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• Conception and Experimentation of a Communication Device with Adaptive Scanning

  Souhir Ghedira, Pierre Pino, Guy Bourhis · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents an adaptive algorithm for optimizing scanning delay (Tscan) in switch-operated AAC devices, addressing one of the fundamental challenges in scanning-based communication: finding the right balance between speed and error rate. For users with severe motor…

  AAC · scanning · switch access · motor disabilities · adaptive systems

• 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

• Better Vocabularies for Assistive Communication Aids: Connecting Terms Using Semantic Networks and Untrained Annotators

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

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of ViVA (Visual Vocabulary for Aphasia), an assistive communication tool that uses semantic networks to help people with aphasia find words more easily. The authors address a fundamental problem with existing AAC devices: their…

  aphasia · assistive communication · semantic networks · visual vocabularies · adaptive tools

• Sibylle, an assistive communication system adapting to the context and its user

  Tonio Wandmacher, Jean-Yves Antoine, Franck Poirier, Jean-Paul Départe · 2008 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  Sibylle is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system designed for people with severe motor disabilities who cannot use conventional keyboards. The system has been in clinical use at the Kerpape rehabilitation center in Brittany, France since 2001, serving…

  AAC · word prediction · language modeling · user adaptation · n-gram models

• The Field Evaluation of a Mobile Digital Image Communication Application Designed for People with Aphasia

  Meredith Allen, Joanna McGrenere, Barbara Purves · 2008 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents PhotoTalk, a mobile application designed to help people with aphasia capture and manage digital photographs for face-to-face communication. The research addresses a significant gap: while AAC devices exist for aphasia, very few have been evaluated through…

  aphasia · AAC · mobile devices · field evaluation · participatory design

• Adapting Word Prediction to Subject Matter without Topic-Labeled Data

  Keith Trnka · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper proposes a method for adapting word prediction systems to the current topic of discourse without requiring human-labeled topic categories in the training data. Word prediction is a key feature of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices, where it…

  word prediction · AAC · language model · topic modeling · natural language processing

• Text Entry for Mobile Devices and Users with Severe Motor Impairments: HandiGlyph, a Primitive Shapes Based Onscreen Keyboard

  Mohammed Belatar, Franck Poirier · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents HandiGlyph, a text input method for mobile devices designed for users with severe motor disabilities such as Cerebral Palsy, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Locked-In Syndrome, and quadriplegia. The system is built on the UniGlyph principle: each letter of the…

  text entry · motor disability · on-screen keyboard · AAC · scanning input

• Corpus Studies in Word Prediction

  Keith Trnka, Kathleen F. McCoy · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper from the University of Delaware investigates how the choice and combination of training corpora affects the performance of statistical word prediction systems for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices. The fundamental challenge is that AAC users…

  word prediction · AAC · language model · natural language processing · corpus linguistics

• SIBYLLE: a system for alternative communication adapting to the context and its user

  Tonio Wandmacher, Jean-Yves Antoine, Franck Poirier · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '07)

  This paper describes the latest version of SIBYLLE, an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system developed at the Université François Rabelais and the Université Européenne de Bretagne for users with severe motor and speech impairments — including cerebrally and…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · word prediction · virtual keyboard · single switch

• Indirect Text Entry Using One or Two Keys

  Melanie Baljko, Andrew Tam · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper introduces a new descriptive model for indirect text entry — text composition methods where the number of input devices (switches) is significantly smaller than the number of selectable characters. This is the primary text entry paradigm for users of augmentative and…

  AAC · switch access · text entry · scanning · Huffman coding

• Loudmouth: Modifying Text-to-Speech Synthesis in Noise

  Rupal Patel, Michael Everett, Eldar Sadikov · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This short paper from Northeastern University presents Loudmouth, a modified text-to-speech synthesizer that emulates the Lombard effect — the natural way humans adjust their speech in noisy environments — to improve synthesized speech intelligibility in noise. Standard TTS…

  text-to-speech · speech synthesis · AAC · Lombard effect · speech intelligibility

• visiBabble Demo

  Harriet Fell, Joel MacAuslan, Jun Gong, Josh Ostrow · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents a demonstration of visiBabble, a computer-based system designed to encourage and reinforce pre-speech vocalizations in infants at risk of being nonspeaking due to neurological or oral/motor impairments. The system consists of a notebook computer, microphone,…

  early intervention · pre-speech vocalizations · speech technology · visual feedback · assistive technology

• 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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• User Modeling for Individuals with Disabilities: A Pilot Study of Word Prediction

  Abhishek Agarwal, Richard Simpson · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This short paper describes the development of user models that predict how word prediction (WP) systems affect text entry performance for individuals with disabilities. The research addresses a practical clinical problem: clinicians who assess assistive technology for clients…

  word prediction · user modeling · assistive technology · text entry · eye tracking

• visiBabble for Reinforcement of Early Vocalization

  Harriet Fell, Cynthia Cress, Joel MacAuslan, Linda Ferrier · 2003 · Proceedings of the 6th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '04)

  This paper presents visiBabble, a real-time system that detects syllable-like vocalizations in infant babbling and responds with brightly coloured animations as visual reinforcement. The system targets infants at risk for speech impairments due to conditions such as cerebral…

  early intervention · speech and language · child development · acoustic analysis · developmental disabilities

• Capturing Phrases for ICU-Talk, a Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

  S. Ashraf, A. Judson, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, N. Alm, B. Gordon, F. MacAulay, J. K. Brodie, M. Etchels, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the vocabulary gathering methods used for ICU-Talk, a three-year multidisciplinary project at the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital that developed an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid specifically for intubated intensive care…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · intensive care · vocabulary selection · phrase-based communication

• ICU-Talk, A Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

  F. MacAulay, A. Judson, M. Etchels, S. Ashraf, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, J. K. Brodie, N. Alm, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer, B. Gordon · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes ICU-Talk, a computer-based communication aid developed specifically for intubated patients in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) who are temporarily unable to speak due to breathing tubes inserted through their mouth or throat. The three-year…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · intensive care · intubation · hospital communication

• A Predictive Blissymbolic to English Translation System

  Annalu Waller, Kris Jack · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper addresses a fundamental limitation of Blissymbolics in electronic AAC: while Blissymbol users can compose messages by selecting symbols, converting those symbol sequences into grammatically correct English is non-trivial. Blissymbolics is a semantic graphic language…

  AAC · Blissymbolics · natural language processing · symbol communication · predictive text

• Assistive Social Interaction for Non-Speaking People Living in the Community

  Nick Hine, John L. Arnott · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper addresses the social isolation experienced by non-speaking people living independently in the community, a problem intensified by the shift from institutional to community-based care in the UK. The authors argue that while community care aims to improve quality of…

  AAC · social isolation · community care · videoconferencing · multimedia

• Iconic language design for people with significant speech and multiple impairments

  P. L. Albacete, S.-K. Chang, G. Polese, B. Baker · 1994 · Proceedings of the First Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '94)

  This paper presents a formal methodology for designing iconic languages used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems for people with significant speech and multiple impairments (SSMI). The authors build on the Minspeak system, conceived by co-author Bruce…

  AAC · iconic language · semantic compaction · Minspeak · speech impairment