Reviews

Search results

• SoundCells: Designing a Browser-Based Music Technology for Braille and Print Notation

  William Payne, Fabiha Ahmed, Michael Gardell, R. Luke DuBois, Amy Hurst · 2022 · Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from New York University presents SoundCells, a free, open-source, browser-based music notation tool designed to be accessible to screen reader users while outputting music in three formats simultaneously: audio playback, visual print scores, and braille music…

  music accessibility · blindness · visual impairment · braille · screen readers

• AIDE: An Automatic Image Description Engine for Review Imagery

  Rachana Sreedhar, Nicole Tan, Jingyue Zhang, Kim Jin, Spencer Gregson, Eli Moreta-Feliz, Niveditha Samudrala, Shrenik Sadalgi · 2022 · Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from Wayfair presents AIDE, a multimodal machine learning system that automatically generates contextual alt-text for user-submitted review images in e-commerce — a category of imagery that is particularly inaccessible because it is user-generated, unpredictable in…

  alt text · computer vision · blindness · visual impairment · screen readers

• A Participatory Design Approach to Creating Echolocation-Enabled Virtual Environments

  Ronny Andrade, Steven Baker, Jenny Waycott, Frank Vetere · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This participatory design study investigates how echolocation can be implemented in virtual environments to make them accessible to people with visual impairment. The researchers worked with three expert echolocators—people who have developed the ability to use sound and its…

  echolocation · virtual reality · participatory design · visual impairment · game accessibility

• Traveling More Independently: A Study on the Diverse Needs and Challenges of People with Visual or Mobility Impairments in Unfamiliar Indoor Environments

  Karin Müller, Christin Engel, Claudia Loitsch, Rainer Stiefelhagen, Gerhard Weber · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This comprehensive survey study examines how people with visual impairments (blindness or low vision) and mobility impairments plan and execute trips to unfamiliar indoor environments. The researchers surveyed 125 participants—60 blind, 39 with low vision, and 26 with mobility…

  indoor navigation · wayfinding · visual impairment · mobility impairment · indoor maps

• A Scoping Review of Assistance and Therapy with Head-Mounted Displays for People Who Are Visually Impaired

  Yifan Li, Kangsoo Kim, Austin Erickson, Nahal Norouzi, Jonathan Jules, Gerd Bruder, Gregory F. Welch · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This scoping review systematically examines how Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs) have been used for visual assistance and therapy for people with visual impairments. The authors searched six databases (IEEE, ACM, Springer, ScienceDirect, Web of Science, PubMed) and screened 1,251…

  low vision · visual impairment · head-mounted display · virtual reality · augmented reality

• Tactile Materials in Practice: Understanding the Experiences of Teachers of the Visually Impaired

  Mahika Phutane, Julie Wright, Brenda Veronica Castro, Lei Shi, Simone R. Stern, Holly M. Lawson, Shiri Azenkot · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This research investigates how Teachers of the Visually Impaired (TVIs) create, acquire, and use tactile materials—tactile graphics, 3D models, and real objects—in their educational practice. Despite growing research interest in tactile material creation technologies, there has…

  visual impairment · blindness · tactile graphics · 3D models · education

• "Every Website Is a Puzzle!": Facilitating Access to Common Website Features for People with Visual Impairments

  Natã M. Barbosa, Jordan Hayes, Smirity Kaushik, Yang Wang · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper addresses a fundamental challenge for screen reader users: while sighted users can rely on visual conventions to find common website features (log in at top right, contact at bottom), these shortcuts are inaccessible to users with visual impairments who must linearly…

  visual impairment · screen readers · web accessibility · machine learning · crowdsourcing

• Shared Privacy Concerns of the Visually Impaired and Sighted Bystanders with Camera-Based Assistive Technologies

  Taslima Akter, Tousif Ahmed, Apu Kapadia, Manohar Swaminathan · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates the privacy and ethical concerns surrounding camera-based assistive technologies (like smart glasses) from two perspectives: people with visual impairments (PVIs) as technology wearers and sighted people as bystanders who might be observed. The…

  privacy · visual impairment · camera-based assistive technology · AI ethics · algorithmic bias

• Addressing Accessibility Barriers in Programming for People with Visual Impairments: A Literature Review

  Aboubakar Mountapmbeme, Obianuju Okafor, Stephanie Ludi · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic literature review analyzes 70 papers published between 2000-2020 examining accessibility barriers in programming for people with visual impairments and proposed solutions. The review covers both professional programmers and students learning to code, spanning…

  visual impairment · blindness · programming · IDE accessibility · screen readers

• AIGuide: Augmented Reality Hand Guidance in a Visual Prosthetic

  Sooyeon Lee, Chien Wen Yuan, So-yeon Yoon, John M. Carroll · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  AIGuide is an iOS smartphone application designed as a "visual prosthetic" to help people with visual impairments locate and physically reach objects in their environment. The app addresses what the authors call the "last meter problem"—while existing object detection apps like…

  augmented reality · visual impairment · object detection · hand guidance · multimodal feedback

• Privacy Concerns for Visual Assistance Technologies

  Abigale Stangl, Kristina Shiroma, Nathan Davis, Bo Xie, Kenneth R. Fleischmann, Leah Findlater, Danna Gurari · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This comprehensive study examines privacy concerns of blind users when sharing images and videos with visual assistance technologies (VATs) like Aira, Be My Eyes, and Seeing AI. The research addresses a fundamental tension: blind people must share visual data to receive…

  visual impairment · privacy · visual assistance technology · artificial intelligence · remote sighted assistance

• Corridor-Walker: Mobile Indoor Walking Assistance for Blind People to Avoid Obstacles and Recognize Intersections

  Masaki Kuribayashi, Seita Kayukawa, Jayakorn Vongkulbhisal, Chieko Asakawa, Daisuke Sato, Hironobu Takagi, Shigeo Morishima · 2022 · Proceedings of the ACM on Human-Computer Interaction (Proc. ACM Hum.-Comput. Interact., Vol. 6, MHCI, Article 179)

  Walking an indoor corridor independently is deceptively hard for a blind traveller. Two problems compound: avoiding obstacles stacked against the wall (the same wall the traveller uses as a tactile guide) and recognising when an intersection has arrived and which directions it…

  indoor navigation · blind navigation · obstacle avoidance · intersection detection · LiDAR

• LaTeX as an Inclusive Accessibility Instrument for Highschool Mathematical Education

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, Marco Bracco, Nadir Murru, Tiziana Armano, Anna Capietto · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A '21)

  This paper reports on the design, implementation, and outcomes of a teaching activity in an Italian high school that used LaTeX typesetting language as an inclusive tool for mathematical education. The project was designed to support "Cristina" (pseudonym), a second-year applied…

  visual impairment · math accessibility · education accessibility · inclusive design · assistive technology

• WordMelodies: an Inclusive Mobile App Supporting the Acquisition of Literacy Skills

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, Irene Mantegazza, Sergio Mascetti · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A '21)

  This paper presents WordMelodies, a cross-platform mobile edutainment application designed for inclusive literacy education for primary school children with and without visual impairments or blindness (VIB). The app was motivated by a teacher of children with VIB in the USA who…

  visual impairment · education accessibility · mobile accessibility · inclusive design · screen readers

• AccessComics: An Accessible Digital Comic Book Reader for People with Visual Impairments

  Yunjung Lee, Hwayeon Joh, Suhyeon Yoo, Uran Oh · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from Ewha Womans University in Seoul presents AccessComics, a web-based accessible digital comic book reader for people with visual impairments (PVI). Comics are a popular medium available on many digital platforms, yet almost none support screen readers, leaving…

  visual impairment · blindness · low vision · content accessibility · screen readers

• Multi-touch Exploration and Sonification of Line Segments

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cristian Bernareggi, Sergio Mascetti, Federico Pini · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents SoundLines, a mobile app designed to help children with visual impairments develop spatial exploration skills through touchscreen interaction coupled with audio (sonification) feedback. The app is structured as a game where a kitten must be guided to find its…

  visual impairment · sonification · spatial cognition · mobile accessibility · tactile accessibility

• Improving Mealtime Experiences of People with Visual Impairments

  SeungA Chung, Soobin Park, Sohyeon Park, Kyungyeon Lee, Uran Oh · 2021 · Proceedings of the 18th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates the mealtime challenges faced by people with visual impairments (PVI) and explores how assistive technology can support more independent dining experiences. While most accessibility research for PVI has focused on navigation and object recognition, this…

  visual impairment · assistive technology · independent living · daily living · computer vision

• "It is fascinating to make these beasts fly": Understanding Visually Impaired People's Motivations and Needs for Drone Piloting

  Vinitha Gadiraju, Sanika Moharana, Aisha Azhar, Kimberley Gans, Shane T. Mueller, Jenna L. Gorlewicz · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper investigates the motivations, interests, and accessibility needs of blind and visually impaired (BVI) people regarding drone piloting. While drones have been explored as assistive tools for BVI users — helping with navigation, obstacle detection, and environment…

  visual impairment · blindness · drones · assistive technology · accessible interaction

• How Teachers of the Visually Impaired Compensate with the Absence of Accessible Block-Based Languages

  Aboubakar Mountapmbeme, Stephanie Ludi · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper reports on an interview study with twelve teachers of K-12 students with visual impairments (TVIs) across the United States, investigating how they navigate the lack of fully accessible block-based programming environments. Block-based programming languages like…

  visual impairment · block-based programming · K-12 education · computer science education · accessible programming

• Auditory feedback to compensate audible instructions to support people with visual impairment

  Gabriele Galimberti · 2021 · ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This doctoral consortium extended abstract addresses a practical challenge faced by people with visual impairments who rely on auditory feedback from mobile devices: background noise in real-world mobility contexts can mask device audio output, degrading the information it…

  visual impairment · auditory feedback · sonification · mobile accessibility · navigation

• VStroll: An Audio-based Virtual Exploration to Encourage Walking among People with Vision Impairments

  Gesu India, Mohit Jain, Pallav Karya, Nirmalendu Diwakar, Manohar Swaminathan · 2021 · ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  People with visual impairments (PVIs) engage in significantly less physical exercise than sighted adults, with 1.5 times higher odds of obesity. Barriers include inaccessible infrastructure, parental discouragement due to safety concerns, lack of walking partners, and the…

  visual impairment · blindness · physical activity · walking · spatial audio

• The Efficacy of Collaborative Authoring of Video Scene Descriptions

  Rosiana Natalie, Jolene Loh, Huei Suen Tan, Joshua Tseng, Ian Luke Yi-Ren Chan, Ebrima H Jarjue, Hernisa Kacorri, Kotaro Hara · 2021 · ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  The vast majority of online video content remains inaccessible to people with visual impairments because it lacks audio descriptions — verbal commentaries that depict visual information in scenes. Professional audio description services cost US$12 to US$75 per video minute and…

  audio description · video accessibility · visual impairment · crowdsourcing · collaborative authoring

• Iterative Design of Sonification Techniques to Support People with Visual Impairments in Obstacle Avoidance

  Giorgio Presti, Dragan Ahmetovic, Mattia Ducci, Cristian Bernareggi, Luca A. Ludovico, Adriano Baratè, Federico Avanzini, Sergio Mascetti · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents WatchOut, a sonification system that conveys real-time obstacle information to blind or visually impaired (BVI) people through non-verbal audio cues. While white canes detect obstacles only within about 1 meter and miss elevated hazards, computer vision on…

  visual impairment · blindness · sonification · obstacle avoidance · orientation and mobility

• Fully Autonomous Vehicles for People with Visual Impairment: Policy, Accessibility, and Future Directions

  Paul D. S. Fink, Jessica A. Holz, Nicholas A. Giudice · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This policy analysis examines how fully autonomous vehicles (FAVs) could transform mobility for people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI), while arguing that current US legislation fails to address their accessibility needs. With over 25 million Americans reporting…

  autonomous vehicles · transportation policy · blindness · visual impairment · accessible design

• Expanding a Large Inclusive Study of Human Listening Rates

  Danielle Bragg, Katharina Reinecke, Richard E. Ladner · 2021 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study presents the first large-scale, inclusive online investigation of human listening rates for fast synthetic speech, conducted via the LabintheWild crowdsourcing platform over 12 months with 1,409 participants. The research aimed to understand how fast people can…

  screen readers · synthetic speech · text-to-speech · listening rates · auditory processing