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• A Sound Understanding — An In-Situ Deployment of an Accessible Audio-Media Player with People Living with Aphasia

  Filip Bircanin, Alexandre Nevsky, Madeline N Cruice, Ognjen Markovic, Timothy Neate · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Bircanin and colleagues argue that audio-only media — radio, podcasts, audiobooks — has been largely ignored in accessibility research and practice, even though it structures the daily lives of millions and is a significant barrier for people living with aphasia (PWA), a…

  aphasia · audio accessibility · podcasts · audiobooks · complex communication needs

• "Computer Says No": Disabled Welfare Experiences and Envisioned Futures Under AI Governance

  Humphrey Curtis, Adam D G Jenkins, Alistair Gentry, Sioban Zacharek, Sally McVicker, Timothy Neate, Filip Bircanin · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Curtis and colleagues investigate how people with aphasia — a language impairment most often caused by stroke that affects reading, writing, speech, and comprehension — experience the increasingly digitised and AI-automated UK welfare state, and how they would redesign it. The…

  AI · artificial intelligence · AI governance · algorithmic decision-making · aphasia

• Do-It-Yourself AAC: Co-Designing User-Programmable AI Communication Tools with People with Aphasia

  Jong Ho Lee, Stephanie Valencia · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Lee and Valencia explore how people with aphasia (PWA) can become designers of their own AI-powered augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tools rather than users of rigid, pre-built systems. The authors note that aphasia, a language disorder typically resulting from…

  aphasia · AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · end-user programming · generative AI

• Mapping Movies: A Mind-Map Approach to Aphasia-Friendly Video

  Shayan Bali, Alexandre Nevsky, Filip Bircanin, Timothy Neate · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Bali, Nevsky, Bircanin, and Neate (King's College London) target an under-served corner of media accessibility: viewers with aphasia and other complex communication needs (CCNs) for whom subtitles, audio description, and existing simplified-media interventions do not…

  aphasia · complex communication needs · video accessibility · cognitive accessibility · mind maps

• Human-Centered Explainable AI for Brain-Computer Interface-driven Rehabilitation

  Param Rajpura · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI Extended Abstract presents a doctoral research agenda developing human-centered explainable AI (HCXAI) frameworks for brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) used in stroke rehabilitation. Rajpura argues that current BCI systems prioritize technical performance, such as…

  brain-computer interface · explainable AI · stroke rehabilitation · aphasia · human-centered AI

• NarrAid: Supporting Storytelling of People with Aphasia via Generative Visual Scene Displays

  Xiangfei Hu, Xiuqi Zheng, Qi Liu, Zejian Li, Ying Zhang, Lu Wang, Xipei Ren · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  NarrAid is a generative AI-driven Visual Scene Display (VSD) system designed to support storytelling, not just basic wants and needs, for people with aphasia (PWA). The authors argue that existing AAC tools, including traditional VSDs, support functional communication well but…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · visual scene display · storytelling · generative AI

• "An Old Bastard in Bright Orange Satin!": Zuzenna's Aphasia Diary: And Lessons Learned from DIY Augmentative and Alternative Communication

  Humphrey Curtis, Filip Bircanin, Timothy Neate · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a four-month qualitative study of Zuzenna, a stroke survivor living with aphasia in North London, and her self-made DIY communication diary that serves as an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. Against a backdrop of widespread AAC…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · DIY assistive technology · single-subject study · stroke recovery

• I Wish You Could Make the Camera Stand Still: Envisioning Media Accessibility Interventions with People with Aphasia

  Alexandre Nevsky, Filip Bircanin, Madeline N. Cruice, Stephanie Wilson, Elena Simperl, Timothy Neate · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This paper presents the first study aimed at envisioning accessibility interventions for audiovisual media specifically designed for people with aphasia — a language disorder typically caused by stroke that affects the production and comprehension of speech, reading, and…

  aphasia · audiovisual media · media accessibility · television accessibility · content personalisation

• Looking Past Screens: Exploring Mixed Reality and Discreet AAC Devices

  Humphrey Curtis, Adam D G Jenkins, Seray B Ibrahim, Timothy Neate · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2024)

  This paper challenges the dominance of tablet-based augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices by co-designing mixed reality (MR) and discreet assistive technologies with people living with aphasia following stroke. Current AAC devices are typically…

  augmentative and alternative communication · mixed reality · aphasia · co-design · wearable technology

• Watch Your Language: Using Smartwatches to Support Communication

  Humphrey Curtis, Timothy Neate · 2023 · ASSETS '23: Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents the first participatory design and evaluation of AAC smartwatch applications co-designed directly with people who have complex communication needs (CCNs), specifically people living with aphasia — an acquired language impairment most commonly caused by stroke…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · smartwatch · aphasia · wearable technology

• A feasibility study on the use of audio-based ecological momentary assessment with persons with aphasia

  Hester, Yolanda, Billah, Syed Masum, Shinohara, Kristen · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents a feasibility study investigating whether audio-based ecological momentary assessment (EMA) can be used to evaluate word-finding difficulties (anomia) in people with aphasia outside clinical settings. Aphasia, a language disorder typically resulting from…

  aphasia · ecological momentary assessment · smartwatch · audio data collection · anomia

• Comic Spin: A Comic Creation Tool Enabling Self-expression for People with Aphasia

  Carla Tamburro, Timothy Neate, Abi Roper, Stephanie Wilson · 2022 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  Comic Spin is a tablet application (iOS and Android) designed to enable people with aphasia to create comic strips through a constrained creativity approach. Aphasia, typically caused by stroke, affects language abilities including reading, writing, speaking, and…

  aphasia · creativity support tools · constrained creativity · self-expression · stroke

• Contextual Adaptive Communication Aid: Supporting Individuals with Neurological Disease in Communication

  Lula Albar · 2020 · Proceedings of the 17th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes a context-aware Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system designed to support people with communication impairments (CI) caused by neurological disease or acquired brain injury, such as aphasia and dysarthria. The research is…

  AAC · communication impairment · aphasia · context-aware computing · co-design

• Accessible Creativity with a Comic Spin

  Carla Tamburro, Timothy Neate, Abi Roper, Stephanie Wilson · 2020 · Proceedings of the 22nd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2020)

  This paper presents Comic Spin, a tablet-based app (iOS and Android) designed to enable people with aphasia to create short comic strips. Aphasia, most commonly caused by stroke, affects language abilities including reading, writing, speaking, and listening, and impacts…

  aphasia · creativity support tools · constrained creativity · cognitive accessibility · participatory design

• Usability Testing - An Aphasia Perspective

  Abi Roper, Ian Davey, Stephanie Wilson, Timothy Neate, Jane Marshall, Brian Grellmann · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This experience report from City, University of London presents how classic usability testing methods were adapted to include people with aphasia, co-authored with Ian Davey, a person with aphasia who participated in the adapted testing. Aphasia is a language impairment acquired…

  aphasia · usability testing · cognitive accessibility · stroke · communication accessibility

• Experiencing EVA Park, a Multi-User Virtual World for People with Aphasia

  Julia Galliers, Stephanie Wilson, Jane Marshall, Richard Talbot, Niamh Devane, Tracey Booth, Celia Woolf, Helen Greenwood · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study examines the user experience of EVA Park, a multi-user virtual world designed specifically for people with aphasia (PWA) to practice conversations. Aphasia, a communication disorder most commonly caused by stroke (occurring in 45% of stroke survivors), affects…

  aphasia · virtual worlds · stroke rehabilitation · speech-language therapy · social interaction

• The Cost of Turning Heads: A Comparison of a Head-Worn Display to a Smartphone for Supporting Persons with Aphasia in Conversation

  Kristin Williams, Karyn Moffatt, Jonggi Hong, Yasmeen Faroqi-Shah, Leah Findlater · 2016 · ASSETS '16: Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This study directly compares head-worn displays (HWDs) to smartphones for providing vocabulary support to people with aphasia—an acquired language disorder caused by brain damage (typically stroke) that affects word-finding, comprehension, and language formulation. While…

  aphasia · AAC · augmentative and alternative communication · head-worn display · wearable computing

• Iterative Design and Field Trial of an Aphasia-Friendly Email Tool

  Abdullah Al Mahmud, Jean-Bernard Martens · 2015 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents Amail, an email client specifically designed for people with aphasia—an acquired communication disorder typically caused by stroke that affects language comprehension and expression. Unlike existing AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) tools that…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · email · field study · cognitive accessibility

• AphasiaWeb: A Social Network for Individuals with Aphasia

  Hannah Miller, Heather Buhr, Chris Johnson, Jerry Hoepner · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents AphasiaWeb, a social network designed specifically for individuals with aphasia, an acquired language disorder typically resulting from stroke or head injury that impairs speaking, writing, and language comprehension. The authors argue that mainstream social…

  aphasia · social networks · augmentative and alternative communication · participatory design · cognitive accessibility

• What We Talk About: Designing a Context-Aware Communication Tool for People with Aphasia

  Shaun K. Kane, Barbara Linam-Church, Kyle Althoff, Denise McCall · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper describes the design and development of TalkAbout, a context-aware augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) application for tablet devices that adapts its vocabulary to a user's current location and conversation partner. People with aphasia — a language…

  aphasia · augmentative and alternative communication · context-aware computing · participatory design · stroke

• Detecting Linguistic HCI Markers in an Online Aphasia Support Group

  Yoram M. Kalman, Kathleen Geraghty, Cynthia K. Thompson, Darren Gergle · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This paper investigates whether the language deficits associated with aphasia — an acquired language disorder typically resulting from stroke or brain injury — can be detected in online written communication. The concept of "HCI markers" is introduced: measurable signals…

  aphasia · computer-mediated communication · linguistic analysis · online support groups · user modeling

• Write-N-Speak: Authoring Multimodal Digital-Paper Materials for Speech-Language Therapy

  Anne Marie Piper, Nadir Weibel, James D. Hollan · 2011 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents Write-N-Speak, a digital pen toolkit that enables speech-language therapists to create custom multimodal therapy materials for clients with aphasia—a communication disorder often resulting from stroke that affects approximately 80,000 Americans annually. The…

  aphasia · speech-language therapy · AAC · digital pen · multimodal interaction

• ACES: Aphasia Emulation, Realism, and the Turing Test

  Joshua Hailpern, Marina Danilevsky, Karrie Karahalios · 2011 · Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This paper validates the realism of ACES (Aphasia Characteristics Emulation Software), a system that distorts a user's instant messages to simulate the communication effects of aphasia, allowing caregivers, therapists, and family members to experience first-hand what it is like…

  aphasia · empathy · disability simulation · language disorders · instant messaging

• Accessibility of 3D Game Environments for People with Aphasia: An Exploratory Study

  Julia Galliers, Stephanie Wilson, Sam Muscroft, Jane Marshall, Abi Roper, Naomi Cocks, Tim Pring · 2011 · The Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper reports on an exploratory study investigating how people with aphasia interact with 3D game environments and related technologies. Conducted as part of the GReAT (Gesture Recognition in Aphasia Therapy) project at City University London, the study involved five people…

  aphasia · game accessibility · virtual reality · stroke recovery · cognitive accessibility

• Introducing Multimodal Paper-Digital Interfaces for Speech-Language Therapy

  Anne Marie Piper, Nadir Weibel, James D. Hollan · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper explores how multimodal digital pen and paper technology can support speech-language therapy for adults with aphasia and apraxia of speech following stroke or brain injury. The researchers conducted five months of field observations with 15 speech-language therapists…

  aphasia · apraxia of speech · augmentative and alternative communication · speech-language therapy · older adults