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• Three Modalities, Two Design Probes, One Prototype, and No Vision: Experience-Based Co-Design of a Multi-modal 3D Data Visualization Tool

  Sanchita S. Kamath, Aziz N. Zeidieh, Venkatesh Potluri, Sile O'Modhrain, Kenneth Perry, JooYoung Seo · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Kamath et al. report an Experience-Based Co-Design (EBCD) process in which five blind or low-vision (BLV) researchers and one sighted collaborator built a web-native, multimodal prototype for exploring 3D surface plots - a class of visualisation central to VUV spectroscopy,…

  blind and low vision · data visualization · 3D visualization · sonification · spatial audio

• From Selfie Stick to Virtual Cane: Enabling Blind Exploration through Mobile Virtual Reality

  Hao Tang, Hong Zhao, Xinpeng Liu, Zhenchao Xia, William Seiple, Zhigang Zhu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Consumer VR is a visual-first medium, which in practice shuts out blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Tang and colleagues argue that existing accessible VR systems do help BLV users explore virtual environments (VEs), but they depend on head-mounted displays, external tracking…

  blind and low vision · virtual reality · mobile accessibility · orientation and mobility · white cane

• Beyond Descriptions: A Generative Scene2Audio Framework for Blind and Low-Vision Users to Experience Vista Landscapes

  Chitralekha Gupta, Jing Peng, Ashwin Ram, Shreyas Sridhar, Christophe Jouffrais, Suranga Nanayakkara · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Scene description apps (Seeing AI, Be My AI, Envision) do a reasonable job of telling blind and low-vision (BLV) users what is in front of them, but they are built for utility - 'there is a chair'. They fail at the aesthetic, leisure, emotional experience of distant landscapes:…

  blind and low vision · sonification · spatial audio · generative AI · psychoacoustics

• When Audio Is Enough: Design-Tradeoffs in Multi-Story MR Navigation

  Bilgehan Cagiltay, Selim Balcisoy · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI '26 exploratory study asks when an augmented-reality navigation aid can rely on audio alone. The authors argue that visual-first MR interfaces impose extra cognitive load and attention tunneling in high-stakes, cognitively demanding settings (e.g., first responders,…

  mixed reality · audio augmented reality · spatial audio · indoor navigation · wayfinding

• Get In Touch with Your Seat: Accessible Seat Localization for Blind and Low Vision Travelers in Autonomous Shuttles

  Paul D. S. Fink, Justin R. Brown, Raina M. Movalia, Kyle J. James, Margaret E. Kastelein, Jacob Bond, Morgan E. Andrulis, Nicholas A. Giudice · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Fink, Brown, Movalia, and colleagues (University of Maine VEMI Lab, Grand Valley State University, and General Motors Global Research and Development) tackle a segment of the autonomous-vehicle accessibility problem that has received little attention: helping a blind or…

  autonomous vehicles · blind and low vision · transportation accessibility · haptics · spatial audio

• SoundSpace: What and Where Through Sound

  Amber Maimon, Iddo Yehoshua Wald, Rahaf Sobh, Carol Sliman, Yarah Nassar, Joel Lanir · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  SoundSpace is a real-time sensory substitution system designed to give blind and visually impaired users simultaneous awareness of what objects are present in a scene and where they are located, without relying exclusively on verbal scene descriptions. The authors argue that…

  blind and low vision · sensory substitution · spatial audio · sonification · assistive technology

• Sonic Stage: Automatically Generating an Interactive Spatial Soundscape to Facilitate Dialogue Video Comprehension for Blind and Low Vision Viewers

  Shuchang Xu, Xiaofu Jin, Gaurav Jain, Wenshuo Zhang, Huamin Qu, Brian A. Smith, Yukang Yan · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  Xu and colleagues (HKUST, Columbia, Aalto, Rochester) tackle a well-known but largely unsolved problem in video accessibility: standard audio description (AD) is constrained not to overlap with dialogue, so dialogue-heavy scenes in films and TV - where characters' actions,…

  video accessibility · audio description · blind and low vision · spatial audio · sound design

• SocialCue: Exploring the Design Space of Social Wayfinding Assistants for Blind and Low Vision People

  Veronica Bossio Botero, Sidharth Sharma, Ruoyu Iris Xu, Lisa Maria DiSalvo, Ritvik Sharma, Brian A. Smith · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  SocialCue is a wearable technology probe that targets a problem most assistive navigation work ignores: not where to walk, but how to read and act inside an unfolding social scene. The authors argue that existing tools for blind and low vision (BLV) people focus on spatial…

  blind and low vision · social navigation · wayfinding · wearable technology · computer vision

• From Screen Reading to "Scene Reading" in SceneVR: Touch-Based Interaction Techniques for Use in Virtual Reality by Blind and Low-Vision Users

  Melanie Jo Kneitmix, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces "scene reading," a novel interaction paradigm that extends the familiar concept of touch-based screen reading from 2-D interfaces to 3-D virtual reality environments. The authors developed SceneVR, a system that streams the live view from a Meta Quest 2 VR…

  virtual reality · blind and low vision · touchscreen interaction · spatial audio · scene understanding

• PunchPulse: A Physically Demanding Virtual Reality Boxing Game Designed with, for and by Blind and Low-Vision Players

  Sanchita S. Kamath, Omar Khan, Anurag Choudhary, Jan Meyerhoff-Liang, Soyoung Choi, JooYoung Seo · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents PunchPulse, an open-source VR boxing exergame designed through a seven-month participatory co-design process with blind and low-vision (BLV) individuals to promote sustained moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). BLV people experience significantly…

  blind and low vision · virtual reality · exergames · physical activity · co-design

• Towards Accessible Musical Performances in Virtual Reality: Designing a Conceptual Framework for Omnidirectional Audio Descriptions

  Khang Dang, Grace Burke, Hamdi Korreshi, Sooyeon Lee · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper develops a conceptual framework for omnidirectional audio description (AD) designed to make musical performances in virtual reality accessible to blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Traditional AD — a monaural narration track describing visual elements — was developed…

  audio description · virtual reality · blind and low vision · spatial audio · musical performances

• Accessible Nonverbal Cues to Support Conversations in VR for Blind and Low Vision People

  Crescentia Jung, Jazmin Collins, Ricardo E. Gonzalez Penuela, Jonathan Isaac Segal, Andrea Stevenson Won, Shiri Azenkot · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This paper addresses the inaccessibility of nonverbal communication for blind and low-vision (BLV) users in social virtual reality environments. Social VR platforms like VRChat, Rec Room, and Meta Horizon Worlds rely heavily on avatar-mediated nonverbal cues — eye contact, head…

  virtual reality · blind and low vision · nonverbal communication · haptic feedback · social VR

• SoundHapticVR: Head-Based Spatial Haptic Feedback for Accessible Sounds in Virtual Reality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users

  Pratheep Kumar Chelladurai, Ziming Li, Maximilian Weber, Tae Oh, Roshan L Peiris · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents SoundHapticVR, a head-based haptic feedback system that converts spatial audio cues in virtual reality into vibrotactile feedback for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users. VR environments rely heavily on spatial audio to convey critical information — alerting…

  deaf and hard of hearing · haptics · virtual reality · sound localization · sensory substitution

• Beyond Audio Description: Exploring 360° Video Accessibility with Blind and Low Vision Users Through Collaborative Creation

  Lucy Jiang, Mahika Phutane, Shiri Azenkot · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2023)

  This paper investigates how to make 360-degree videos accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users while preserving their immersive nature — a challenge that goes well beyond simply adding traditional audio description (AD). The researchers conducted a two-part study with 14…

  audio description · 360 video · video accessibility · blind and low vision · co-design

• Improving the Accessibility of Screen-Shared Presentations by Enabling Concurrent Exploration

  Danyang Fan, Sasa Junuzovic, John Tang, Thomas Jaeger · 2023 · Proceedings of the 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper addresses a fundamental gap in remote meeting accessibility: when presenters screen-share slides during video calls, blind and low vision (BLV) screen reader users have no adequate way to independently explore slide content in real-time. While sighted audience members…

  screen reader · blindness · presentations · screen sharing · spatial audio

• VRBubble: Enhancing Peripheral Awareness of Avatars for People with Visual Impairments in Social Virtual Reality

  Tiger F. Ji, Brianna Cochran, Yuhang Zhao · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2022)

  This paper introduces VRBubble, an audio-based interaction technique designed to make social virtual reality environments accessible to people with visual impairments (PVI). While social VR platforms like VRChat and Rec Room are growing rapidly as spaces for remote socialization…

  virtual reality accessibility · visual impairment · spatial audio · proxemics · social interaction

• SoundVizVR: Sound Indicators for Accessible Sounds in Virtual Reality for Deaf or Hard-of-Hearing Users

  Ziming Li, Shannon Connell, Wendy Dannels, Roshan Peiris · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents SoundVizVR, a Unity plugin that visualizes sound information in virtual reality environments for Deaf or Hard-of-hearing (DHH) users. Sounds in VR provide critical spatial cues, interaction feedback, and ambient information that contribute to immersion, but…

  virtual reality · Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing · sound visualization · audio accessibility · game accessibility

• Enabling meaningful use of AI-infused educational technologies for children with blindness: Learnings from the development and piloting of the PeopleLens curriculum

  Cecily Morrison, Edward Cutrell, Martin Grayson, Elisabeth RB Becker, Vasiliki Kladouchou, Linda Pring, Katherine Jones, Rita Faia Marques, Camilla Longden, Abigail Sellen · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '21)

  This paper presents the development and pilot evaluation of a curriculum designed to support the meaningful use of PeopleLens, an AI-powered augmented reality system that helps children born blind develop social attention skills. PeopleLens uses a head-mounted device (modified…

  blindness · children · AI accessibility · augmented reality · spatial audio

• VStroll: An Audio-based Virtual Exploration to Encourage Walking among People with Vision Impairments

  Gesu India, Mohit Jain, Pallav Karya, Nirmalendu Diwakar, Manohar Swaminathan · 2021 · ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  People with visual impairments (PVIs) engage in significantly less physical exercise than sighted adults, with 1.5 times higher odds of obesity. Barriers include inaccessible infrastructure, parental discouragement due to safety concerns, lack of walking partners, and the…

  visual impairment · blindness · physical activity · walking · spatial audio

• Experimental Analysis of a Spatialised Audio Interface for People with Visual Impairments

  Jacobus C. Lock, Iain D. Gilchrist, Grzegorz Cielniak, Nicola Bellotto · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper evaluates a spatialised audio interface designed to help people with visual impairments find objects in indoor environments. Part of the ActiVis project, the system uses a Google Project Tango mobile device with RGB-D cameras for localization and Aftershokz…

  visual impairment · blindness · navigation · spatial audio · bone conduction

• O&M Indoor Virtual Environments for People Who Are Blind: A Systematic Literature Review

  Agebson Rocha Façanha, Ticianne Darin, Windson Viana, Jaime Sánchez · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This systematic literature review examines virtual environments designed to support indoor orientation and mobility (O&M) training for people who are blind. The authors analyzed 51 papers describing 32 distinct O&M virtual environments, filtering from an initial pool of 987…

  orientation and mobility · O&M training · virtual environments · blindness · visual impairment

• Spotlights and Soundscapes: On the Design of Mixed Reality Auditory Environments for Persons with Visual Impairment

  Keenan R. May, Brianna J. Tomlinson, Xiaomeng Ma, Phillip Roberts, Bruce N. Walker · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper explores the design of information-rich mixed reality (MR) auditory environments to help people with visual impairments form cognitive maps of unfamiliar indoor spaces. The research contrasts two approaches: soundscapes, where virtual objects in all directions emit…

  mixed reality · spatial audio · auditory display · cognitive maps · indoor navigation

• Synesthesia Vision integration with Recife's Public Transport

  Aida A. Ferreira, Gilmar Brito, Lydia Nascimento da Silva, João Victor Mouzinho, Ryan Morais, Jonathan Romualdo Pereira · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This demonstration paper presents Synesthesia Vision, a two-component assistive technology system for blind people in Recife, Brazil, and its integration with the metropolitan public transport monitoring system. The system consists of sensory glasses (3D-printed frames…

  visual impairment · blindness · public transportation · smart city · obstacle detection

• Video Gaming for the Vision Impaired

  Manohar Swaminathan, Sujeath Pareddy, Tanuja Sunil Sawant, Shubi Agarwal · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This Microsoft Research demo paper presents the Responsive Spatial Audio Cloud (ReSAC), a novel interaction toolkit designed to make mainstream video games accessible to people with visual impairments. The research is motivated by the finding that visually impaired people want…

  blindness · game accessibility · spatial audio · sonification · 3D sound

• 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