Reviews

Search results

• PhotoTacs: An Image-Based Cell Phone Interface

  Michael J. Astrauskas · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents PhotoTacs, a simplified image-based cell phone interface designed to help people with cognitive or visual impairments navigate their phone contacts and make calls. The author begins by identifying the core problem: as cellular phones gained features, their…

  cognitive accessibility · mobile accessibility · assistive technology · visual impairment · user interface design

• A comparative test of web accessibility evaluation methods

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

  This paper presents a controlled laboratory experiment comparing two web accessibility evaluation methods: conformance review (CR) and barrier walkthrough (BW). Conformance review is the traditional approach where evaluators check whether a page satisfies a checklist of criteria…

  accessibility evaluation · conformance testing · barrier walkthrough · web accessibility · WCAG

• A user evaluation of the SADIe transcoder

  Darren Lunn, Sean Bechhofer, Simon Harper · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a user evaluation of SADIe (Structural-Semantics for Accessibility and Device Independence), a system that uses Semantic Web technologies to make web pages more accessible to screen reader users. The core problem SADIe addresses is that web pages convey…

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

• Effective Simulations to Support Academics in Inclusive Online Learning Design

  George Papadopoulos, Elaine Pearson, Steve Green · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the development and evaluation of accessibility simulations designed to help academic staff in higher education understand the barriers disabled students face when accessing online learning materials. The research was conducted at the University of…

  accessibility simulation · disability awareness · inclusive learning · cognitive accessibility · continuing professional development

• PowerUp: An Accessible Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Vicki L. Hanson, Mark R. Laff, Anna Cavender · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the design and validation of accessibility features for PowerUp, an IBM-developed multiplayer 3D virtual world educational game aimed at middle school students. The researchers were tasked with making the game usable by players with visual, hearing,…

  game accessibility · virtual reality · visual impairment · blindness · cognitive accessibility

• Performance-Based Functional Assessment: An Algorithm for Measuring Physical Capabilities

  Kathleen J. Price, Andrew Sears · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents PB-FACT (Performance-Based Functional Assessment for Computer Technology), a novel tool for objectively and quantitatively measuring an individual's physical capabilities in relation to their use of information technology. The authors argue that current…

  functional assessment · motor disability · assistive technology · physical disability · human-computer interaction

• A Camera Phone Based Currency Reader for the Visually Impaired

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

  This paper presents a camera phone-based system for identifying U.S. paper currency denominations for people who are blind or visually impaired. The work addresses a specific accessibility gap: unlike currencies in many other countries, U.S. paper bills are identical in size and…

  visual impairment · computer vision · assistive technology · mobile accessibility · object recognition

• Tactile Chart Generation Tool

  Cagatay Goncu, Kim Marriott · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a Java application that automatically generates tactile bar and pie charts from raw data values provided in a formatted text file. Developed in collaboration with Vision Australia, the tool addresses the time-consuming and expensive process of manually…

  tactile graphics · data visualization · visual impairment · braille · accessible publishing

• RouteCheckr: Personalized Multicriteria Routing for Mobility Impaired Pedestrians

  Thorsten Völkel, Gerhard Weber · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents RouteCheckr, a client/server system for personalised pedestrian navigation that calculates routes optimised for multiple criteria relevant to mobility impaired users. The authors identify three key shortcomings of existing navigation systems: map data…

  navigation · wayfinding · wheelchair accessibility · visual impairment · mobility

• Investigating Sighted Users' Browsing Behaviour to Assist Web Accessibility

  Eleni Michailidou, Simon Harper, Sean Bechhofer · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents an eye tracking study investigating how sighted users browse web pages, with the goal of using these insights to improve web accessibility for visually impaired users. The core argument is that understanding sighted users' visual browsing patterns can inform…

  eye tracking · web accessibility · visual impairment · web design · visual complexity

• Hover or Tap? Supporting Pen-based Menu Navigation for Older Adults

  Karyn Moffatt, Sandra Yuen, Joanna McGrenere · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper investigates "drifting" — an error specific to pen-based (Tablet PC) interaction where users accidentally hover over an adjacent menu head, causing their intended menu to close and the wrong one to open. This occurs because inductive pen technology tracks the pen…

  aging · input methods · touchscreen accessibility · inclusive design · user interface design

• Software and Technologies Designed for People with Autism: What Do Users Want?

  Cynthia Putnam, Lorna Chong · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper reports on an online survey of 114 respondents (12 adults with ASD completing it themselves, 102 submissions about children with ASD from parents, teachers, and professionals) investigating what users actually want from software and technology designed for people with…

  autism · user-centered design · cognitive accessibility · assistive technology · educational technology

• A3: A Coding Guideline for HCI+Autism Research Using Video Annotation

  Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, James Halle, Laura DeThorne, Mary-Kelsey Coletto · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents A3 (Annotation for ASD Analysis), a systematic coding guideline developed through cross-disciplinary collaboration between computer scientists, special educators, and speech and hearing scientists at the University of Illinois. The work addresses a…

  autism · video annotation · research methodology · inter-rater reliability · computerized feedback

• Understanding Pointing Problems in Real World Computing Environments

  Amy Hurst, Jennifer Mankoff, Scott E. Hudson · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper develops techniques for collecting and analysing pointing performance data during real-world computer use, rather than solely in laboratory settings, to understand how pointing behaviour varies over time for individuals with motor impairments. Two computers were…

  motor disability · pointing · input methods · assistive technology · cerebral palsy

• The Flote: An Instrument for People with Limited Mobility

  Amal Dar Aziz, Chris Warren, Hayden Bursk, Sean Follmer · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper introduces the Flote, a digital wind instrument designed to enable people with limited mobility to play music using only head movement and breath control. Developed at Stanford University through a collaboration between computer science and music departments (CCRMA),…

  music accessibility · adaptive musical instrument · limited mobility · head tracking · breath control

• Naming Practice on an Open Platform for People with Aphasia

  Chris Benjamin, Jesse Harris, Alex Moncrief, Gail Ramsberger, Clayton Lewis · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents Banga, a prototype software system built on the Android open-source mobile platform to deliver word finding practice — a form of speech-language therapy — to people with aphasia. Aphasia, a language disorder typically caused by stroke, affects approximately…

  aphasia · naming practice · word finding · mobile health · Android

• Advanced Auditory Menus: Design and Evaluation of Auditory Scroll Bars

  Pavani Yalla, Bruce N. Walker · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper from the Sonification Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology investigates how to design auditory scrollbars — non-speech sound cues that convey contextual information (menu size, current position) while navigating auditory menus. Visual menus use scrollbars, icons,…

  auditory interface · auditory menu · sonification · non-speech sounds · universal design

• Analysis of Speech Properties of Neurotypicals and Individuals Diagnosed with Autism and Down Syndrome

  Mohammed E. Hoque · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This MIT Media Lab study systematically compares speech properties across three groups — neurotypicals (NT), individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and individuals with Down syndrome (DS) — using 100 minutes of audio data from 10 natural one-to-one conversations. Six…

  speech processing · autism · Down syndrome · speech production · prosody

• 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

• How Older and Younger Adults Differ in Their Approach to Problem Solving on a Complex Website

  Peter G. Fairweather · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This IBM Research paper challenges the prevailing assumption that older adults use the web in the same way as younger adults, just more slowly and less accurately. The study examined how 28 participants aged 18-73 navigated a complex newspaper website to solve a realistic…

  aging · web navigation · cognitive accessibility · usability · older adults

• Technology for Just-in-Time In-Situ Learning of Facial Affect for Persons Diagnosed with an Autism Spectrum Disorder

  Miriam Madsen, Rana el Kaliouby, Matthew Goodwin, Rosalind Picard · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This MIT Media Lab paper presents a wearable technology system designed to help adolescents with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) learn to recognize and interpret facial expressions during real-time social interactions with their everyday companions. The system combines a…

  autism · affective computing · facial affect · emotion recognition · wearable technology

• 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

• Enabling the Legally Blind in Classroom Note-Taking

  David Hayden, Dirk Colbry, John A. Black Jr, Sethuraman Panchanathan · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper demonstrates the CUbiC Note Taker, a portable assistive device developed at Arizona State University that enables students who are legally blind to independently take notes in classroom settings. The system addresses multiple limitations of existing accommodations:…

  low vision · legal blindness · assistive technology · education · note-taking

• Social Accessibility: Achieving Accessibility through Collaborative Metadata Authoring

  Hironobu Takagi, Shinya Kawanaka, Masatomo Kobayashi, Takashi Itoh, Chieko Asakawa · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This IBM Research Tokyo paper proposes Social Accessibility, a system that applies social computing principles to web accessibility by enabling a worldwide community of volunteers to collaboratively create external accessibility metadata for inaccessible websites. The core…

  web accessibility · social computing · collaborative authoring · metadata · web transcoding

• Automation of Repetitive Web Browsing Tasks with Voice-Enabled Macros

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

  This paper proposes an approach for automating repetitive web browsing tasks through personalized macros with a speech-enabled interface, implemented within the HearSay non-visual web browser at Stony Brook University. The core problem is that non-visual aural web browsing…

  screen reader · web accessibility · non-visual browsing · web macro · voice interface