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• Multi-Layered Interfaces to Improve Older Adults' Initial Learnability of Mobile Applications

  Rock Leung, Leah Findlater, Joanna McGrenere, Peter Graf, Justine Yang · 2010 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates whether multi-layered (ML) interfaces can improve the learnability of mobile applications for older adults. ML interfaces present novice users with a simplified, reduced-functionality layer containing only basic features, allowing them to progress to a…

  aging · older adults · mobile accessibility · learnability · interface design

• Computer Usage by Children with Down Syndrome: Challenges and Future Research

  Jinjuan Feng, Jonathan Lazar, Libby Kumin, Ant Ozok · 2010 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This landmark study presents findings from a large-scale survey of approximately 600 parents of children with Down syndrome (DS) about their children's computer usage challenges. The research addresses a critical gap: while DS characteristics are well-documented medically, their…

  Down syndrome · cognitive accessibility · developmental disabilities · children · survey research

• Relating Computer Tasks to Existing Knowledge to Improve Accessibility for Older Adults

  Nic Hollinworth, Faustina Hwang · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper investigates whether a custom file management interface designed to resemble physical paper documents, folders, and sticky labels can improve computer accessibility for older adults. The authors identify a fundamental problem: people learn new tasks by relating them…

  older adults · digital literacy · interface design · file management · skeuomorphic design

• A Comparison of Features for Automatic Readability Assessment

  Lijun Feng, Martin Jansche, Matt Huenerfauth, Noémie Elhadad · 2010 · Proceedings of the 23rd International Conference on Computational Linguistics (COLING '10), Posters

  Feng et al. (2010) is a computational-linguistics paper that compares a wide variety of text features for automatically predicting the grade level of reading material aimed at primary-school students. The motivation is both intrinsic — traditional readability formulas such as…

  readability · automatic readability assessment · text simplification · plain language · cognitive accessibility

• About the relevance of accessibility barriers in the everyday interactions of older people with the web

  Sergio Sayago, Josep Blat · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper reports findings from a remarkable 3-year ethnographic study (2005-2008) of 388 older people (aged 65-80) using web and computer technologies in their daily lives at the Àgora adult centre in Barcelona. Unlike most accessibility research that relies on lab-based…

  aging · ethnography · web accessibility · cognitive accessibility · mouse interaction

• Age and Web Access: The Next Generation

  Vicki L. Hanson · 2009 · Proceedings of the 2009 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper challenges the common assumption that technology difficulties experienced by older adults are a fixed characteristic of aging that will naturally disappear as tech-savvy younger generations grow old. Hanson argues that the relationship between age and web access is…

  aging · older adults · digital divide · cognitive accessibility · user experience

• The Effect of Voice Output on AAC-Supported Conversations of Persons with Alzheimer's Disease

  Melanie Fried-Oken, Charity Rowland, Glory Baker, Mayling Dixon, Carolyn Mills, Darlene Schultz, Barry Oken · 2009 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigated whether digitized voice output on AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices would improve conversations for people with moderate Alzheimer's disease. The researchers hypothesized that voice output might function like partner-assisted word…

  AAC · Alzheimer's disease · dementia · voice output · cognitive accessibility

• MGuider: Mobile Guiding and Tracking System in Public Transit System for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Wei-Hsun Chen · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents MGuider, a mobile guiding and tracking system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments navigate public transit systems independently. Developed in collaboration with NGOs running supported employment programs in Taipei, Taiwan, the system…

  cognitive accessibility · wayfinding · mobile technology · public transit · assistive technology

• Speaking Through Pictures: Images vs. Icons

  Xiaojuan Ma, Jordan Boyd-Graber, Sonya Nikolova, Perry R. Cook · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates whether freely available web images can serve as effective substitutes for professionally designed icons in assistive communication systems for people with aphasia. Existing icon-based systems like Lingraphica and C-VIC (Computerized Visual Communication)…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · visual communication · icon-based communication · assistive technology

• Context-Aware Prompting to Transition Autonomously Through Vocational Tasks for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Yao-Jen Chang, Wan Chih Chang, Tsen-Yung Wang · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a context-aware task prompting system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments work more independently in vocational settings. The system uses Bluetooth beacons placed at key work locations ("points of work") to trigger personalized prompts on…

  cognitive accessibility · task prompting · supported employment · context-aware computing · intellectual disability

• Comparing Evaluation Techniques for Text Readability Software for Adults with Intellectual Disabilities

  Matt Huenerfauth, Lijun Feng, Noémie Elhadad · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper investigates how to properly evaluate text simplification software designed for adults with mild intellectual disabilities (ID). The authors are developing a system that automatically simplifies news articles, displays them, and reads them aloud using text-to-speech —…

  intellectual disability · text simplification · readability · natural language processing · evaluation methodology

• Cognitively Motivated Features for Readability Assessment

  Lijun Feng, Noémie Elhadad, Matt Huenerfauth · 2009 · Proceedings of the 12th Conference of the European Chapter of the Association for Computational Linguistics (EACL 2009)

  Feng, Elhadad, and Huenerfauth (2009) develop and evaluate an automatic readability-assessment tool targeted specifically at adults with intellectual disabilities (ID) — people in the 'mild' category (IQ 55-70), who comprise roughly 3% of the U.S. population. Rather than reusing…

  readability · automatic readability assessment · cognitive accessibility · intellectual disability · mild intellectual disability

• Accessible Computing -- Past Trends and Future Suggestions: Commentary on "Computers and People with Disabilities"

  Alan F. Newell · 2008 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This influential commentary by Alan Newell reflects on 15 years of progress since Glinert and York's seminal 1992 paper on computers and disability. While acknowledging advances—specialized journals, accessibility features in mainstream software, AAC devices with prediction, and…

  inclusive design · older adults · cognitive accessibility · design methodology · user-centered design

• PhotoTacs: An Image-Based Cell Phone Interface

  Michael J. Astrauskas · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents PhotoTacs, a simplified image-based cell phone interface designed to help people with cognitive or visual impairments navigate their phone contacts and make calls. The author begins by identifying the core problem: as cellular phones gained features, their…

  cognitive accessibility · mobile accessibility · assistive technology · visual impairment · user interface design

• Effective Simulations to Support Academics in Inclusive Online Learning Design

  George Papadopoulos, Elaine Pearson, Steve Green · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the development and evaluation of accessibility simulations designed to help academic staff in higher education understand the barriers disabled students face when accessing online learning materials. The research was conducted at the University of…

  accessibility simulation · disability awareness · inclusive learning · cognitive accessibility · continuing professional development

• PowerUp: An Accessible Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Vicki L. Hanson, Mark R. Laff, Anna Cavender · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the design and validation of accessibility features for PowerUp, an IBM-developed multiplayer 3D virtual world educational game aimed at middle school students. The researchers were tasked with making the game usable by players with visual, hearing,…

  game accessibility · virtual reality · visual impairment · blindness · cognitive accessibility

• Software and Technologies Designed for People with Autism: What Do Users Want?

  Cynthia Putnam, Lorna Chong · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper reports on an online survey of 114 respondents (12 adults with ASD completing it themselves, 102 submissions about children with ASD from parents, teachers, and professionals) investigating what users actually want from software and technology designed for people with…

  autism · user-centered design · cognitive accessibility · assistive technology · educational technology

• How Older and Younger Adults Differ in Their Approach to Problem Solving on a Complex Website

  Peter G. Fairweather · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This IBM Research paper challenges the prevailing assumption that older adults use the web in the same way as younger adults, just more slowly and less accurately. The study examined how 28 participants aged 18-73 navigated a complex newspaper website to solve a realistic…

  aging · web navigation · cognitive accessibility · usability · older adults

• A Demonstration of PhotoTacs: A Simple Image-Based Phone Dialing Interface for People with Cognitive or Visual Impairments

  Michael J. Astrauskas, John A. Black Jr, Sethuraman Panchanathan · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper from Arizona State University's Center for Cognitive Ubiquitous Computing demonstrates PhotoTacs, an image-based phone book application for smart phones designed for people with cognitive disabilities, visual impairments, or illiteracy. The motivation is that modern…

  cognitive accessibility · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · simplified interface · assistive technology

• A Preliminary Usability Evaluation of Strategies for Seeking Online Information with Elderly People

  Sergio Sayago, Josep Blat · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper from Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona presents an experimental study comparing how seven elderly participants (ages 65-74) performed using three strategies for finding complex information online: Google basic search, Google advanced search, and the Yahoo!…

  aging · usability · information seeking · search engines · mouse difficulties

• Understanding mobile phone requirements for young adults with cognitive disabilities

  Melissa Dawe · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  Melissa Dawe's Assets '07 paper is a small, qualitative, ethnographically-informed study of how five Colorado families use mobile phones to support remote communication between parents and their young-adult children (ages 19-25) with cognitive disabilities. The paper is grounded…

  cognitive accessibility · mobile accessibility · ethnography · semi-structured interviews · caregivers

• Improving the outcomes of students with cognitive and learning disabilities: phase I development for a web accessibility tool

  Aaron Andersen, Cyndi Rowland · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '07)

  This poster paper from ASSETS 2007 reports on Phase I of a project to extend the WAVE (Web Accessibility Versatile Evaluator) open-source tool with a new suite of evaluators specifically targeting the cognitive load of web pages. The work, led by WebAIM and the National Center…

  cognitive accessibility · cognitive disabilities · learning disabilities · cognitive load · evaluation tools

• WADER: a novel wayfinding system with deviation recovery for individuals with cognitive impairments

  Shih-Kai Tsai · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '07)

  This short ASSETS 2007 poster paper from Shih-Kai Tsai at Chung Yuan Christian University in Taiwan presents WADER (Wayfinding system with DEviation Recovery), a prototype indoor wayfinding system aimed at individuals with cognitive impairments — explicitly named populations…

  wayfinding · indoor navigation · QR code · cognitive accessibility · cognitive disabilities

• Personalizable Edge Services for Web Accessibility

  Gennaro Iaccarino, Delfina Malandrino, Vittorio Scarano · 2006 · Proceedings of the 2006 International Cross-Disciplinary Workshop on Web Accessibility (W4A): Building the Mobile Web: Rediscovering Accessibility?

  This paper presents PAN (Personalizable Accessible Navigation), a suite of proxy-based edge services that transform web pages on-the-fly to improve accessibility for users with disabilities. Built on top of the Scalable Intermediary Software Infrastructure (SISI) — a…

  proxy-based accessibility · web accessibility · content adaptation · personalization · edge services

• Picture Planner: A Cognitively Accessible Personal Activity Scheduling Application

  Thomas Keating · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This paper presents Picture Planner, an icon-driven personal activity scheduling application developed by Eugene Research Institute for individuals with cognitive disabilities. The application addresses a significant gap in accessible software: while over 20 million Americans…

  cognitive accessibility · cognitive disabilities · intellectual disability · activities of daily living · self-management