Reviews

Search results

• Modeling Expertise in Assistive Navigation Interfaces for Blind People

  Eshed Ohn-Bar, João Guerreiro, Dragan Ahmetovic, Kris M. Kitani, Chieko Asakawa · 2018 · Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces (IUI)

  This short IUI paper asks a question most assistive-navigation research leaves unasked: what happens as a blind user becomes an expert on a route? Existing smartphone guidance apps deliver the same instruction set on a user's tenth trip down a corridor as on their first,…

  blind navigation · indoor navigation · turn-by-turn navigation · visual impairment · blindness

• Environmental Factors in Indoor Navigation Based on Real-World Trajectories of Blind Users

  Hernisa Kacorri, Eshed Ohn-Bar, Kris M. Kitani, Chieko Asakawa · 2018 · Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This paper addresses a methodological blind spot in blind-navigation research: studies typically report localization accuracy and completion time, but say almost nothing about how the physical environment itself shapes where users go wrong. The authors argue that the same…

  indoor navigation · turn-by-turn navigation · blindness · visual impairment · assistive technology

• Usability Evaluation of Captions for People Who Are Deaf or Hard of Hearing

  Sushant Kafle, Matt Huenerfauth · 2018 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing Newsletter (Issue 122)

  This is a SIGACCESS Newsletter article summarizing a line of research by Kafle and Huenerfauth on building a caption-quality evaluation metric that actually reflects the experience of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) readers — rather than simply counting speech-recognition errors.…

  automatic speech recognition · captioning · captions · caption quality · accessibility metrics

• Methods for Evaluation of Imperfect Captioning Tools by Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Users at Different Reading Literacy Levels

  Larwan Berke, Sushant Kafle, Matt Huenerfauth · 2018 · Proceedings of the 2018 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '18)

  This CHI 2018 paper (awarded an Honourable Mention) is the originating methodological study behind the group’s later Alonzo et al. work on Automatic Text Simplification evaluation. It asks: when Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) participants evaluate imperfect captions produced by…

  captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · automatic speech recognition · research methodology · literacy

• 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

• Investigating Laboratory and Everyday Typing Performance of Blind Users

  Hugo Nicolau, Kyle Montague, Tiago Guerreiro, André Rodrigues, Vicki L. Hanson · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents the first longitudinal study comparing blind users' touchscreen typing performance in laboratory versus everyday real-world settings. Over 12 weeks, five novice blind smartphone users participated in eight weekly laboratory sessions while also having their…

  visual impairment · text entry · touchscreen · mobile accessibility · longitudinal study

• Mind Your Crossings: Mining GIS Imagery for Crosswalk Localization

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Roberto Manduchi, James M. Coughlan, Sergio Mascetti · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents a computer vision system for automatically detecting and localizing zebra crosswalks in urban environments by mining existing geospatial image databases, specifically Google satellite imagery and Google Street View. The motivation is that blind pedestrians…

  visual impairment · orientation and mobility · computer vision · navigation · crowdsourcing

• Design and Real-World Evaluation of Eyes-Free Yoga: An Exergame for Blind and Low-Vision Exercise

  Kyle Rector, Roger Vilardaga, Leo Lansky, Kellie Lu, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner, Julie A. Kientz · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents Eyes-Free Yoga, an accessible exergame using the Microsoft Kinect that acts as a yoga instructor for people who are blind or have low vision, providing personalized auditory feedback based on real-time skeletal tracking. People with visual impairments face…

  visual impairment · exergame · exercise · Kinect · audio feedback

• Evaluation of Language Feedback Methods for Student Videos of American Sign Language

  Matt Huenerfauth, Elaine Gale, Brian Penly, Sree Pillutla, Mackenzie Willard, Dhananjai Hariharan · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates how to best present video-based feedback to students learning American Sign Language (ASL), as part of a long-term project to build an automatic system that analyses student signing videos and provides immediate corrective feedback. The motivation is…

  sign language · deaf and hard of hearing · ASL education · video feedback · language learning

• On the Evaluation of Novel Sonification Techniques for Non-Visual Shape Exploration

  Sergio Mascetti, Andrea Gerino, Cristian Bernareggi, Lorenzo Picinali · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper proposes and evaluates six novel sonification techniques for enabling blind and visually impaired users to explore and recognize shapes on touchscreen devices, comparing them against two existing techniques from the literature. The motivation is that graphical…

  sonification · visual impairment · STEM accessibility · touchscreen · shape recognition

• Regression Analysis of Demographic and Technology-Experience Factors Influencing Acceptance of Sign Language Animation

  Hernisa Kacorri, Matt Huenerfauth, Sarah Ebling, Kasmira Patel, Kellie Menzies, Mackenzie Willard · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates how deaf participants' demographic backgrounds and technology experience influence their evaluation scores when assessing sign language animation systems, revealing that participant characteristics — not just animation quality — significantly affect study…

  sign language avatar · deaf and hard of hearing · evaluation methodology · regression analysis · ASL animation

• Accessibility to Work from Home for the Disabled: The Need for a Shift in Management Style

  Rosemary Spark · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper argues that working from home (telecommuting) offers significant benefits for people with disabilities but requires a fundamental shift in management practices to succeed. The author synthesizes research and policy evidence from Australia, the UK, US, and…

  telecommuting · remote work · disability employment · workplace accessibility · disability inclusion

• Working Together: Technology as the Foundation for Better Employment Outcomes for People with Disability

  Alastair McEwin · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  Written by Australia's Disability Discrimination Commissioner at the Australian Human Rights Commission, this keynote paper draws on the findings of the 2016 "Willing to Work" national inquiry into employment discrimination against older Australians and Australians with…

  disability employment · disability rights · workplace accessibility · digital inclusion · disability discrimination

• 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

• Active Learning for Web Accessibility Evaluation

  Mengni Zhang, Can Wang, Zhi Yu, Chao Shen, Jiajun Bu · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces "active-prediction," a semi-supervised machine learning method that addresses a fundamental bottleneck in web accessibility evaluation: the prohibitive cost of evaluating all pages in a large website. Current practice relies on sampling methods (ad hoc,…

  accessibility evaluation · machine learning · active learning · web accessibility · automated testing

• Towards the Prediction of Dyslexia by a Web-based Game with Musical Elements

  Maria Rauschenberger, Luz Rello, Ricardo Baeza-Yates, Emilia Gomez, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents DysMusic, a web-based serious game prototype that aims to predict the risk of dyslexia in pre-reading children using musical elements rather than linguistic tasks. Current dyslexia screening tools rely on reading and writing abilities — linguistic elements…

  dyslexia · screening · serious games · gamification · music

• 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

• Creating Accessible Local Government: The Process

  Vivienne Conway, Keith Fitzpatrick · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This short paper documents the end-to-end process the City of Cockburn, a local government authority in Western Australia, followed to develop an accessible replacement website. The paper provides a practical 9-step roadmap: (1) embed accessibility in official planning…

  government accessibility · WCAG compliance · procurement · organizational accessibility · case study

• WAEM: A Web Accessibility Evaluation Metric Based on Partial User Experience Order

  Shuyi Song, Can Wang, Liangcheng Li, Zhi Yu, Xiao Lin, Jiajun Bu · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces WAEM (Web Accessibility Experience Metric), a novel accessibility metric that derives checkpoint weights from actual user experience data rather than from WCAG priority levels. The authors demonstrate that existing metrics like WAB and WAQM, which weight…

  accessibility metrics · user experience · accessibility evaluation · machine learning · SVM

• Producing Accessible Statistics Diagrams in R

  Donal Fitzpatrick, A. Jonathan R. Godfrey, Volker Sorge · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a system for making statistical diagrams accessible to blind users by generating semantically enriched SVG graphics from the R statistical computing environment. The core problem is that statistical graphics — bar charts, histograms, box plots, scatter plots,…

  data visualization accessibility · STEM accessibility · visual impairment · blindness · screen readers

• Microsoft's Journey Towards Inclusion

  David Masters · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This industry paper by Microsoft's Corporate Affairs Director for Australia outlines Microsoft's four-pillar accessibility strategy and its practical implementation across recruitment, onboarding, workplace culture, and innovation. The four pillars are: (1) providing accessible…

  disability employment · organizational accessibility · inclusive hiring · disability inclusion · corporate accessibility

• Achieving Practical and Accurate Indoor Navigation for People with Visual Impairments

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Masayuki Murata, Cole Gleason, Erin Brady, Hironobu Takagi, Kris Kitani, Chieko Asakawa · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents improvements to the NavCog indoor navigation system that achieve sub-meter localization accuracy for blind pedestrians while significantly reducing the infrastructure cost of deploying BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) beacon networks. GPS provides outdoor…

  indoor navigation · visual impairment · blindness · BLE beacons · Bluetooth Low Energy

• ChattyBooks and ChattyBook Service

  Masakazu Suzuki, Katsuhito Yamaguchi · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents ChattyBooks, a Windows application that converts STEM content in DAISY/accessible EPUB3 format into audio-embedded HTML5 with JavaScript, enabling playback in any web browser on any platform without requiring specialized DAISY/EPUB3 players. The…

  STEM accessibility · DAISY · EPUB · MathML · mathematics accessibility

• Closed ASL Interpreting for Online Videos

  Raja Kushalnagar, Matthew Seita, Abraham Glasser · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces "closed interpreting," a concept analogous to closed captioning but for sign language interpretation of online videos. While many deaf viewers prefer ASL interpreters over captions (as verbatim captioning speed often exceeds reading abilities, and deaf…

  American Sign Language · ASL · Deaf and hard of hearing · sign language interpreting · video accessibility

• Do Web Users with Autism Experience Barriers When Searching for Information Within Web Pages?

  Sukru Eraslan, Victoria Yaneva, Yeliz Yesilada, Simon Harper · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper provides empirical evidence that adults with high-functioning autism experience real barriers when searching for information on web pages, using eye tracking to reveal the underlying differences in visual attention patterns. The study employed a between-group…

  autism · eye tracking · web accessibility · cognitive accessibility · scanpath analysis