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• Making Accessible Movies Easily: An Intelligent Tool for Authoring and Integrating Audio Descriptions to Movies

  Ming Shen, Gang Huang, Yuxuan Wu, Shuyi Song, Sheng Zhou, Liangcheng Li, Zhi Yu, Wei Wang, Jiajun Bu · 2024 · Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces EasyAD, an intelligent tool that automates the process of authoring and integrating audio descriptions (AD) into movies for blind and visually impaired (BVI) users. The traditional AD production workflow is highly labor-intensive, requiring authors to…

  audio description · blind and low vision · media accessibility · multimodal AI · speech synthesis

• Voice Creator: Giving Customized Voice to the Voiceless for Online Communication

  Hyeon Jeong Byeon · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This extended abstract presents Voice Creator, a web-based prototype that allows people with speech or hearing impairments to create customized synthetic voices for online communication. The work is motivated by research showing that voice-based communication increases intimacy…

  speech synthesis · voice customization · speech impairment · hearing impairment · computer-mediated communication

• Personalized and Accessible TV Interaction for People with Visual Impairments

  Daniel Costa, Carlos Duarte · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the design and implementation of a system that makes Connected TV applications accessible to people with visual impairments by using a smartphone as an accessible second-screen controller. Connected TVs and set-top boxes now offer interactive features beyond…

  visual impairment · connected TV · personalization · adaptive interface · multimodal interaction

• Comprehensive Accessibility of Equations by Visually Impaired

  Akashdeep Bansal · 2019 · Proceedings of the 16th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes an approach to improving the audio rendering of mathematical equations for people with visual impairments by introducing a complexity metric that adapts how equations are spoken based on their structural complexity and individual user…

  mathematics accessibility · STEM accessibility · visual impairment · screen reader · speech synthesis

• Development and Theoretical Evaluation of Optimized Phonemic Interfaces

  Gabriel J. Cler, Cara E. Stepp · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This paper presents the development and computational evaluation of optimized phonemic communication interfaces for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) users. Unlike traditional letter-based (orthographic) interfaces like QWERTY keyboards, phonemic interfaces allow…

  augmentative and alternative communication · motor disability · input methods · interface design · speech synthesis

• WebReader: a screen reader for everyone, everywhere

  Aurelio De Rosa, Donovan Justice · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents WebReader, a free and open source JavaScript library that implements a subset of screen reader features directly within web pages, requiring no software installation beyond a web browser. The project addresses two key limitations of traditional…

  screen readers · web accessibility · JavaScript · Web Speech API · open source

• An Enhanced Electrolarynx with Automatic Fundamental Frequency Control based on Statistical Prediction

  Kou Tanaka, Tomoki Toda, Graham Neubig, Sakriani Sakti, Satoshi Nakamura · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demonstration paper presents a prototype system that enhances electrolarynx speech by automatically controlling pitch (fundamental frequency, or F0) using statistical prediction. An electrolarynx is a speaking aid device used by laryngectomees—people who have had their…

  electrolarynx · laryngectomy · speech synthesis · assistive technology · voice prosthesis

• Towards the Usage of Pauses in Audio-Described Videos

  Benoît Encelle, Magali Ollagnier Beldame, Yannick Prié · 2013 · Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper explores the use of "artificial pauses" — brief interruptions inserted into video playback — as a technique for delivering audio descriptions that cannot fit within the natural gaps in a video's soundtrack. Classical audio description is constrained by the duration of…

  audio description · video accessibility · blindness · visual impairment · multimedia accessibility

• Describing online videos with text-to-speech narration

  Masatomo Kobayashi, Tohru Nagano, Kentarou Fukuda, Hironobu Takagi · 2010 · Proceedings of the 2010 International Cross Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from IBM Research Tokyo presents a technology platform that uses text-to-speech (TTS) synthesis to add audio descriptions (AD) to online videos at minimal cost. The system addresses the two main barriers that prevent most online video creators from providing audio…

  audio description · text-to-speech · video accessibility · speech synthesis · external metadata

• ITHACA: An Open Source Framework for Building Component-Based Augmentative and Alternative Communication Applications

  Alexandros Pino, Georgios Kouroupetroglou · 2010 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces ITHACA, an open source software framework for developing modular, customizable AAC applications. The authors address a persistent problem in assistive technology: AAC products are typically expensive, monolithic, difficult to customize, and limited in…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · open source · assistive technology · component-based development

• Are Synthesized Video Descriptions Acceptable?

  Masatomo Kobayashi, Trisha O'Connell, Bryan Gould, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper from IBM Research Tokyo and WGBH National Center for Accessible Media investigates whether text-to-speech (TTS) synthesised narrations are an acceptable alternative to human-narrated audio descriptions for online videos. While accessibility standards like WCAG 2.0,…

  audio description · video accessibility · text-to-speech · speech synthesis · web accessibility

• 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

• Loudmouth: Modifying Text-to-Speech Synthesis in Noise

  Rupal Patel, Michael Everett, Eldar Sadikov · 2006 · Proceedings of the 8th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '06)

  This short paper from Northeastern University presents Loudmouth, a modified text-to-speech synthesizer that emulates the Lombard effect — the natural way humans adjust their speech in noisy environments — to improve synthesized speech intelligibility in noise. Standard TTS…

  text-to-speech · speech synthesis · AAC · Lombard effect · speech intelligibility

• A System for Creating Personalized Synthetic Voices

  Debra Yarrington, Chris Pennington, John Gray, H. Timothy Bunnell · 2005 · Proceedings of the 7th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '05)

  This paper presents the ModelTalker Voice Creation System, a tool that enables individuals to create personalized synthetic voices with unrestricted vocabulary for use in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. The system addresses a significant problem in AAC:…

  speech synthesis · voice banking · AAC · amyotrophic lateral sclerosis · text-to-speech

• A New Generation of Communication Aids under the ULYSSES Component-Based Framework

  Georgios Kouroupetroglou, Alexandros Pino · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from the University of Athens introduces ULYSSES, a component-based software framework for building customisable AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices. The core problem ULYSSES addresses is that AAC users have highly diverse and individual needs —…

  augmentative and alternative communication · component-based framework · software engineering · assistive technology · speech synthesis

• Capturing Phrases for ICU-Talk, a Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

  S. Ashraf, A. Judson, I. W. Ricketts, A. Waller, N. Alm, B. Gordon, F. MacAulay, J. K. Brodie, M. Etchels, A. Warden, A. J. Shearer · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the vocabulary gathering methods used for ICU-Talk, a three-year multidisciplinary project at the University of Dundee and Ninewells Hospital that developed an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aid specifically for intubated intensive care…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · intensive care · vocabulary selection · phrase-based communication

• Lessons from Developing Audio HTML Interfaces

  Frankie James · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper presents the AHA (Audio HTML Access) framework, a set of principles for choosing sounds to use in audio-based HTML interfaces designed for blind and visually impaired users. The research builds on earlier work at Stanford University exploring how web content can be…

  audio interfaces · non-visual web access · sonification · speech synthesis · blind users

• V-Lynx: Bringing the World Wide Web to Sight Impaired Users

  Mitchell Krell, Davor Cubranic · 1996 · Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This 1996 paper from the University of Southern Mississippi presents V-Lynx, one of the earliest voice-enabled web browsers designed to make the World Wide Web accessible to sight-impaired users. At this time, WWW traffic had only recently become significant — comprising just…

  web accessibility · screen reader · speech synthesis · web browser · blind users

• Improving the Usability of Speech-Based Interfaces for Blind Users

  Ian J. Pitt, Alistair D. N. Edwards · 1996 · Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper from the University of York examines the usability problems inherent in speech-based interfaces for blind computer users and presents a study comparing how blind and sighted subjects process information delivered through synthetic speech. The authors identify six key…

  blindness and low vision · screen reader · speech synthesis · usability · speech dialogue design

• A system for teaching speech to profoundly deaf children using synthesized acoustic and articulatory patterns

  E. Keate, H. Javkin, N. Antonanzas-Barroso, R. Zou · 1994 · Proceedings of the First Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '94)

  This paper describes a PC-based computer-assisted speech training system for profoundly deaf children that integrates a text-to-speech (TTS) synthesizer to generate both acoustic and articulatory models for any typed utterance. The system addresses a fundamental limitation of…

  deaf education · speech training · text-to-speech · palatography · visual feedback

20 results.