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• Accessible Web Chat Interface

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

  This paper addresses the accessibility of web chat widgets — ubiquitous real-time communication tools embedded in web applications for customer support, social interaction, and service delivery. Screen readers like JAWS, VoiceOver, and NVDA do not reliably recognise widgets that…

  web accessibility · screen readers · dynamic content · ARIA · web widgets

• A Large User Pool for Accessibility Research with Representative Users

  Marianne Dee, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reports on the creation and management of the SiDE (Social Inclusion in the Digital Economy) User Pool at the University of Dundee, Scotland — a pool of over 800 older adults and people with disabilities established between 2009 and 2014 to provide accessibility…

  research methodology · user research · participant recruitment · aging · accessibility research

• The Blind Driver Challenge: Steering Using Haptic Cues

  Burkay Sucu, Eelke Folmer · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a haptic steering interface that enables blind individuals to steer a vehicle on a track using vibrotactile cues, addressing the National Federation of the Blind's 2004 "Blind Driver Challenge." While self-driving vehicles could transform mobility for blind…

  blindness · haptic feedback · mobility · autonomous vehicles · driving

• Designing a Text Entry Multimodal Keypad for Blind Users of Touchscreen Mobile Phones

  Maria Claudia Buzzi, Marina Buzzi, Barbara Leporini, Amaury Trujillo · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents MTITK (Multimodal Text Input Touchscreen Keypad), a software-only text entry system for blind users of touchscreen phones that combines the familiar 12-key telephone keypad layout with multimodal audio-tactile feedback. The work is grounded in the personal…

  mobile accessibility · text entry · blindness · multimodal interaction · haptic feedback

• Motion History to Improve Communication and Switch Access for People with Severe and Multiple Disabilities

  Guang Yang, Mamoru Iwabuchi, Rumi Hirabayashi, Kenryu Nakamura, Kimihiko Taniguchi, Syoudai Sano, Takamitsu Aoki · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents the application of Motion History — a computer vision technique that visualises a user's movement history as a heat map — to support communication and switch access for people with severe and multiple disabilities. The system is part of OAK (Observation…

  severe disabilities · multiple disabilities · switch access · computer vision · Kinect

• Expression: A Google Glass Based Assistive Solution for Social Signal Processing

  ASM Iftekhar Anam, Shahinur Alam, Mohammed Yeasin · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents Expression, a Google Glass-based assistive system that enables blind and visually impaired users to perceive non-verbal social signals during face-to-face conversations. Limited access to non-verbal cues — facial expressions, gestures, body language — is…

  blindness · wearable technology · facial expression recognition · social interaction · Google Glass

• Building Keyboard Accessible Drag and Drop

  Rucha Somani, Jiahang Xin, Bijay Bhaskar Deo, Yun Huang · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents an API that enables web developers to create keyboard-accessible drag and drop (DnD) components for web applications, particularly e-learning systems. Drag and drop interactions are widely used in educational websites for classification exercises (e.g.,…

  keyboard accessibility · drag and drop · web accessibility · e-learning · screen readers

• littleBits go LARGE: Making Electronics More Accessible to People with Learning Disabilities

  Nicholas D. Hollinworth, Faustina Hwang, Kate Allen, Gosia Kwiatkowska, Andy Minnion · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents "littleBits go LARGE," a project that adapts littleBits electronic modules — small, magnetic snap-together electronic components designed to simplify electronics for general audiences — to make them more accessible to people with learning disabilities.…

  learning disabilities · accessible making · DIY assistive technology · co-design · museum accessibility

• A Google Glass App to Help the Blind in Small Talk

  Mohammad Iftekhar Tanveer, Mohammed Ehsan Hoque · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents a Google Glass prototype that helps blind individuals initiate small talk by automatically analysing a scene to detect the number of people present, their approximate ages, and gender distribution, then synthesising this information as speech feedback…

  blindness · Google Glass · wearable technology · computer vision · face detection

• New Tools for Automating Tactile Geographic Map Translation

  Nizar Bouhlel, Anis Rojbi · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents a Matlab-based software tool that semi-automates the conversion of visual geographic maps into tactile versions suitable for blind students. Tactile graphics are the most effective modality for blind people to comprehend graphical images, but converting…

  tactile graphics · blindness · braille · image processing · OCR

• Text Entry Using Single-Channel Analog Puff Input

  Adam J. Sporka · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This short demonstration paper presents a prototype text entry system that repurposes a single-channel analog puff input device — specifically the AKAI EWI USB, a MIDI controller designed for woodwind instrument emulation — as an assistive technology for people with motor…

  sip-and-puff · text entry · assistive technology · motor disabilities · alternative input

• DigitCHAT: Enabling AAC Input at Conversational Speed

  Karl Wiegand, Rupal Patel · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents DigitCHAT, a prototype augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system designed for literate users with mild upper limb motor impairments who need fast, expressive face-to-face communication on mobile phones. The authors identify a gap in existing AAC…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · text entry · mobile accessibility · motor impairments

• Speech Dasher: A Demonstration of Text Input using Speech and Approximate Pointing

  Keith Vertanen, David J.C. MacKay · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper demonstrates Speech Dasher, a multimodal text entry system that combines speech recognition with the Dasher zooming interface to enable fast, corrected text input using only voice and gaze direction. The core problem addressed is that while speech dictation is fast,…

  speech recognition · eye tracking · gaze input · text entry · error correction

• Tactile Aids for Visually Impaired Graphical Design Education

  Samantha McDonald, Joshua Dutterer, Ali Abdolrahmani, Shaun K. Kane, Amy Hurst · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This demonstration paper describes the creation of over 10 tactile aids using laser cutting and 3D printing to make graphic design theory accessible to a visually impaired student enrolled in an introduction to human-centered computing class at UMBC. The course unit covered…

  visual impairment · tactile graphics · 3D printing · rapid prototyping · education

• A Computer-Based Method to Improve the Spelling of Children with Dyslexia

  Luz Rello, Clara Bayarri, Yolanda Otal, Martin Pielot · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents a novel method for improving the spelling skills of children with dyslexia through error-based exercises delivered via an iPad game called DysEggxia (Piruletras in Spanish). Unlike traditional approaches that present correct words as positive examples,…

  dyslexia · spelling · serious games · literacy · education

• BraillePlay: Educational Smartphone Games for Blind Children

  Lauren R. Milne, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner, Shiri Azenkot · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents BraillePlay, a suite of four educational smartphone games designed to teach Braille character encodings to blind children aged 5 and older. The games are built on VBraille, a method for displaying Braille characters on a touchscreen where the phone vibrates…

  blindness · Braille literacy · educational games · children · mobile accessibility

• Path-Guided Indoor Navigation for the Visually Impaired Using Minimal Building Retrofitting

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

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of a cellphone-based indoor navigation system that provides step-by-step path guidance for visually impaired users in unfamiliar buildings with minimal infrastructure requirements. The system combines infrared (IR) beacons mounted at…

  indoor navigation · visual impairment · wayfinding · assistive technology · infrared

• From Screen Reading to Aural Glancing: Towards Instant Access to Key Page Sections

  Prathik Gadde, Davide Bolchini · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper addresses a fundamental problem in screen reader navigation: while sighted users can glance at a web page to instantly understand its structure and locate relevant sections, screen reader users are forced to listen to content serially, making navigation of complex…

  screen readers · web navigation · blindness · visual impairment · e-commerce accessibility

• ABC and 3D: Opportunities and Obstacles to 3D Printing in Special Education Environments

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

  This paper presents a formative study exploring how 3D printing can support special education across three diverse sites: a school for students with moderate to severe cognitive disabilities (Site A), a school for blind and visually impaired students (Site B), and the technology…

  3D printing · special education · assistive technology · digital fabrication · STEM education

• Evaluation of Non-Visual Panning Operations Using Touch-Screen Devices

  HariPrasath Palani, Nicholas A. Giudice · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This demonstration paper addresses a critical challenge in non-visual access to graphical information on touchscreens: how to pan across large-format graphics (maps, floor plans) without losing spatial orientation. The authors built on their Vibro-Audio Interface (VAI), which…

  visual impairment · tactile graphics · haptic feedback · touchscreen accessibility · non-visual maps

• M.I.D.A.S. Touch: Magnetic Interactive Device for Alternative Sight through Touch

  Taylan K. Sen, Morgan W. Sinko, Alex T. Wilson, Mohammed E. Hoque · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This demonstration paper presents MIDAS Touch (Magnetic Interactive Device for Alternative Sight through Touch), a novel free-space haptic interface that allows visually impaired users to feel and create digital drawings without physical contact with a surface. The system uses a…

  visual impairment · haptic feedback · free-space haptics · drawing · magnetic interface

• Coming to Grips: 3D Printing for Accessibility

  Erin Buehler, Amy Hurst, Megan Hofmann · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents a case study of using consumer-grade 3D printing to create custom assistive devices for a student with limited hand motor ability at a special education facility. The work grew out of a six-month evaluation of making and DIY technology in…

  assistive technology · 3D printing · digital fabrication · motor impairment · special education

• Tactile Graphics with a Voice Demonstration

  Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes labels on tactile graphics accessible to blind and low vision users who do not read Braille. STEM textbooks are filled with images — from parabolas to cell diagrams — that are essential…

  tactile graphics · blindness and low vision · QR codes · STEM accessibility · braille

• Real-Time Caption Challenge: C-Print

  Michael S. Stinson, Pamela Francis, Lisa B. Elliot, Donna Easton · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents C-Print, a typing-based real-time captioning system developed over 25 years by researchers at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID) at Rochester Institute of Technology. C-Print provides communication access for deaf and hard of…

  deaf and hard of hearing · real-time captioning · communication access · transcription · mobile accessibility

• Move&Flick: Design and Evaluation of a Single-Finger and Eyes-Free Kana-Character Entry Method on Touch Screens

  Ryosuke Aoki, Ryo Hashimoto, Akihiro Miyata, Shunichi Seko, Masahiro Watanabe, Masayuki Ihara · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS '14)

  This demonstration paper presents Move&Flick, a Japanese Kana-character text entry method designed for visually impaired users on touchscreen devices. Standard touchscreen text entry for visually impaired people is burdensome: users must explore the screen to find software keys…

  text entry · touchscreen accessibility · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · gesture interaction