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• The Future of Urban Accessibility: The Role of AI

  Jon E. Froehlich, Chu Li, Maryam Hosseini, Fabio Miranda, Andres Sevtsuk, Yochai Eisenberg · 2024 · Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '24)

  This workshop paper examines the emerging role of artificial intelligence in designing equitable and accessible cities, transportation systems, and navigation tools for people with disabilities. The authors — spanning HCI, urban planning, public health, and accessibility…

  urban accessibility · artificial intelligence · smart cities · autonomous vehicles · pedestrian infrastructure

• UnlockedMaps: A Web-Based Map for Visualizing the Real-Time Accessibility of Urban Rail Transit Stations

  Ather Sharif, Aneesha Ramesh, Qianqian Yu, Trung-Anh H. Nguyen, Xuhai Xu · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents UnlockedMaps, an open-data web-based map that visualizes the real-time accessibility status of urban rail transit stations across six North American cities. The system addresses a critical gap: commuters who depend on functioning station elevators — including…

  transit accessibility · mobility disabilities · open data · web-based maps · urban accessibility

• Case Study: In-the-Field Accessibility Information Collection Using Gamification

  Akihiro Miyata, Kazuki Okugawa, Yusaku Murayama, Akihiro Furuta, Keihiro Ochiai, Yuko Murayama · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This study introduces and evaluates a crowdsourcing platform designed to collect real-world accessibility information for constructing accessibility maps that support people with mobility disabilities. Accessibility maps are critical for safe navigation by wheelchair users and…

  crowdsourcing · gamification · accessible maps · physical accessibility · pedestrian infrastructure

• On the independent and sustainable mobility of people with visual impairments

  Gabriele Galimberti · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A '23)

  This doctoral consortium extended abstract outlines a research project investigating the factors that enable or hinder independent mobility for people with blindness or visual impairments (BVI), with a particular focus on the link between mobility autonomy and environmental…

  visual impairment · blind and low vision · independent living · public transportation · navigation

• UnlockedMaps: A Web-Based Map for Visualizing the Real-Time Accessibility of Urban Rail Transit Stations

  Ather Sharif, Aneesha Ramesh, Qianqian Yu, Trung-Anh H. Nguyen, Xuhai Xu · 2023 · Proceedings of the 20th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents UnlockedMaps, an open-data web-based map that visualizes the real-time elevator status of urban rail transit stations in six North American cities: Bay Area, Chicago, New York, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Toronto. The work addresses a critical gap in existing…

  transit accessibility · urban accessibility · open data · web-based maps · elevator outages

• Multimodal 3D printed urban maps for blind people. Evaluations and scientific investigations

  Malgorzata Telesinska · 2023 · ASSETS 2023: The 25th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This poster paper presents a multimodal 3D printed urban map prototype that embeds capacitive touch sensors directly into the map body to provide location-specific audio descriptions when touched. The research, conducted at Wroclaw University of Science and Technology in Poland,…

  tactile maps · 3D printing · blind and low vision · multimodal interaction · audio-tactile

• The Future of Urban Accessibility for People with Disabilities: Data Collection, Analytics, Policy, and Tools

  Jon E. Froehlich, Yochai Eisenberg, Maryam Hosseini, Fabio Miranda, Marc Adams, Anat Caspi, Holger Dieterich, Heather Feldner, Aldo Gonzalez, Claudina de Gyves, Joy Hammel, Reuben Kirkham, Melanie Kneisel, Delphine Labbé, Steve J. Mooney, Victor Pineda, Cláudia Fonseca Pinhão, Ana Rodríguez, Manaswi Saha, Michael Saugstad, Judy Shanley, Ather Sharif, Qing Shen, Cláudio Silva, Maarten Sukel, Eric K. Tokuda, Sebastian Felix Zappe, Anna Zivarts · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 22)

  This workshop paper frames urban accessibility as a "wicked problem" spanning transportation, urban planning, disability studies, public health, and human geography, and assembles a remarkably diverse team of 28 co-organizers from six countries across academia, government, NGOs,…

  urban accessibility · built environment · pedestrian infrastructure · sidewalk accessibility · data collection

• UnlockedMaps: Visualizing Real-Time Accessibility of Urban Rail Transit Using a Web-Based Map

  Ather Sharif, Aneesha Ramesh, Trung-Anh Nguyen, Luna Chen, Kent Richard Zeng, Lanqing Hou, Xuhai Xu · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents UnlockedMaps, an open-source web-based map that visualizes the real-time accessibility status of urban rail transit stations across six North American cities: New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle, and Toronto. The system…

  transit accessibility · elevator outages · web-based maps · open data · wheelchair accessibility

• Visualizing Urban Accessibility: Investigating Multi-Stakeholder Perspectives through a Map-based Design Probe Study

  Manaswi Saha, Siddhant Patil, Emily Cho, Evie Yu-Yen Cheng, Chris Horng, Devanshi Chauhan, Rachel Kangas, Richard McGovern, Anthony Li, Jeffrey Heer, Jon E. Froehlich · 2022 · Proceedings of the 2022 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '22)

  A design-probe interview study investigating how different stakeholders make sense of urban accessibility data through map visualizations. The authors built 24 map-based probes across seven map types — point, severity-weighted point, grid, heatmap, choropleth, street, and…

  accessible maps · spatial cognition · data visualization · geovisualization · sensemaking

• Accessibility and The Crowded Sidewalk: Micromobility's Impact on Public Space

  Cynthia L. Bennett, Emily Ackerman, Bonnie Fan, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Patrick Carrington, Sarah Fox · 2021 · ACM Designing Interactive Systems Conference

  This paper examines how micromobility devices — e-scooters, dockless bikes, and autonomous personal delivery devices (PDDs) — impact the accessibility of public sidewalks and pathways for people with disabilities. Drawing on 24 semi-structured interviews with government…

  micromobility · public space · disability activism · urban accessibility · e-scooters

• Deep Learning for Automatically Detecting Sidewalk Accessibility Problems Using Streetscape Imagery

  Galen Weld, Esther Jang, Anthony Li, Aileen Zeng, Kurtis Heimerl, Jon E. Froehlich · 2019 · Proceedings of the 21st International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2019)

  This paper presents the first application of deep learning to automatically assess sidewalk accessibility from Google Street View (GSV) panoramas, addressing four types of accessibility problems: curb ramps, missing curb ramps, sidewalk obstructions, and surface problems.…

  computer vision · deep learning · sidewalk accessibility · curb ramps · crowdsourcing

• Collaborative Accessibility Assessments by Senior Citizens Using Smartphone Application ReAcTS (Real-world Accessibility Transaction System)

  Takahiro Miura, Ken-ichiro Yabu, Ryogo Ogino, Atsushi Hiyama, Michitaka Hirose, Tohru Ifukube · 2018 · Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference (W4A 2018)

  This paper presents ReAcTS (Real-world Accessibility Transaction System), a smartphone application designed to enable senior citizen volunteers to collaboratively assess and share real-world physical accessibility conditions in their local communities. While accessibility…

  crowdsourcing · older adults · urban accessibility · accessibility mapping · volunteering

• Interactively Modeling and Visualizing Neighborhood Accessibility at Scale: An Initial Study of Washington DC

  Anthony Li, Manaswi Saha, Anupam Gupta, Jon E. Froehlich · 2018 · Proceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2018)

  This poster paper from the University of Maryland and University of Washington presents two prototype tools — AccessScore and AccessVisDC — for modeling and visualizing neighborhood-level physical accessibility for people with mobility impairments. The work addresses a critical…

  urban accessibility · wheelchair accessibility · walkability · data visualization · crowdsourcing

• Mind Your Crossings: Mining GIS Imagery for Crosswalk Localization

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Roberto Manduchi, James M. Coughlan, Sergio Mascetti · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents a computer vision system for automatically detecting and localizing zebra crosswalks in urban environments by mining existing geospatial image databases, specifically Google satellite imagery and Google Street View. The motivation is that blind pedestrians…

  visual impairment · orientation and mobility · computer vision · navigation · crowdsourcing

• A Pilot Deployment of an Online Tool for Large-Scale Virtual Auditing of Urban Accessibility

  Manaswi Saha, Kotaro Hara, Soheil Behnezhad, Anthony Li, Michael Saugstad, Hanuma Maddali, Sage Chen, Jon E. Froehlich · 2017 · Proceedings of the 19th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '17)

  This demonstration paper introduces Project Sidewalk, a web-based tool that enables anyone with an internet connection to remotely audit urban sidewalk accessibility by virtually walking through city streets using Google Street View. The tool addresses a significant gap in…

  crowdsourcing · urban accessibility · GIS · sidewalk accessibility · curb ramps

• Accessibility and Smart Data: the Case Study of mPASS

  Catia Prandi · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper presents mPASS (mobile Pervasive Accessibility Social Sensing), a research project from the University of Bologna that applies the concept of Smart Data to urban accessibility. The paper argues that while crowdsourcing and personal sensing generate…

  accessible maps · crowdsourcing · smart data · urban accessibility · user modeling

• Citizen Sensing for Collaborative Construction of Accessibility Maps

  Kelly Shigeno, Sergio Borger, Diego Gallo, Ricardo Herrmann, Mateus Molinaro, Carlos Cardonha, Fernando Koch, Priscilla Avegliano · 2013 · Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demo paper presents IBM Sidewalks, a mobile application developed by IBM Research Brazil that enables citizens to collaboratively report physical accessibility issues in urban environments through crowdsourcing. The application is part of IBM's broader Citizen Sensing…

  crowdsourcing · accessibility mapping · mobile application · physical accessibility · urban accessibility

• A Crowdsourcing Platform for the Construction of Accessibility Maps

  Carlos Cardonha, Diego Gallo, Priscilla Avegliano, Ricardo Herrmann, Fernando Koch, Sergio Borger · 2013 · Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This highly cited paper (69 citations) from IBM Research Brazil presents a comprehensive crowdsourcing platform for constructing outdoor accessibility maps through two complementary data collection approaches. The first, IBM Citizen Sensing, is an active reporting tool where…

  crowdsourcing · accessibility mapping · physical accessibility · urban accessibility · citizen sensing

• IncluCity: Using Contextual Cues to Raise Awareness on Environmental Accessibility

  Jorge Goncalves, Vassilis Kostakos, Simo Hosio, Evangelos Karapanos, Olga Lyra · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates whether contextual cues — specifically photographs and precise location information — can make accessibility awareness campaigns more effective at changing public attitudes toward disability and environmental barriers. Traditional campaigns often present…

  environmental accessibility · civic engagement · disability awareness · crowdsourcing · urban accessibility

• Autonomous Navigation through the City for the Blind

  Jaime Sánchez, Natalia de la Torre · 2010 · Proceedings of the 12th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2010)

  This paper presents a study on the use of an audio-based GPS navigation application designed to help blind people navigate independently through urban environments. The software, developed for PocketPC devices with Bluetooth GPS receivers, uses a clock metaphor to communicate…

  blind navigation · GPS · orientation and mobility · mobile technology · assistive technology

• RouteCheckr: Personalized Multicriteria Routing for Mobility Impaired Pedestrians

  Thorsten Völkel, Gerhard Weber · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents RouteCheckr, a client/server system for personalised pedestrian navigation that calculates routes optimised for multiple criteria relevant to mobility impaired users. The authors identify three key shortcomings of existing navigation systems: map data…

  navigation · wayfinding · wheelchair accessibility · visual impairment · mobility

21 results.