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• 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

• 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

• 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

• Subjective Evaluation of Website Accessibility and Usability: A Survey for People with Sensory Disabilities

  Tahani Alahmadi, Steve Drew · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a novel subjective evaluation model for assessing web accessibility and usability from the perspective of students with sensory disabilities, applied to Australian university websites. The model integrates accessibility criteria from WCAG 2.0 and Section 508…

  accessibility evaluation · usability · university websites · education accessibility · sensory disabilities

• Sensory Glasses for the Visually Impaired

  Michael Barney, Jonathan Kilner, Gilmar Brito, Aida Araújo, Meuse Nogueira · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents the design and development of a low-cost wearable assistive device — sensory glasses — intended to help visually impaired people navigate their surroundings. The device addresses a well-known limitation of the traditional white cane: it cannot…

  assistive technology · blindness · wearable technology · sonification · navigation

• Making Real-World Interfaces Accessible Through Crowdsourcing, Computer Vision, and Fabrication

  Anhong Guo, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents two complementary systems designed to make inaccessible physical interfaces usable by blind people: VizLens and Facade. The research addresses a fundamental and long-standing accessibility problem — the vast majority of physical interfaces in…

  physical accessibility · computer vision · crowdsourcing · 3D printing · assistive technology

• Assessment of Semantic Taxonomies for Blind Indoor Navigation Based on a Shopping Center Use Case

  J. Eduardo Pérez, Myriam Arrue, Masatomo Kobayashi, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates what environmental information is needed to support effective indoor navigation for visually impaired people, and whether existing geographic data specifications provide adequate semantic vocabularies for this purpose. The researchers surveyed three…

  indoor navigation · blindness · wayfinding · location-based services · semantic taxonomy

• Web Standards to Enable an Accessible and Inclusive Internet of Things (IoT)

  Shadi Abou-Zahra, Judy Brewer, Michael Cooper · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  Written by three W3C staff members, this paper argues that the Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to disproportionately benefit people with disabilities — but only if accessibility is built in from the start. The authors examine IoT across three scales: the micro…

  Internet of Things · web standards · smart environments · assistive technology · interoperability

• GazeTheWeb: A Gaze-Controlled Web Browser

  Raphael Menges, Chandan Kumar, Daniel Müller, Korok Sengupta · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents GazeTheWeb, an open-source web browser designed to be operated entirely through eye gaze input, targeting people with severe motor impairments who cannot use conventional mouse and keyboard input. Built on the Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF),…

  eye tracking · gaze interaction · web browser · motor impairment · assistive technology

• Able to Read My Mail: An Accessible e-Mail Client with Assistive Technology

  Horacio Saggion, Daniel Ferrés, Leen Sevens, Ineke Schuurman, Marta Ripollés, Olga Rodríguez · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Kolumba, an accessible web-based email client developed as part of the EU-funded Able to Include project, specifically designed for people with intellectual or developmental disabilities (IDD). The tool addresses a critical gap in workplace digital inclusion:…

  intellectual disability · cognitive accessibility · text simplification · pictograph communication · workplace accessibility

• LuzDeploy: A Collective Action System for Installing Navigation Infrastructure for Blind People

  Cole Gleason, Dragan Ahmetovic, Carlos Toxtli, Saiph Savage, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Chieko Asakawa · 2017 · Proceedings of the 14th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents LuzDeploy, a system designed to solve a practical bottleneck in deploying indoor navigation infrastructure for blind people: the difficulty of recruiting, training, and coordinating enough personnel to install Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons…

  blindness · indoor navigation · crowdsourcing · BLE beacons · assistive technology

• Evaluating Wrist-Based Haptic Feedback for Non-Visual Target Finding and Path Tracing on a 2D Surface

  Jonggi Hong, Alisha Pradhan, Jon E. Froehlich, Leah Findlater · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates wrist-worn haptic wristbands as a means to provide directional hand guidance for blind and visually impaired users on a 2D surface. Precisely guiding a blind person's hand has applications ranging from tracing printed text to learning shapes and gestures,…

  haptic feedback · wearable technology · blindness · tactile accessibility · assistive technology

• Participatory Design Using Sensory Substitution Devices with Tactile and Audio Feedback

  Ella Tuson, Samantha Hughson, Christina Zymaris, Ryan King · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This student research paper describes a participatory design study with a single blind participant (TC, blind from birth) to develop a sensory substitution device that provides a physical experience of spatial awareness through tactile or auditory feedback. The study was…

  sensory substitution · blindness · haptic feedback · participatory design · tactile accessibility

• Predictive Link Following Plug-In For Web Browsers

  Lyle Pierson Stachecki, John Magee · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper presents the first public release of a target-aware pointing assistance plug-in for web browsers that uses Predictive Link Following to help people with motor impairments select links on web pages. Web browsing is challenging for users of mouse…

  motor accessibility · web accessibility · mouse replacement interface · eye tracking · assistive technology

• Technology-Mediated Sight: A Case Study of Early Adopters of a Low Vision Assistive Technology

  Annuska Zolyomi, Anushree Shukla, Jaime Snyder · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This qualitative case study examines the psychosocial and adaptive experiences of early adopters of the eSight 2.0 — a head-mounted assistive device for people with low vision that captures live video and displays enhanced images on high-resolution OLED screens inside…

  low vision · assistive technology · head-mounted display · qualitative research · disability identity

• Interviews and Observation of Blind Software Developers at Work to Understand Code Navigation Challenges

  Khaled Albusays, Stephanie Ludi, Matt Huenerfauth · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This exploratory study investigates code navigation challenges faced by 28 blind software developers using their preferred coding tools and assistive technologies. The researchers at Rochester Institute of Technology and University of North Texas conducted remote interview and…

  blindness · programming education · software engineering · screen readers · workplace accessibility

• "Is Someone There? Do They Have a Gun": How Visual Information about Others Can Improve Personal Safety Management for Blind Individuals

  Stacy M. Branham, Ali Abdolrahmani, William Easley, Morgan Scheuerman, Erick Ronquillo, Amy Hurst · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper investigates an underexplored dimension of accessibility for people who are blind: the need for visual information about other people to manage personal physical safety. While decades of assistive technology research have focused on helping blind individuals navigate…

  blindness · personal safety · facial recognition · assistive technology · navigation

• Designing Interactions for 3D Printed Models with Blind People

  Lei Shi, Yuhang Zhao, Shiri Azenkot · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper investigates how blind people explore 3D printed models and what interaction techniques they prefer for interactive 3D printed models (I3Ms) — physical models augmented with sensors that provide audio descriptions when touched. While 3D printing has become…

  3D printing · blindness · tactile perception · interaction design · participatory design

• Crowdsourcing the Installation and Maintenance of Indoor Navigation Infrastructure

  Cole Gleason · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This student research competition paper presents LuzDeploy, a system designed to solve a major barrier to the adoption of indoor navigation systems for people with visual impairments: the high cost and expertise required to install and maintain the necessary infrastructure.…

  indoor navigation · crowdsourcing · Bluetooth beacons · blindness · wayfinding

• DroneNavigator: Using Leashed and Free-Floating Quadcopters to Navigate Visually Impaired Travelers

  Mauro Avila Soto, Markus Funk, Matthias Hoppe, Robin Boldt, Katrin Wolf, Niels Henze · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper explores an unconventional approach to navigation assistance for visually impaired travelers: using small, lightweight quadcopters as mobile sound and haptic sources to guide users through indoor environments. While existing navigation systems deliver directional…

  navigation · blindness · drones · assistive technology · haptic technology

• Virtual Navigation for Blind People: Building Sequential Representations of the Real-World

  João Guerreiro, Dragan Ahmetovic, Kris M. Kitani, Chieko Asakawa · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper investigates whether blind people can build accurate mental representations of real-world routes by virtually navigating them on a smartphone before physically visiting the location. Sighted people routinely study maps before visiting new places, building a sequential…

  blindness · navigation · cognitive mapping · virtual navigation · orientation and mobility

• An Exploratory Case Study to Support Young Children with Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA)

  Sheng Miao, Ziying Tang, Jinjuan Heidi Feng, Amanda Jozkowski, Molly Lichtenwalner · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This demonstration paper presents a case study exploring input solutions for very young children with Type I Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the most severe form of a neurodegenerative disease that causes degeneration of spinal cord motor neurons, skeletal muscle atrophy, and…

  spinal muscular atrophy · motor disability · alternative input · sensors · young children

• AMI: An Adaptable Music Interface to Support the Varying Needs of People with Dementia

  P. Frazer Seymour, Justin Matejka, Geoff Foulds, Ihor Petelycky, Fraser Anderson · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper presents AMI (Adaptable Music Interface), a tangible, modular music player designed to be reconfigured by caregivers to match the changing needs and preferences of individuals with dementia. Over 46 million people worldwide live with dementia, a progressive syndrome…

  dementia · tangible interaction · music accessibility · personalization · aging