Computer Users

  Chetz Colwell, Helen Petrie, Diana Kornbrot, Andrew Hardwick, Stephen Furner · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents three experiments investigating how blind and sighted people perceive virtual textures and 3D objects through the Impulse Engine 3000, a force-feedback haptic device with a probe that users manipulate in three degrees of freedom. The research aimed to…

  haptic technology · virtual reality · blind and low vision · tactile accessibility · virtual texture

• TGuide: A Guidance System for Tactile Image Exploration

  Martin Kurze · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents TGuide, a system that actively guides blind users' hands during exploration of tactile graphics using a novel vibrotactile directional output device. The author identifies three key problems with unaided tactile image exploration: blind users cannot get a…

  tactile graphics · blind and low vision · vibrotactile display · haptic technology · directional guidance

• Towards an EOG-Based Eye Tracker for Computer Control

  David W. Patmore, R. Benjamin Knapp · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper describes the development of an eye tracking system for computer control based on bio-electrical signals, intended as a pointing device for people with physical disabilities. The system combines two complementary biosignal approaches: the Electrooculogram (EOG), which…

  eye tracking · electrooculogram · alternative input · motor disability · bio-electrical signal

• Alliance for Technology Access: Making Assistive Technology Accessible to the Community

  Mary Ann Glicksman · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This one-page briefing paper describes the Alliance for Technology Access (ATA), a national network of over 40 community-based, consumer-driven technology resource centers headquartered in San Rafael, California. At the time of publication, the network comprised 41…

  assistive technology · community resources · disability rights · technology access · organizational accessibility

• Smart Rooms, Desks, and Clothes

  Alexander Pentland · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This keynote address from Assets '98, delivered by Alexander Pentland of MIT's Media Laboratory, outlines a vision for transforming everyday objects — rooms, desks, clothing, cars, and eyeglasses — into intelligent, perceptive systems that actively assist their users. Pentland…

  smart environments · wearable computing · perceptual computing · ambient intelligence · adaptive environments

• The Use of Gestures in Multimodal Input

  Simeon Keates, Peter Robinson · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from the University of Cambridge describes the development and evaluation of a prototype multimodal input system designed for users with motion impairments, for whom standard keyboard and mouse arrangements are often unusable. The system combined two gestural input…

  gesture recognition · multimodal input · motor impairment · user studies · cognitive load

• A Model of Keyboard Configuration Requirements

  Shari Trewin, Helen Pain · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper from the University of Edinburgh presents a user model — a computer program that observes a person's typing behaviour and automatically identifies keyboard difficulties, then recommends appropriate configuration settings. The model addresses four common keyboard…

  keyboard accessibility · motor impairment · user modelling · assistive technology · input devices