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• Text-to-Speeches: Evaluating the Perception of Concurrent Speech by Blind People

  João Guerreiro, Daniel Gonçalves · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper investigates whether blind people can leverage the Cocktail Party Effect—the human ability to focus on one speech source among several while still detecting relevant content in the background—to more efficiently scan digital information. Screen readers present content…

  visual impairment · blindness · screen readers · speech perception · cocktail party effect

• Age, Technology Usage, and Cognitive Characteristics in Relation to Perceived Disorientation and Reported Website Ease of Use

  Michael Crabb, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper challenges the common practice in HCI research of using chronological age as the primary metric for understanding differences in web browsing experience between older and younger adults. Twenty participants (12 older adults aged 63-90, M=73.66; and 8 younger adults…

  older adults · aging · cognitive accessibility · web accessibility · fluid intelligence

• OS-Level Surface Haptics for Touch-Screen Accessibility

  Suhong Jin, Joe Mullenbach, Craig Shultz, J. Edward Colgate, Anne Marie Piper · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper introduces an operating system-level implementation of surface haptic feedback for Android tablets, built on the TPad Tablet platform developed at Northwestern University. The TPad combines a standard 7-inch Android tablet with a variable friction haptic…

  haptic feedback · touchscreen accessibility · surface haptics · variable friction · assistive technology

• AccessBraille: Tablet-based Braille Entry

  Stephanie Ludi, Michael Timbrook, Piper Chester · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents AccessBraille, an iOS framework that provides a virtual Braille keyboard for iPad applications. The system is designed as a reusable framework that any iOS developer can integrate into their apps, rather than being a standalone application. The…

  braille · tablet · iOS accessibility · text entry · blindness

• Evaluating the Accessibility of Crowdsourcing Tasks on Amazon's Mechanical Turk

  Rocío Calvo, Shaun K. Kane, Amy Hurst · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a heuristic accessibility evaluation of Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a crowdsourcing platform where workers complete short tasks (Human Intelligence Tasks, or HITs) for small payments. The authors argue that crowd work platforms offer a potentially…

  crowdsourcing · web accessibility · accessibility evaluation · employment · WCAG

• Introducing Web Accessibility to Localization Students: Implications for a Universal Web

  Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper explores the intersection of web accessibility and web localization, arguing that localization professionals — the people who adapt digital content for different languages and cultural contexts — should be trained in web accessibility as part of their core skill set.…

  web accessibility · localization · internationalization · multilingual web · accessibility education

• Evaluating the Accessibility of Line Graphs through Textual Summaries for Visually Impaired Users

  Priscilla Moraes, Gabriel Sina, Kathleen McCoy, Sandra Carberry · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents the SIGHT (Summarizing Information GrapHics Textually) system, which automatically generates natural language summaries of line graphs found in online popular media articles such as newspapers and magazines. The system addresses a persistent accessibility…

  data visualization · natural language generation · information graphics · blindness · screen readers

• Verification of Daily Activities of Older Adults: A Simple, Non-Intrusive, Low-Cost Approach

  Loïc Caroux, Charles Consel, Lucile Dupuy, Hélène Sauzéon · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a sensor-based approach to verifying whether older adults perform their daily activities at home, with the goal of supporting aging in place and informing caregiver decisions. The key conceptual distinction is between activity verification and activity…

  aging · activities of daily living · activity recognition · smart home · sensors

• How Companies Engage Customers around Accessibility on Social Media

  Erin Brady, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper examines how major technology companies use Twitter to communicate with people with disabilities about accessibility, and how users attempt to engage with these companies in return. The researchers studied six corporate accessibility Twitter accounts — Google…

  social media · corporate accessibility · disability advocacy · organizational accessibility · user engagement

• Text Entry Using a Compact Keypad with OSDS

  Torsten Felzer, Stephan Rinderknecht · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents OSDS (OnScreenDualScribe), a Windows software tool that enables people with neuromuscular diseases to replace a standard full-size keyboard with a compact 19-key numeric keypad called the DualPad. For people with conditions that cause motor impairment,…

  text entry · alternative input · keyboard replacement · neuromuscular disease · motor disability

• Capti-Speak: A Speech-Enabled Accessible Web Interface

  Vikas Ashok · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents Capti-Speak, a speech-augmented screen reader interface for the web that allows blind users to issue voice commands alongside traditional keyboard shortcuts. Built on top of the Capti web browsing application (which provides a JAWS-like screen reader…

  screen readers · speech recognition · voice interface · web accessibility · blindness

• Web Accessibility Evaluation with the Crowd: Using Glance to Rapidly Code User Testing Video

  Mitchell Gordon · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper proposes using Glance, a crowd-powered video coding tool, to accelerate the analysis of user accessibility testing videos. User testing with people with disabilities is a recommended component of web accessibility evaluation (as outlined in the W3C Website…

  crowdsourcing · accessibility evaluation · usability testing · video coding · web accessibility

• Does It Look Beautiful? Communicating Aesthetic Information about Artwork to the Visually Impaired

  Caroline Marie Galbraith · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper explores how aesthetic information about visual art is communicated to people who are visually impaired, based on observational data from a study where blind individuals and sighted companions explored an art gallery together on the University of Maryland, Baltimore…

  visual art · museum accessibility · blindness · image description · communication

• Design of and Subjective Response to On-body Input for People with Visual Impairments

  Uran Oh, Leah Findlater · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates on-body input — using the skin as an input surface — as an alternative or complement to touchscreen interaction for people with visual impairments. Since blind users do not need the visual display of a mobile device, on-body input offers potential…

  mobile accessibility · on-body interaction · gesture interaction · blindness · wearable technology

• Enhancing Caption Accessibility through Simultaneous Multimodal Information: Visual-Tactile Captions

  Raja S. Kushalnagar, Gary W. Behm, Joseph S. Stanislow, Vasu Gupta · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper addresses a fundamental limitation of captions (subtitles) for deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) viewers: captions force viewers to split attention between reading text at the bottom of the screen and watching the visual action, inevitably causing them to miss…

  captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · haptic feedback · multimodal interaction · non-speech information

• "Just Let the Cane Hit It": How the Blind and Sighted See Navigation Differently

  Michele A. Williams, Caroline Galbraith, Shaun K. Kane, Amy Hurst · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reveals fundamental mismatches between how blind and sighted people understand pedestrian navigation, drawing on over a year of immersive qualitative research including focus groups, diary studies, and partner observations. The researchers conducted two focus groups…

  blind navigation · white cane · orientation and mobility · wayfinding · qualitative research

• Where's My Bus Stop? Supporting Independence of Blind Transit Riders with StopInfo

  Megan Campbell, Cynthia Bennett, Caitlin Bonnar, Alan Borning · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents StopInfo, a system integrated into the OneBusAway transit app that provides detailed information about bus stops to help blind and low vision riders locate and verify stops, particularly in unfamiliar areas. Locating a bus stop is a significant challenge for…

  public transit · blind navigation · crowdsourcing · wayfinding · mobile accessibility

• The Gest-Rest: A Pressure-Sensitive Chairable Input Pad for Power Wheelchair Armrests

  Patrick Carrington, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper introduces the Gest-Rest, a pressure-sensitive input device designed to fit over a standard power wheelchair armrest, enabling users to perform touch and gesture interactions without needing to reach for or hold a separate device. The concept builds on the authors'…

  wheelchair accessibility · alternative input · gesture interaction · motor disability · pressure input

• Technology to Reduce Social Isolation and Loneliness

  Ron Baecker, Kate Sellen, Sarah Crosskey, Veronique Boscart, Barbara Barbosa Neves · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reports on a multi-year iterative research programme (from 2009 onward) investigating how technology can reduce social isolation and loneliness among older adults in various settings. The researchers from the University of Toronto, OCAD University, and Conestoga…

  aging · social isolation · loneliness · communication technology · long-term care

• Headlock: A Wearable Navigation Aid that Helps Blind Cane Users Traverse Large Open Spaces

  Alexander Fiannaca, Ilias Apostolopoulous, Eelke Folmer · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents HEADLOCK, a navigation aid built for an optical head-mounted display (HMD) that helps blind cane users traverse large open spaces — environments like building foyers, plazas, and parking lots that lack the tactile boundaries (walls, curbs, fences) that…

  blind navigation · wearable technology · head-mounted display · computer vision · sonification

• An Immersive Physical Therapy Game for Stroke Survivors

  Conor Kaminer, Kevin LeBras, Jordan McCall, Tan Phan, Paul Naud, Mircea Teodorescu, Sri Kurniawan · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents an immersive 3D game system designed to gamify physical therapy exercises for stroke survivors, enabling home-based rehabilitation that is both more engaging and capable of recording therapy progress. Stroke is identified as the number one cause of adult…

  stroke recovery · virtual reality · game accessibility · rehabilitation · physical therapy

• KeyGlasses: Semi-transparent Keys on Soft Keyboard

  Mathieu Raynal · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents KeyGlass, a text entry system designed to reduce pointer travel distance on soft (on-screen) keyboards by dynamically adding predicted character keys near the most recently typed character. Standard soft keyboards use QWERTY or AZERTY layouts familiar from…

  text entry · soft keyboard · character prediction · motor accessibility · input methods

• Explorations on Breathing Based Text Input for Mobile Devices

  Jackson F. Filho, Thiago Valle, Wilson Prata · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents progress on PuffText, a breathing-based text input system for mobile phones designed for people with motor disabilities who cannot handle a mobile device manually. The system uses the phone's built-in microphone to detect "puffs" of breath, which serve as the…

  text entry · alternative input · motor disability · sip-and-puff · mobile accessibility

• Phoneme-based Predictive Text Entry Interface

  Ha Trinh, Annalu Waller, Keith Vertanen, Per Ola Kristensson, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents iSCAN-2, an iPad application that enables nonspeaking individuals to enter text by selecting phonemes (speech sounds) rather than spelling words with letters. People with severe speech impairments often face challenges in literacy acquisition, making…

  AAC · text entry · phoneme · speech impairment · word prediction

• Improving Programming Interfaces for People with Limited Mobility Using Voice Recognition

  Xiomara Figueroa Fontánez, Patricia Ordóñez · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper describes an effort to make programming more accessible to people with motor impairments by integrating voice recognition into an Integrated Development Environment (IDE). The work is motivated by the specific case of a computer scientist with spinal muscular atrophy…

  programming accessibility · voice interface · speech recognition · motor disability · spinal muscular atrophy