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• Speaking Through Pictures: Images vs. Icons

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

  This paper investigates whether freely available web images can serve as effective substitutes for professionally designed icons in assistive communication systems for people with aphasia. Existing icon-based systems like Lingraphica and C-VIC (Computerized Visual Communication)…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · visual communication · icon-based communication · assistive technology

• NavTap: A Long Term Study with Excluded Blind Users

  Tiago Guerreiro, Hugo Nicolau, Joaquim Jorge, Daniel Gonçalves · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a long-term evaluation of NavTap, a navigational text-entry method designed specifically for blind users who cannot effectively use standard mobile phone text input. Unlike traditional MultiTap — where users press a key multiple times to cycle through letters…

  mobile accessibility · blind users · text entry · assistive technology · longitudinal study

• Accessible Motion-Capture Glove Calibration Protocol for Recording Sign Language Data from Deaf Subjects

  Pengfei Lu, Matt Huenerfauth · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper addresses a critical bottleneck in sign language technology research: the calibration of motion-capture gloves used to record handshape data from deaf signers. Motion-capture gloves like the CyberGlove contain sensors that measure finger joint angles, but they require…

  sign language · motion capture · American Sign Language · deaf users · accessibility technology

• Context-Aware Prompting to Transition Autonomously Through Vocational Tasks for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Yao-Jen Chang, Wan Chih Chang, Tsen-Yung Wang · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a context-aware task prompting system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments work more independently in vocational settings. The system uses Bluetooth beacons placed at key work locations ("points of work") to trigger personalized prompts on…

  cognitive accessibility · task prompting · supported employment · context-aware computing · intellectual disability

• iSET: Enabling In Situ & Post Hoc Video Labeling

  Mish Madsen, Abdelrahman N. Mahmoud, Youssef Kashef · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This demonstration paper presents the interactive Social-Emotional Toolkit (iSET), a portable video recording and annotation system designed to support behavioral interventions for people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). People with ASD frequently struggle to recognize and…

  autism spectrum disorder · video annotation · affective computing · social-emotional learning · behavioral intervention

• Comparing Evaluation Techniques for Text Readability Software for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

  Matt Huenerfauth, Lijun Feng, Noémie Elhadad · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates how to properly evaluate text simplification software designed for adults with mild intellectual disabilities (ID). The authors are developing a system that automatically simplifies news articles, displays them, and reads them aloud using text-to-speech —…

  intellectual disability · text simplification · readability · natural language processing · evaluation methodology

• Haptic User Interface Design for Students with Visual Impairments

  Hyung Nam Kim · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper explores the design of haptic user interfaces to help students with visual impairments understand science concepts related to heat and temperature — topics where common misconceptions are prevalent even among sighted students and where traditional teaching…

  haptic technology · visual impairment · STEM accessibility · science education · multimodal interaction

• Talking Points: The Differential Impact of Real-Time Computer Generated Audio/Visual Feedback on Speech-Like & Non-Speech-Like Vocalizations in Low Functioning Children with ASD

  Joshua Hailpern, Karrie Karahalios, Laura DeThorne, James Halle · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper examines whether real-time computer feedback systems (CFS) can differentially impact speech-like versus non-speech-like vocalizations in low-functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The distinction matters because the goal of speech intervention is to…

  autism spectrum disorder · speech development · computer feedback system · vocalization · children

• Haptic Handheld Wayfinder with Pseudo-Attraction Force for Pedestrians with Visual Impairments

  Tomohiro Amemiya, Hisashi Sugiyama · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a compact handheld haptic device that guides visually impaired pedestrians by generating a directional force sensation — a feeling of being pulled or pushed toward the correct direction. The device exploits a perceptual phenomenon called "pseudo-attraction…

  haptic technology · wayfinding · visual impairment · navigation · kinesthetic perception

• Let's Stay in Touch: Sharing Photos for Restoring Social Connectedness between Rehabilitants, Friends and Family

  Margit Biemans, Betsy van Dijk, Pavan Dadlani, Aart van Halteren · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a case study on using a photo sharing application to maintain social connectedness between people undergoing spinal cord lesion rehabilitation and their friends and family. Rehabilitation for spinal cord injuries often requires extended stays of up to a year…

  social connectedness · rehabilitation · spinal cord injury · photo sharing · assistive technology

• 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

• Customizing Directions in an Automated Wayfinding System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairment

  Alan L. Liu, Harlan Hile, Gaetano Borriello, Pat A. Brown, Mark Harniss, Henry Kautz, Kurt Johnson · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of a mobile wayfinding system that provides customized navigation directions to individuals with cognitive impairments such as traumatic brain injury, cerebral palsy, and intellectual disability. The central innovation is using a…

  cognitive impairment · wayfinding · navigation · mobile technology · Markov decision process

• Instant Tactile-Audio Map: Enabling Access to Digital Maps for People with Visual Impairment

  Zheshen Wang, Baoxin Li, Terri Hedgpeth, Teresa Haven · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents an automated system for converting standard digital map images into interactive tactile-audio maps that people who are blind can explore independently. The core problem addressed is that while online map services like Google Maps provide rich geographical…

  tactile maps · visual impairment · multimodal interaction · audio feedback · navigation

• Designing Judicious Interactions for Cognitive Assistance: The Acts of Assistance Approach

  Jérémy Bauchet, Hélène Pigot, Sylvain Giroux, Dany Lussier-Desrochers, Yves Lachapelle, Mounir Mokhtari · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents Archipel, a cognitive orthosis developed at the DOMUS Laboratory at the University of Sherbrooke, Canada, designed to guide people with cognitive impairments through complex activities of daily living such as meal preparation. The system takes a two-pronged…

  cognitive assistance · intellectual disability · smart home · activities of daily living · pervasive computing

• Collaborative Web Accessibility Improvement: Challenges and Possibilities

  Hironobu Takagi, Shinya Kawanaka, Masatomo Kobayashi, Daisuke Sato, Chieko Asakawa · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper reports on the Social Accessibility Project, an experimental service developed by IBM Research in Tokyo that uses collaborative metadata authoring to improve web accessibility. The system works through a three-part architecture: end users (primarily screen reader…

  web accessibility · collaborative accessibility · crowdsourcing · metadata · screen readers

• Real-Time Anomaly Detection for Traveling Individuals

  Tian-Shya Ma · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper presents a real-time anomaly detection system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments travel safely and independently on routine journeys such as commuting via public transportation. The system works by comparing a traveller's current GPS…

  cognitive impairment · navigation · location awareness · anomaly detection · safety

• Making Microsoft Excel Accessible: Multimodal Presentation of Charts

  Iyad Abu Doush, Enrico Pontelli, Dominic Simon, Tran Cao Son, Ou Ma · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a system for making Microsoft Excel charts accessible to people with visual impairments through a combination of haptic force feedback and audio cues. The authors identify that while screen readers and specialised tools can handle tabular data in Excel, the…

  data visualization · haptic technology · sonification · visual impairment · charts

• How Much Does Expertise Matter? A Barrier Walkthrough Study with Experts and Non-Experts

  Yeliz Yesilada, Giorgio Brajnik, Simon Harper · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether expertise matters in manual web accessibility evaluation by comparing results from 19 expert and 51 non-expert judges using the Barrier Walkthrough (BW) method. The BW method is an analytical technique based on heuristic walkthrough where…

  web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · barrier walkthrough · WCAG · evaluator effect

• TextSL: A Command-Based Virtual World Interface for the Visually Impaired

  Eelke Folmer, Bei Yuan, Dave Carr, Manjari Sapre · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents TextSL, a text-based client for the virtual world Second Life that enables access via screen readers. Second Life is a non-game virtual world where users control avatars to explore 3D environments, socialise with others, and interact with user-created objects…

  virtual worlds · visual impairment · screen readers · game accessibility · social interaction

• The One-Key Challenge: Searching for a Fast One-Key Text Entry Method

  I. Scott MacKenzie · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents SAK (Scanning Ambiguous Keyboard), a novel one-key text entry method designed for people who can only operate a single switch input. The design combines two established techniques — scanning keyboards (where items are highlighted sequentially and selected…

  text entry · switch access · scanning keyboard · ambiguous keyboard · motor disability

• Defining Virtualization Based System Abstractions for an Indoor Assistive Living for Elderly Care

  Nova Ahmed · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper proposes a two-layer system architecture for monitoring and guiding elderly residents in an indoor assistive living centre using passive RFID technology. The system addresses the tension between providing adequate monitoring for safety and preserving residents'…

  aging · ambient assisted living · RFID · indoor positioning · privacy

• Enriching Web Information Scent for Blind Users

  Markel Vigo, Barbara Leporini, Fabio Paternò · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether annotating web links with accessibility scores of their target pages can improve navigation efficiency for blind screen reader users. The core idea draws on information foraging theory: just as sighted users follow visual cues ("information…

  web accessibility · blind users · screen readers · information scent · information foraging

• Including Accessibility Within and Beyond Undergraduate Computing Courses

  Annalu Waller, Vicki L. Hanson, David Sloan · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper describes the University of Dundee's approach to integrating accessibility and inclusive design throughout its entire four-year undergraduate computing curriculum, rather than treating accessibility as a standalone topic or elective module. The School of Computing at…

  accessibility education · inclusive design · higher education · curriculum design · web accessibility

• Usability of a multimodal videogame to improve navigation skills for blind children

  Jaime Sánchez, Mauricio Sáenz, Miguel Ripoll · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a usability evaluation of two complementary tools designed to help blind school-aged children develop orientation and mobility (O&M) skills in closed, unfamiliar spaces. The first tool is the Digital Clock Carpet (DCC), a custom-built haptic input device…

  blind children · orientation and mobility · haptic interfaces · audio interfaces · virtual environments

• Accessibility Commons: A Metadata Repository for Web Accessibility

  Shinya Kawanaka, Masatomo Kobayashi, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2009 · ACM SIGWEB Newsletter, Summer 2009

  This short SIGWEB Newsletter article proposes Accessibility Commons (AC), a shared federated repository for externally authored web-accessibility metadata. The authors argue that accessibility cannot scale as long as fixes depend on the original site owner inlining alt text,…

  web accessibility · metadata · semantic transcoding · social accessibility · crowdsourcing