Reviews

Search results

• Painting with Cameras and Drawing with Text: AI Use in Accessible Creativity

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Renee Shelby, Negar Rostamzadeh, Shaun K. Kane · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper explores how disabled creatives intentionally use and choose not to use generative AI (GAI) tools in their artistic practices. Through interviews with 10 creatives with disabilities — whose work spans audio engineering, leathercraft, visual art, photography, music…

  generative AI · creativity · disability · responsible AI · access hacks

• Understanding and Reducing the Challenges Faced by Creators of Accessible Online Data Visualizations

  Ather Sharif, Joo Gyeong Kim, Jessie Zijia Xu, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper investigates the challenges visualization creators face in making online data visualizations accessible to screen-reader users and develops interventions to address these challenges. Data visualizations (charts, graphs, maps, dashboards) are increasingly prevalent on…

  data visualization · screen readers · web accessibility · sonification · blind and low vision

• MAIDR Meets AI: Exploring Multimodal LLM-Based Data Visualization Interpretation by and with Blind and Low-Vision Users

  JooYoung Seo, Sanchita S. Kamath, Aziz Zeidieh, Saairam Venkatesh, Sean McCurry · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) users interact with large language models to interpret data visualizations, building on the authors' previously developed MAIDR (Multimodal Access and Interactive Data Representation) framework. MAIDR already provides…

  blind and low vision · data visualization · large language models · generative AI · sonification

• EditScribe: Non-Visual Image Editing with Natural Language Verification Loops

  Ruei-Che Chang, Yuxuan Liu, Lotus Zhang, Anhong Guo · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces EditScribe, a prototype system that makes image editing accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users through natural language interaction powered by large multimodal models (LMMs). Image editing is inherently visual and iterative — users need to see the…

  blind and low vision · image editing · generative AI · large multimodal models · natural language interaction

• Designing Accessible Adaptations for an Electronic Toolkit with Blind and Low Vision Users

  Jacqueline Johnstone, Madhuka Nadeeshani, Hanmin Chen, Mohith Vemula, Erica J Tandori, Kate Stephens, Hashini Senaratne, Kirsten Ellis, Swamy Ananthanarayan · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents the co-design and evaluation of accessible adaptations to an existing modular electronic toolkit (Bricktronics) to make electronics learning accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users. Computational and electronics toolkits are widely used in STEM…

  blind and low vision · electronics education · co-design · digital fabrication · 3D printing

• Beadwork Bridge: Understanding and Exploring the Opportunities of Beadwork in Enriching School Education for Blind and Low Vision (BLV) People

  Shumeng Zhang, Weiyue Lin, Zisu Li, Ruiqi Jiang, Chen Liang, Mingming Fan, Raul Masu · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how beadwork — the craft of creating patterns and objects by threading beads onto wire, string, or thread — serves as a rich educational tool for blind and low-vision (BLV) students, and explores what the HCI field can learn from these established…

  blind and low vision · education · beadwork · tactile learning · embodied cognition

• Audio Description Customization

  Rosiana Natalie, Ruei-Che Chang, Smitha Sheshadri, Anhong Guo, Kotaro Hara · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This paper investigates how audio descriptions (AD) for video content can be customized to meet the diverse preferences of blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Traditional ADs are fixed narratives created by sighted describers, offering no ability for users to adjust what…

  audio description · blind and low vision · customization · video accessibility · assistive technology

• ChartA11y: Designing Accessible Touch Experiences of Visualizations with Blind Smartphone Users

  Zhuohao Zhang, John R. Thompson, Aditi Shah, Manish Agrawal, Alper Sarikaya, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Edward Cutrell, Bongshin Lee · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This paper presents ChartA11y, an iOS mobile application that makes 2-D data visualizations accessible to blind and low-vision (BLV) smartphone users through multimodal touch interactions. Developed through an iterative participatory design process involving 13 co-design…

  data visualization · blind and low vision · touchscreen accessibility · sonification · multimodal interaction

• Making Accessible Movies Easily: An Intelligent Tool for Authoring and Integrating Audio Descriptions to Movies

  Ming Shen, Gang Huang, Yuxuan Wu, Shuyi Song, Sheng Zhou, Liangcheng Li, Zhi Yu, Wei Wang, Jiajun Bu · 2024 · Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces EasyAD, an intelligent tool that automates the process of authoring and integrating audio descriptions (AD) into movies for blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. The traditional AD production workflow is highly labor-intensive, requiring authors to…

  audio description · blind and low vision · media accessibility · multimodal AI · speech synthesis

• Exploring Blind and Low-Vision Youth's Digital Access Needs in School: Toward Accessible Instructional Technologies

  Natalie L. Shaheen · 2024 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This mixed methods study investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) youth ages 13-22 experience technology-mediated learning in US K-12 schools. The author, herself congenitally blind and a former teacher of blind students, conducted semi-structured interviews with 16 BLV youth…

  blind and low vision · K-12 education · instructional technology · access technology · screen readers

• All the Way There and Back: Inertial-Based, Phone-in-Pocket Indoor Wayfinding and Backtracking Apps for Blind Travelers

  Chia Hsuan Tsai, Fatemeh Elyasi, Peng Ren, Roberto Manduchi · 2024 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents two iOS apps designed to help blind travelers navigate indoor building environments without requiring external infrastructure like Bluetooth beacons or visual markers. The Wayfinding app uses a known floor plan to compute and guide users along the shortest…

  indoor navigation · wayfinding · blind and low vision · inertial sensors · dead reckoning

• AutoChemplete - Making Chemical Structural Formulas Accessible

  Merlin Knaeble, Gabriel Sailer, Zihan Chen, Thorsten Schwarz, Kailun Yang, Mario Nadj, Rainer Stiefelhagen, Alexander Maedche · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents AutoChemplete, an interactive labeling tool that makes chemical structural formulas accessible to blind and low-vision (BLV) students. Chemical structural formulas — visual diagrams showing atoms, bonds, and molecular geometry — are fundamental to studying…

  STEM accessibility · blind and low vision · chemistry · machine learning · interactive labeling

• AutoChemplete - Making Chemical Structural Formulas Accessible (Extended Abstract)

  Merlin Knaeble, Gabriel Sailer, Zihan Chen, Thorsten Schwarz, Kailun Yang, Mario Nadj, Rainer Stiefelhagen, Alexander Maedche · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents AutoChemplete, an interactive labeling tool designed to make chemical structural formulas accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) students. The paper highlights a stark gap in STEM education: while 69% of US BLV students express interest in STEM…

  STEM accessibility · chemistry accessibility · blind and low vision · interactive labeling · machine learning

• Authoring Web-accessible Mathematical Diagrams (Short Paper)

  David Austin, Volker Sorge · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper presents a novel XML-based language for authoring accessible mathematical diagrams, targeting both visually impaired (VI) and sighted authors. Mathematical diagrams are essential for STEM subjects yet remain overwhelmingly inaccessible in electronic documents —…

  STEM accessibility · mathematical diagrams · SVG accessibility · blind and low vision · sonification

• Understanding and Improving Drilled-Down Information Extraction from Online Data Visualizations for Screen-Reader Users

  Ather Sharif, Andrew M. Zhang, Katharina Reinecke, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This extended abstract presents enhancements to VoxLens, an open-source JavaScript plug-in that improves the accessibility of online data visualizations for screen-reader users (SRUs) through a multimodal approach. Over 7.6 million people in the United States use screen readers,…

  screen readers · data visualization accessibility · alternative text · sonification · blind and low vision

• On the independent and sustainable mobility of people with visual impairments

  Gabriele Galimberti · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This doctoral consortium extended abstract outlines a research project investigating the factors that enable or hinder independent mobility for people with blindness or visual impairments (BVI), with a particular focus on the link between mobility autonomy and environmental…

  visual impairment · blind and low vision · independent living · public transportation · navigation

• "I stepped into a puddle": Non-Visual Texting in Nomadic Contexts

  Pegah Karimi, Erin Brady, Aqueasha Martin-Hammond, Davide Bolchini · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This study investigates the under-explored practice of texting by people who are blind and visually impaired (BVI) while navigating outdoors — what the authors term "nomadic contexts." While previous research has examined accessible text entry methods (screen readers, speech…

  blind and low vision · text entry · mobile accessibility · navigation · assistive technology

• Bridging the Gap: Towards Advancing Privacy and Accessibility

  Rahaf Alharbi, Robin N. Brewer, Gesu India, Lotus Zhang, Leah Findlater, Yixin Zou, Abigale Stangl · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This workshop proposal addresses a critical but understudied gap between the accessibility and privacy research communities. The authors argue that while all technology has privacy implications, accessibility tools carry particularly overlooked privacy risks — and conversely,…

  privacy · accessibility · intersectionality · AI ethics · blind and low vision

• Understanding Personalized Accessibility through Teachable AI: Designing and Evaluating Find My Things for People who are Blind or Low Vision

  Cecily Morrison, Martin Grayson, Rita Faia Marques, Daniela Massiceti, Camilla Longden, Linda Wen, Edward Cutrell · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper from Microsoft Research presents Find My Things, one of the first fully realized end-to-end teachable AI applications for accessibility. The app allows people who are blind or low vision to teach their phone to recognize personal objects — keys, earbuds, lip balm,…

  teachable AI · object recognition · blind and low vision · personalization · few-shot learning

• Exploring Community-Driven Descriptions for Making Livestreams Accessible

  Daniel Killough, Amy Pavel · 2023 · ASSETS '23: Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the feasibility of using livestream community members — sighted viewers who are domain experts in the content being streamed — to provide real-time descriptions that make livestreams accessible to viewers with visual impairments. Livestreams present…

  audio description · livestreaming · blind and low vision · crowdsourcing · video accessibility

• "If I'm supposed to be the facilitator, I should be the host": Understanding the Accessibility of Videoconferencing for Blind and Low Vision Meeting Facilitators

  Taslima Akter, Yoonha Cha, Isabela Figueira, Stacy M. Branham, Anne Marie Piper · 2023 · ASSETS '23: Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind and low vision (BLV) professionals facilitate meetings using videoconferencing tools like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, and the unique accessibility challenges they face in leadership roles. While prior research has examined…

  blind and low vision · videoconferencing · remote work · screen readers · workplace accessibility

• What do Blind and Low-Vision People Really Want from Assistive Smart Devices? Comparison of the Literature with a Focus Study

  Bhanuka Gamage, Thanh-Toan Do, Nicholas Seow Chiang Price, Arthur Lowery, Kim Marriott · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper investigates whether the tasks and devices explored by researchers developing AI-based assistive smart devices actually align with what blind and low-vision (BLV) people want. The authors conducted a three-part study combining a scoping literature review with…

  blind and low vision · assistive technology · smart devices · computer vision · wearable technology

• Experiments with RouteNav, A Wayfinding App for Blind Travelers in a Transit Hub

  Peng Ren, Jonathan Lam, Roberto Manduchi, Fatemeh Mirzaei · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper presents RouteNav, an iOS wayfinding app designed to help blind travelers navigate indoor/outdoor transit hubs without requiring any external infrastructure such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons or Wi-Fi fingerprinting. The system achieves localization by fusing…

  wayfinding · indoor navigation · blind and low vision · transit accessibility · mobile application

• Developing and Deploying a Real-World Solution for Accessible Slide Reading and Authoring for Blind Users

  Zhuohao Zhang, Gene S-H Kim, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper presents A11yBoard for Google Slides, a multi-device multimodal system that makes presentation slide reading and authoring accessible to blind users. Presentation software like PowerPoint and Google Slides relies on 2-D "artboard" canvases where objects are placed in…

  screen reader accessibility · presentation software · blind and low vision · multimodal interaction · participatory design

• A Gallery In My Hand: A Multi-Exhibition Investigation of Accessible and Inclusive Gallery Experiences for Blind and Low Vision Visitors

  Matthew Butler, Erica J. Tandori, Vince Dziekan, Kirsten Ellis, Jenna Hall, Leona M. Holloway, Ruth G. Nagassa, Kim Marriott · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '23)

  This paper presents findings from a longitudinal collaboration between researchers and the Bendigo Art Gallery, a major Australian regional gallery, to develop accessible and inclusive experiences for blind and low-vision (BLV) visitors across two flagship exhibitions: Mary…

  museum accessibility · blind and low vision · tactile graphics · 3D printing · inclusive design