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• How Blind and Visually Impaired Composers, Producers, and Songwriters Leverage and Adapt Music Technology

  William Christopher Payne, Alex Yixuan Xu, Fabiha Ahmed, Lisa Ye, Amy Hurst · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '20)

  This qualitative interview study explores how 11 blind and visually impaired music creators — composers, producers, and songwriters — use and adapt mainstream and assistive music technologies to achieve their creative goals. The researchers recruited participants through the…

  blindness · music accessibility · assistive technology · screen readers · creative accessibility

• Design Guidelines for an Interactive 3D Model as a Supporting Tool for Exploring a Cultural Site by Visually Impaired and Sighted People

  Barbara Leporini, Valentina Rossetti, Francesco Furfari, Susanna Pelagatti, Andrea Quarta · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents a methodology for creating low-cost interactive 3D printed models combined with audio descriptions to enable both visually impaired and sighted people to explore cultural heritage sites autonomously. The prototype reproduces Piazza dei Miracoli in Pisa, Italy…

  3D printing · tactile graphics · cultural heritage · museum accessibility · audio description

• SafeExit4All: An Inclusive Indoor Emergency Evacuation System for People With Disabilities

  Seyed Ali Cheraghi, Anup Sharma, Vinod Namboodiri, Güler Arsal · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents SafeExit4All, a smartphone-based emergency evacuation system designed to help people with disabilities independently find safe exits from indoor spaces during emergencies such as fires, tornadoes, and active shooter situations. The authors identify a critical…

  indoor navigation · emergency evacuation · wayfinding · visual impairment · mobility impairment

• Adults with High-functioning Autism Process Web Pages With Similar Accuracy but Higher Cognitive Effort Compared to Controls

  Victoria Yaneva, Le An Ha, Sukru Eraslan, Yeliz Yesilada · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates the accuracy and efficiency with which adults with high-functioning autism process web pages compared to neurotypical controls, using eye-tracking to reveal hidden cognitive effort differences. The study addresses a critical gap: existing web…

  autism spectrum disorder · eye tracking · cognitive accessibility · web accessibility · neurodivergence

• WordMelodies: Supporting Children with Visual Impairment in Learning Literacy

  Sergio Mascetti, Giovanni Leontini, Cristian Bernareggi, Dragan Ahmetovic · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents WordMelodies, an inclusive cross-platform mobile application designed to support children with visual impairments in acquiring basic literacy skills. The app provides eight different exercises targeting foundational reading and writing…

  visual impairment · children · literacy · education · mobile application

• Personalization and Layering to Simplify Computer Accessibility

  Gregg Vanderheiden, J. Bern Jordan · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents Morphic, an operating system extension that combines auto-personalization, complexity layering, enhanced feature discovery, and Install on Demand (IoD) to make computers easier to use for people who face barriers due to disability, literacy, or…

  auto-personalization · cognitive accessibility · digital literacy · assistive technology · operating system accessibility

• A Tangible Math Game for Visually Impaired Children

  Ana Cristina Pires, Sebastian Marichal, Fernando Gonzalez-Perilli, Ewelina Bakala, Bruno Fleischer, Gustavo Sansone, Tiago Guerreiro · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents iCETA, an inclusive interactive system for math learning that enables visually impaired children to autonomously engage with and solve additive composition tasks (addition and subtraction) through tangible interaction. The system was designed…

  visual impairment · children · mathematics accessibility · tangible user interface · inclusive design

• Evaluating Instructor Strategy and Student Learning Through Digital Accessibility Course Enhancements

  Claire Ferrari, Devorah Kletenik, Kate Sonka, Deborah Sturm, Amy Hurst · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper evaluates the Teach Access Curriculum Development Awards program, an initiative by the Teach Access consortium (comprising 10 industry partners including Google, Microsoft, and Facebook, 5 advocacy groups, and 20 university partners) to integrate digital accessibility…

  accessibility education · higher education · curriculum development · WCAG · universal design

• 3D Printed Maps and Icons for Inclusion: Testing in the Wild by People who are Blind or have Low Vision

  Leona Holloway, Kim Marriott, Matthew Butler, Samuel Reinders · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This study investigated the use of 3D printed maps at a real-world public event — the 2019 Melbourne International Flower and Garden Show — to evaluate their suitability for people who are blind or have low vision (BLV). Conducted in collaboration with Guide Dogs Victoria (GDV),…

  tactile graphics · blind · low vision · 3D printing · orientation and mobility

• Making Nonvisually: Lessons from the Field

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Abigale Stangl, Alexa F. Siu, Joshua A. Miele · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This experience report shares lessons from a team of researchers, activists, and blind makers who conducted workshops introducing Arduino electronics to blind hobbyists and guided assembly of an accessible voltmeter prototype. The authors — including blind HCI researcher Cynthia…

  maker movement · blind · DIY assistive technology · Arduino · participatory design

• Defining Problems of Practices to Advance Inclusive Tactile Media Consumption and Production

  Abigale Stangl, Ann Cunningham, Lou Ann Blake, Tom Yeh · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents findings from three Tactile Art and Graphics Symposia (TAGS) that gathered 64 participants — 49% of whom were blind or had low vision — including artists, museum curators, tactile media designers, access technologists, teachers of the visually impaired…

  tactile graphics · tactile art · blind · low vision · accessible art

• Tenets for Social Accessibility: Towards Humanizing Disabled People in Design

  Kristen Shinohara, Cynthia L. Bennett, Wanda Pratt, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates how student designers think about disability and accessibility when tasked with designing for multiple users with and without disabilities, and uses the findings to refine the Design for Social Accessibility framework. Conducted across two university…

  social accessibility · design methodology · accessibility education · inclusive design · user-centered design

• Designing Gesture-Based Applications for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities: Guidelines from User Studies in India

  Sumita Sharma, Blessin Varkey, Krishnaveni Achary, Jaakko Hakulinen, Markku Turunen, Tomi Heimonen, Saurabh Srivastava, Nitendra Rajput · 2018 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents the design, evaluation, and resulting guidelines from three gesture-based applications created for individuals with developmental disabilities in India, developed through a long-term collaboration with Tamana, an NGO and special education school in New Delhi.…

  developmental disabilities · gesture interaction · special education · inclusive design · Global South accessibility

• Incorporating Social Factors in Accessible Design

  Kristen Shinohara, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Wanda Pratt · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This paper investigates how professional designers can incorporate social factors into accessible design using Design for Social Accessibility (DSA), a framework developed in prior work by Shinohara and Wobbrock. The core premise is that accessible design has traditionally…

  design methodology · social accessibility · inclusive design · user-centered design · visual impairment

• Tangicraft: A Multimodal Interface for Minecraft

  David Bar-El, Thomas Large, Lydia Davison, Marcelo Worsley · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This demonstration paper presents Tangicraft, a work-in-progress multimodal interface designed to enable visually impaired children to play and collaborate in Minecraft, one of the world's most popular video games with over 121 million copies sold. Like most commercial games,…

  game accessibility · visual impairment · children · haptic feedback · tangible interface

• Design and Evaluation of a Multimodal Science Simulation

  Brianna J. Tomlinson, Prakriti Kaini, Siyan Zhou, Taliesin L. Smith, Emily B. Moore, Bruce N. Walker · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '18)

  This demonstration paper presents a multimodal version of PhET's John Travoltage interactive physics simulation, designed to support learners with and without visual impairments in exploring static electricity concepts. The key design goal was creating a single simulation with…

  STEM accessibility · sonification · multimodal interface · visual impairment · science education

• Interdependence as a Frame for Assistive Technology Research and Design

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Erin Brady, Stacy M. Branham · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This influential paper introduces interdependence as a complementary frame to the traditional focus on independence in assistive technology research and design. The authors argue that "independence" — long the unquestioned gold standard of AT design — can be misrepresentative…

  disability studies · assistive technology · interdependence · independence · disability justice

• Teaching Inclusive Thinking to Undergraduate Students in Computing Programs

  Stephanie Ludi, Matt Huenerfauth, Vicki Hanson, Nidhi Rajendra Palan, Paula Conn · 2018 · SIGCSE '18: Proceedings of the 49th ACM Technical Symposium on Computer Science Education

  This paper investigates whether specific teaching interventions in undergraduate computing courses measurably increase students' accessibility awareness and inclusive thinking. The authors note that, while numerous accessibility teaching approaches have been reported anecdotally…

  accessibility education · computer science education · inclusive design · HCI education · undergraduate teaching

• Technology, Education and Access: A "Fair Go" for People with Disabilities

  Scott Hollier · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This keynote is a personal narrative by Dr. Scott Hollier, a digital access specialist diagnosed with Retinitis Pigmentosa at age five, tracing how technology and education have shaped his life and career in accessibility. Hollier frames the talk around the Australian concept of…

  lived experience · visual impairment · retinitis pigmentosa · assistive technology · consumer technology

• Math Melodies: Supporting Visually Impaired Primary School Students in Learning Math

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Valeria Alampi, Cristian Bernareggi, Andrea Gerino, Sergio Mascetti · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents Math Melodies, a free iPad application designed to teach mathematics to primary school children who are blind or visually impaired, while simultaneously engaging sighted peers. Mathematics education poses particular challenges for visually…

  visual impairment · blindness · education accessibility · mathematics accessibility · children

• Cross-Cultural Web Design Guidelines

  Rukshan Alexander, David Murray, Nik Thompson · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper develops evidence-based cross-cultural web design guidelines that go beyond simple language translation to address culturally specific design preferences in layout, navigation, links, multimedia, visual representation, colour, and text. The authors argue that cultural…

  cross-cultural design · web design guidelines · cultural factors · internationalization · localization

• Enabling Collaboration in Learning Computer Programing Inclusive of Children with Vision Impairments

  Anja Thieme, Cecily Morrison, Nicolas Villar, Martin Grayson, Siân Lindley · 2017 · Proceedings of the 2017 Conference on Designing Interactive Systems (DIS)

  This paper from Microsoft Research explores how Torino, a physical programming language, enables collaborative learning of computer programming by children aged 7-12 with mixed visual abilities — from full blindness to full sight. Torino uses tangible "instruction beads" (play,…

  visual impairment · children · collaborative learning · tangible interface · computational thinking

• Blocks4All Demonstration: a Blocks-Based Programming Environment for Blind Children

  Lauren R. Milne, Catherine M. Baker, Richard E. Ladner · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  Blocks4All is a tablet-based iOS application designed to make blocks-based programming accessible to blind and low-vision children. Blocks-based programming environments like Scratch and Blockly have become central to K-12 computer science education — of the 162 Hour of Code…

  programming education · blindness · children · touchscreen accessibility · screen readers

• Digital Strategies for Supporting Strengths- and Interests-based Learning with Children with Autism

  Cara Wilson, Margot Brereton, Bernd Ploderer, Laurianne Sitbon, Beth Saggers · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates how an open-ended audio-visual calendaring app called MeCalendar was appropriated by children with autism and their teachers in classroom settings, shifting the focus from deficit-remediation to strengths- and interests-based learning. Most technologies…

  autism · educational technology · children · strengths-based approach · self-determination

• Tangibles + Programming + Audio Stories = Fun

  Varsha Koushik, Shaun K. Kane · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This poster introduces Story Blocks, a tangible programming toolkit designed to make block-based programming accessible to blind and visually impaired users. Block-based programming languages like Scratch and Blockly are popular tools for teaching children to code, but they…

  programming education · blindness · visual impairment · tangible interaction · children