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• RoboGraphics: Dynamic Tactile Graphics Powered by Mobile Robots

  Darren Guinness, Annika Muehlbradt, Daniel Szafir, Shaun K. Kane · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper introduces RoboGraphics, a novel approach to creating dynamic tactile graphics by combining a touchscreen tablet, static laser-cut tactile overlays, and small mobile robots (Ozobot Bit 2.0, approximately one cubic inch, ~$60 each). Traditional tactile graphics are…

  tactile graphics · robotics · blind · tangible interaction · data visualization

• shapeCAD: An Accessible 3D Modelling Workflow for the Blind and Visually-Impaired Via 2.5D Shape Displays

  Alexa F. Siu, Son Kim, Joshua A. Miele, Sean Follmer · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents shapeCAD, an accessible 3D modelling workflow that enables people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) to author, explore, and modify 3D models using a combination of declarative programming (OpenSCAD scripts) and a 2.5D tactile shape display for…

  3D printing · blind · low vision · tactile displays · haptic technology

• Leveraging Augmented Reality to Create Apps for People with Visual Disabilities: A Case Study in Indoor Navigation

  Chris Yoon, Ryan Louie, Jeremy Ryan, MinhKhang Vu, Hyegi Bang, William Derksen, Paul Ruvolo · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents Clew, an iOS app that leverages Apple’s ARKit augmented reality framework to help people who are blind or visually impaired (B/VI) navigate indoor environments — a setting where GPS is unreliable (accuracy drops to ~5m+ indoors). Clew uses visual-inertial…

  augmented reality · indoor navigation · orientation and mobility · blind · low vision

• Leveraging Participation: Supporting Skills Development of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability Using Social Media

  Andrew A. Bayor, Laurianne Sitbon, Bernd Ploderer, Filip Bircanin, Stewart Koplick, Margot Brereton · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper investigates how young adults with intellectual disability (ID) can leverage their existing social media participation — particularly on YouTube and Facebook — to develop new skills beyond entertainment. The researchers conducted a participatory study at an Australian…

  intellectual disability · social media · digital inclusion · participatory design · skills development

• GoDonnie: A Robot Programming Language to Improve Orientation and Mobility Skills in People Who are Visually Impaired

  Juliana Damasio Oliveira, Márcia de Borba Campos, Alexandre Amory, Rafael H. Bordini · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper presents GoDonnie, a text-based programming language designed to help people who are visually impaired (PVI) develop both computational thinking and orientation and mobility (O&M) skills simultaneously. GoDonnie is based on Logo, the classic educational…

  orientation and mobility · visual impairment · programming education · robotics · screen readers

• Leveraging Shared Control to Empower People with Tetraplegia to Participate in Extreme Sports

  Ahmad Alsaleem, Ross Imburgia, Mateo Godinez, Andrew Merryweather, Roger Altizer, Tamara Denning, Jeffery Rosenbluth, Stephen Trapp, Jason Wiese · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper describes the iterative design and field evaluation of Tetra-Ski, a power-assisted adaptive ski chair that enables people with tetraplegia to participate in alpine skiing — a high-risk, high-independence activity previously inaccessible to this population. Existing…

  tetraplegia · spinal cord injury · adaptive sports · shared control · sip-and-puff

• Non-Visual Beats: Redesigning the Groove Pizza

  William Payne, Alex Xu, Amy Hurst, S. Alex Ruthmann · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper describes the accessible redesign of the Groove Pizza, a popular free web-based drum step-sequencer developed by NYU’s Music Experience Design Lab (MusEDLab) that reaches thousands of users per month. The original Groove Pizza uses a circular visual…

  music accessibility · blind · visual impairment · screen readers · sonification

• Voice Telephony for Individuals with Hearing Loss: The Effects of Audio Bandwidth, Bit Rate and Packet Loss

  Linda Kozma-Spytek, Paula Tucker, Christian Vogler · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents three experiments conducted over three years with a total of 114 individuals with hearing loss (68 cochlear implant users and 46 hearing aid users) and 12 hearing controls, investigating how audio quality parameters in telecommunications networks affect the…

  hearing loss · telecommunications · cochlear implant · hearing aid · audio quality

• μGraph: Haptic Exploration and Editing of 3D Chemical Diagrams

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

  This paper presents μGraph (Multimodal Graph), a system that combines haptic force feedback and speech to enable people who are blind or visually impaired (VIB) to explore and edit three-dimensional structural chemical formulae. Chemical diagrams represent molecular structures…

  haptic technology · STEM accessibility · blind · visual impairment · chemistry education

• Ageing is Not a Disease: Pitfalls for the Acceptance of Self-Management Health Systems Supporting Healthy Ageing

  Ine D’Haeseleer, Kathrin Gerling, Dominique Schreurs, Bart Vanrumste, Vero Vanden Abeele · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper reports on a qualitative study with 20 older adults (mean age 80, range 65-92) in Belgium, investigating their attitudes towards self-management health systems (SMHS) — integrated solutions that combine data from sensors and self-reports with risk assessment and…

  aging · older adults · health monitoring · self-management · digital inclusion

• 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

• Perception and Adoption of Mobile Accessibility Features by Older Adults Experiencing Ability Changes

  Rachel L. Franz, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Yi Cheng, Leah Findlater · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents the first empirical study exploring how older adults experiencing progressive ability changes perceive and adopt built-in mobile accessibility features on smartphones and tablets. The researchers conducted interviews with 14 older adults (aged 65-93, mean 77)…

  aging · older adults · mobile accessibility · ability-based design · accessibility features

• Reading Between the Guidelines: How Commercial Voice Assistant Guidelines Hinder Accessibility for Blind Users

  Stacy M. Branham, Antony Rishin Mukkath Roy · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents a qualitative document review of public-facing voice assistant design guidelines published by five leading commercial vendors — Amazon (Alexa), Google (Google Assistant), Microsoft (Cortana), Apple (Siri), and Alibaba (Xiao AI) — to examine how these…

  voice assistant · blind · visual impairment · conversational user interfaces · design guidelines

• WatchOut: Obstacle Sonification for People with Visual Impairment or Blindness

  Giorgio Presti, Dragan Ahmetovic, Mattia Ducci, Cristian Bernareggi, Luca Ludovico, Adriano Baratè, Federico Avanzini, Sergio Mascetti · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents WatchOut, a sonification technique that conveys real-time information about obstacle characteristics to people who are blind or visually impaired (BVI) through non-verbal sound, enabling them to avoid obstacles while walking. The white cane, the primary…

  sonification · obstacle avoidance · blind · low vision · computer vision

• User Perspectives on Robotics for Post-stroke Hand Rehabilitation

  Chloe Ng · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract presents a preliminary qualitative study investigating user perceptions of an exoskeleton robotic device designed for post-stroke hand rehabilitation. Impaired hand motor function is one of the most significant disabilities following stroke,…

  stroke rehabilitation · exoskeleton · robotics · motor disability · assistive technology

• Automatic Generation and Evaluation of Usable and Secure Audio reCAPTCHA

  Mohit Jain, Rohun Tripathi, Ishita Bhansali, Pratyush Kumar · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents reCAPGen, a system that automatically generates usable and secure audio CAPTCHAs by leveraging the gap between human and machine speech recognition abilities. Visual CAPTCHAs — the dominant form of online human verification — are inherently inaccessible to…

  CAPTCHA · audio accessibility · blind · visual impairment · web accessibility

• HowToApp: Supporting Life Skills Development of Young Adults with Intellectual Disability

  Andrew A. Bayor · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract describes the co-design and preliminary evaluation of HowToApp, a mobile application that helps young adults with intellectual disability (ID) search for, watch, archive, and share YouTube videos related to their personal skills development…

  intellectual disability · co-design · social media · YouTube · skills development

• BrailleBlocks: Braille Toys for Cross-Ability Collaboration

  Vinitha Gadiraju · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract presents BrailleBlocks, a tangible learning system designed to help blind or visually impaired children learn Braille collaboratively with their sighted parents. Braille literacy in the United States is critically low — less than 10% of blind…

  braille · blind · education · children · tangible interaction

• Prefigurative Politics and Passionate Witnessing

  Rua M. Williams, LouAnne E. Boyd · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This experience report traces the unlikely partnership between two researchers — Rua Williams, an autistic disability studies scholar and activist, and LouAnne Boyd, a former behaviour therapist turned HCI researcher — whose work initially placed them on opposite sides of a…

  critical disability studies · autism · research ethics · disability justice · participatory design

• An Intelligent Decision Support System for Stroke Rehabilitation Assessment

  Min Hun Lee · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This student research abstract presents an interactive multimodal machine learning approach for automatically assessing upper-limb stroke rehabilitation exercises and supporting therapist decision-making. Physical rehabilitation is critical for people recovering from stroke to…

  stroke rehabilitation · machine learning · human-AI interaction · decision support · motor disability

• Development of a Real-time Bionic Voice Generation System based on Statistical Excitation Prediction

  Farzaneh Ahmadi, Kazuhiro Kobayashi, Tomoki Toda · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper presents the first real-time implementation of the Pneumatic Bionic Voice (PBV) system, a voice prosthesis for people who have undergone laryngectomy — surgical removal of the larynx, typically due to advanced throat cancer. Without a larynx, a person…

  voice prosthesis · laryngectomy · speech accessibility · voice conversion · assistive technology

• Demo: Expanding Blocks4All with Variables and Functions

  Jacqueline Shao Yi Ong, Nana Adwoa O. Amoah, Alison E. Garrett-Engele, Mariella Irene Page, Katherine R. McCarthy, Lauren R. Milne · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This demonstration paper describes extensions to Blocks4All, an accessible blocks-based programming environment (BBPE) for iPad designed to enable children with visual impairments to learn programming through touchscreen interaction with screen reader support. Traditional BBPEs…

  programming education · blind · low vision · visual impairment · screen readers

• DarkReader: Bridging the Gap Between Perception and Reality of Power Consumption in Smartphones for Blind Users

  Jian Xu, Syed Masum Billah, Roy Shilkrot, Aruna Balasubramanian · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents DarkReader, a modified Android screen reader that truly turns off the smartphone screen while preserving full touchscreen interaction for blind users, saving 24-52% of power compared to the default TalkBack screen reader. The work addresses two problems blind…

  blind · screen readers · TalkBack · VoiceOver · Android

• Am I Too Old to Drive? Opinions of Older Adults on Self-Driving Vehicles

  Earl W. Huff, Natalie DellaMaria, Brianna Posadas, Julian Brinkley · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper explores the opinions, preferences, and concerns of 39 older African American adults (aged 57-91, mean 74) regarding fully autonomous (Level 5) self-driving vehicles through seven focus group sessions conducted over five days in South Carolina. The study addresses a…

  autonomous vehicles · older adults · aging · accessible transportation · mobility

• Making Memes Accessible

  Cole Gleason, Amy Pavel, Xingyu Liu, Patrick Carrington, Lydia B. Chilton, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents two semi-automatic methods for making internet image macro memes accessible to people with vision impairments: rich alternative text descriptions and audio macro memes. Memes are a pervasive form of online communication, yet they are almost entirely…

  alternative text · blind · low vision · social media · image accessibility