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• A Three-Countries Case Study of Older People's Browsing

  Prush Sa-nga-ngam, Sri Kurniawan · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This short paper from the University of Manchester presents survey data on web browsing activities from 63 respondents aged 55 and over across three countries: 10 from Thailand, 40 from the UK, and 13 from the USA. The questionnaire, distributed during March-April 2006, explored…

  older adults · web browsing · age-friendly design · cross-cultural · digital divide

• Determining the Impact of Computer Frustration on the Mood of Blind Users Browsing the Web

  Jonathan Lazar, Jinjuan Feng, Aaron Allen · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from Towson University's Universal Usability Laboratory examines how computer frustration affects the mood of 100 blind web users — the first study to investigate the emotional impact of frustrating computing experiences specifically for users with visual impairments.…

  screen readers · visual impairment · user frustration · web accessibility · affective computing

• Interactive Tracking of Movable Objects for the Blind on the Basis of Environment Models and Perception-Oriented Object Recognition Methods

  Andreas Hub, Tim Hartter, Thomas Ertl · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from the University of Stuttgart presents advances to an indoor navigation and object identification system for blind and deafblind users. The system combines a stereo camera and 3D inertial sensor mounted on a bicycle helmet with detailed 3D environment models of…

  indoor navigation · object recognition · blind users · computer vision · assistive technology

• Developing Steady Clicks: A Method of Cursor Assistance for People with Motor Impairments

  Shari Trewin, Simeon Keates, Karyn Moffatt · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from IBM Research and the University of British Columbia presents Steady Clicks, a cursor assistance feature designed to reduce clicking errors for mouse users with motor impairments. The system addresses three specific error types identified in prior empirical…

  motor impairment · cursor assistance · mouse input · clicking errors · target acquisition

• Task Analysis for Sonification Applications Usability Evaluation

  Ag Asri Ag Ibrahim · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This poster paper from University Malaysia Sabah and the University of York proposes a task analysis framework for evaluating the usability of sonification applications — software that transforms data into sound representations. The author argues that while usability evaluation…

  sonification · task analysis · usability inspection · auditory display · accessibility evaluation

• Indoor Wayfinding: Developing a Functional Interface for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Alan L. Liu, Harlan Hile, Henry Kautz, Gaetano Borriello, Pat A. Brown, Mark Harniss, Kurt Johnson · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from the University of Washington describes the design and user evaluation of an indoor wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairments, including traumatic brain injury, Down syndrome, pervasive developmental disorder, and cerebral palsy. Rather than…

  cognitive impairment · wayfinding · indoor navigation · wizard of oz · multimodal interface

• VoxBoox: A System for Automatic Generation of Interactive Talking Books

  Aanchal Jain, Gopal Gupta · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This poster paper from the University of Texas at Dallas presents VoxBoox, a system that automatically converts HTML-coded digital books into interactive talking books accessible via telephone. The system works by translating HTML pages into VoiceXML — the W3C standard markup…

  talking books · VoiceXML · aural navigation · visual impairment · blind users

• A Prototype of Google Interfaces Modified for Simplifying Interaction for Blind Users

  Patrizia Andronico, Marina Buzzi, Carlos Castillo, Barbara Leporini · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This demo paper from Italy's National Research Council and Università di Roma presents a prototype that restructures Google's search and results pages to be more usable for blind screen reader users. Previous research had shown that blind users took 2.5 times longer than sighted…

  search engine accessibility · blind users · screen readers · JAWS · usability

• Usability and Accessibility Issues in the Localization of Assistive Technology

  Ira Jhangiani · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This doctoral consortium paper from Virginia Polytechnic Institute examines the usability and accessibility challenges that arise when assistive technology software designed in one country is localized for users with disabilities in another. The research evaluates a portable…

  assistive technology · localization · internationalization · usability · low vision

• WISE: A Wizard Interface Supporting Enhanced Usability

  Joshua M. Hailpern · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This poster paper from Carnegie Mellon University presents WISE (Wizard Interface Supporting Enhanced usability), an alternative operating system and application UI specifically designed to address the cognitive deficits of older adults (60+) rather than just physical…

  older adults · cognitive accessibility · age-friendly design · linear interaction · cognitive decline

• A Flexible VXML Interpreter for Non-Visual Web Access

  Yevgen Borodin · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This doctoral consortium paper from Stony Brook University presents VXMLSurf, an open-source VoiceXML interpreter being developed as part of the HearSay project for non-visual web browsing. VoiceXML is the W3C standard for specifying interactive voice dialogs, widely used in…

  VoiceXML · non-visual browsing · voice browser · blind users · screen readers

• Helping Aphasic People Process Online Information

  Siobhan Devlin, Gary Unthank · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This short paper from the University of Sunderland describes the HAPPI (Helping Aphasic People Process Information) project, a web-based text simplification system designed to help people with aphasia access online content such as news stories. Aphasia is a language disorder…

  aphasia · text simplification · cognitive accessibility · lexical simplification · natural language processing

• An Extensible, Scalable Browser-Based Architecture for Synchronous and Asynchronous Communication and Collaboration Systems for Deaf and Hearing Individuals

  Jonathan Schull · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from Rochester Institute of Technology (home to the National Technical Institute of the Deaf) presents a browser-based communication platform designed to facilitate face-to-face conversation between deaf and hearing team members. Standard chat systems enforce a…

  deaf accessibility · CSCW · real-time text · collaboration · universal design

• From Letters to Words: Efficient Stroke-based Word Completion for Trackball Text Entry

  Jacob O. Wobbrock, Brad A. Myers · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents a significant extension to Trackball EdgeWrite, a unistroke text entry method designed for people who use trackballs as their primary pointing device. The original Trackball EdgeWrite allowed users to enter text one character at a time by rolling a trackball…

  text entry · trackball · motor impairment · word prediction · word completion

• Accommodating Color Blind Computer Users

  Luke Jefferson, Richard Harvey · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper from the University of East Anglia presents an algorithm for recoloring digital images and documents so that color information is preserved for color blind viewers, particularly dichromats (people missing one type of cone cell). The algorithm addresses a fundamental…

  color vision deficiency · color blindness · dichromacy · color remapping · color contrast

• SADIe: Transcoding Based on CSS

  Simon Harper, Sean Bechhofer, Darren Lunn · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper introduces SADIe (Structural-Semantics for Accessibility and Device Independence), a system that improves web accessibility for visually impaired users by leveraging semantic information already encoded in Cascading Style Sheets (CSS). The authors argue that blindness…

  visual impairment · web accessibility · transcoding · CSS · screen readers

• A Rollator-Mounted Wayfinding System for the Elderly: A Smart World Perspective

  Aliasgar Kutiyanawala, Vladimir Kulyukin, Edmund LoPresti · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents the iWalker, a rollator-mounted wayfinding system designed to help elderly individuals with cognitive and visual impairments navigate indoor environments independently. The system adopts a "smart world" perspective, where intelligence is distributed between…

  wayfinding · aging · assistive technology · robotics · cognitive impairment

• A Portable Device for the Translation of Braille to Text

  Iain Murray, Andrew Pasquale · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents the development of a portable, handheld device that optically scans embossed Braille and translates it into printed text in real time. The device addresses a significant communication barrier: while many blind and vision-impaired people read and write using…

  braille · optical braille recognition · assistive technology · visual impairment · communication

• Lecture Adaptation for Students with Visual Disabilities Using High-Resolution Photography

  Gregory Hughes, Peter Robinson · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents a system designed to make visual content in lectures accessible to students with visual disabilities by using high-resolution digital still cameras and computer vision techniques. Students with visual impairments typically sit 4 to 20 metres from whiteboards,…

  visual impairment · education · assistive technology · computer vision · lecture accessibility

• A Voice-Activated Syntax-Directed Editor for Manually Disabled Programmers

  Thomas J. Hubbell, David D. Langan, Thomas F. Hain · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents VASDE (Voice-Activated Syntax-Directed Editor), a programming environment designed to allow people with manual disabilities to write Java code using voice commands instead of a keyboard and mouse. The authors argue that traditional programming IDEs, which are…

  speech recognition · programming · motor impairment · voice input · IDE

• Attention Analysis in Interactive Software for Children with Autism

  A. Ould Mohamed, V. Courboulay, K. Sehaba, M. Menard · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents the attention analysis component of the AutiSTIC project, a collaborative effort between computer scientists and the Child Psychiatry department of La Rochelle Hospital in France to develop interactive software that helps children with autism during…

  autism · attention analysis · eye tracking · computer vision · children

• Using an Audio Interface to Assist Users Who are Visually Impaired with Steering Tasks

  Robert F. Cohen, Valerie Haven, Jessica A. Lanzoni, Arthur Meacham, Joelle Skaff, Michael Wissell · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents results from an ongoing study of PLUMB (exPLoring graphs at UMB), a software system that uses audio feedback and a pen-based Tablet PC interface to make relational graphs and diagrams accessible to users who are blind. Graphs — consisting of vertices (nodes)…

  visual impairment · sonification · graph accessibility · audio interface · tablet PC

• Where's My Stuff? Design and Evaluation of a Mobile System for Locating Lost Items for the Visually Impaired

  Julie A. Kientz, Shwetak N. Patel, Arwa Z. Tyebkhan, Brian Gane, Jennifer Wiley, Gregory D. Abowd · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents FETCH (Finding Everything using Technology that is Convenient and Handy), a mobile system that helps visually impaired people locate lost items around their home using Bluetooth-enabled tags and existing devices like cell phones or laptops. The research was…

  visual impairment · assistive technology · object location · Bluetooth · mobile technology

• Lambda: A Multimodal Approach to Making Mathematics Accessible to Blind Students

  Alistair D N Edwards, Heather McCartney, Flavio Fogarolo · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents the Lambda System, a European Union-funded project designed to make mathematics accessible to blind students through a multimodal mathematical editor. Mathematics relies heavily on visual two-dimensional notation — fractions are stacked vertically, square…

  visual impairment · mathematics · braille · education · MathML

• Alternative Text Entry Using Different Input Methods

  Torsten Felzer, Rainer Nordmann · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents the HaMCoS (Hands-free Mouse Control System) framework and its text entry applications, designed for people who cannot use their hands to operate a keyboard. HaMCoS works by detecting intentional muscle contractions — specifically single (CE1) and double…

  text entry · motor impairment · alternative input · single switch · bio-signals