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• Site-Wide Annotation: Reconstructing Existing Pages to Be Accessible

  Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa, Kentarou Fukuda, Junji Maeda · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from IBM Tokyo Research Laboratory presents a system for making inaccessible web pages accessible through external annotations, without modifying the original pages. The core problem is "page fragmentation" — on visually designed web pages, different types of content…

  web accessibility · web transcoding · web annotation · screen reader · blindness and low vision

• Zooming Interfaces! Enhancing the Performance of Eye Controlled Pointing Devices

  Richard Bates, Howell Istance · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from De Montfort University quantifies the performance problems of eye-based pointing on standard graphical user interfaces and demonstrates that adding a zoom facility dramatically improves usability. The researchers identified three fundamental challenges with…

  eye tracking · pointing devices · assistive technology · motor disability · zoom interface

• 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

• Speech-Based Cursor Control

  Azfar S. Karimullah, Andrew Sears · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from UMBC investigates the effectiveness of speech-based cursor control for navigating graphical user interfaces, comparing a standard cursor with a predictive cursor designed to compensate for speech recognition delays. While speech recognition is well-studied for…

  speech recognition · cursor control · motor disability · pointing devices · assistive technology

• An Invisible Keyguard

  Shari Trewin · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from IBM T.J. Watson Research Center presents OverlapKeys, a software-based alternative to physical keyguards that filters overlap typing errors — instances where two keys are pressed simultaneously when only one was intended. Overlap errors are common among keyboard…

  keyboard accessibility · motor disability · typing errors · input filtering · assistive technology

• Design and Implementation of Virtual Environments for Training of the Visually Impaired

  D. Tzovaras, G. Nikolakis, G. Fergadis, S. Malasiotis, M. Stavrakis · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper from the Informatics and Telematics Institute in Greece presents the ENORASI project, an EU-funded initiative to develop a haptic virtual reality training system for blind and visually impaired people. The system uses a CyberGrasp haptic glove — an exoskeletal device…

  haptic technology · virtual reality · blindness and low vision · training · orientation and mobility

• Ongoing Investigation of the Ways in Which Some of the Problems Encountered by Some Dyslexics Can Be Alleviated Using Computer Techniques

  Anna Dickinson, Peter Gregor, Alan F. Newell · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from the University of Dundee reports on the ongoing development and evaluation of SeeWord, a highly configurable word processing environment designed to alleviate visual difficulties experienced by dyslexic computer users. The authors adopt a pragmatic,…

  dyslexia · cognitive accessibility · visual stress · reading accessibility · user-centred design

• Planning, Reasoning, and Agents for Non-Visual Navigation of Tables and Frames

  Enrico Pontelli, Tran Cao Son · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from New Mexico State University extends previous work on a Domain Specific Language (DSL) for non-visual table navigation by reinterpreting it within the framework of formal action theory. The core problem addressed is that HTML tables and frames are inherently…

  table accessibility · screen readers · non-visual navigation · semantic navigation · artificial intelligence

• From Assistive Technology to a Web Accessibility Service

  Peter G. Fairweather, Vicki L. Hanson, Sam R. Detweiler, Richard S. Schwerdtfeger · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from IBM Research examines the challenge of making the increasingly complex World Wide Web accessible to people with sensory, cognitive, and motor disabilities. The authors argue that while evolving web architectures — moving from simple HTML pages to dynamically…

  web accessibility · assistive technology · adaptive interfaces · web services · proxy-based accessibility

• TESSA, a System to Aid Communication with Deaf People

  Stephen Cox, Michael Lincoln, Judy Tryggvason, Melanie Nakisa, Mark Wells, Marcus Tutt, Sanja Abbott · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes TESSA (Text and Sign Support Assistant), an experimental system developed collaboratively by the University of East Anglia, the Royal National Institute for Deaf People, and Televirtual Ltd. to facilitate communication between deaf customers and Post Office…

  deaf accessibility · sign language · British Sign Language · sign language avatar · speech recognition

• Navigation of HTML Tables, Frames, and XML Fragments

  Enrico Pontelli, Douglas Gillan, Weiqiang Xiong, Elham Saad, Gopal Gupta, Arthur I. Karshmer · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper provides a progress report on a multi-institution project developing technology to support non-visual navigation of complex HTML tables, frames, and XML structures. The authors identify tables, frames, and forms as the most difficult areas of web accessibility because…

  table accessibility · web accessibility · screen readers · non-visual navigation · semantic navigation

• Modeling Educational Software for People with Disabilities: Theory and Practice

  Nelson Baloian, Wolfram Luther, Jaime Sánchez · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper proposes a unified modelling framework for developing educational software for people with sensory disabilities, drawing on two existing systems as case studies: AudioDoom for blind children and Whisper for hearing-impaired users. The authors argue that interactive…

  accessible education · blind users · deaf users · sensory disabilities · audio games

• 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

• Multimodal Feedback: Establishing a Performance Baseline for Improved Access by Individuals with Visual Impairments

  Holly S. Vitense, Julie A. Jacko, V. Kathlene Emery · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This study investigates how different combinations of auditory, haptic, and visual feedback affect the performance of fully sighted users during a complex direct manipulation task. The researchers designed the study as a baseline from which to later compare the performance of…

  multimodal interaction · haptic feedback · auditory feedback · visual impairment · workload measurement

• Voice over Workplace (VoWP): Voice Navigation in a Complex Business GUI

  Frankie James, Jeff Roelands · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper explores the design of voice navigation interfaces for complex business GUIs, specifically SAP Workplace, to support physically disabled users who cannot use a mouse or keyboard. The authors conducted two user studies examining the fundamental trade-off in voice…

  voice interface · speech recognition · physical disability · GUI accessibility · navigation

• Speech Recognition in University Classrooms: Liberated Learning Project

  Keith Bain, Sara H. Basson, Mike Wald · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the Liberated Learning Project (LLP), an international applied research initiative studying whether speech recognition technology can successfully convert live university lectures into real-time text displays, serving as an alternative to traditional…

  speech recognition · higher education · deaf accessibility · real-time captioning · universal design

• HaWCoS: The "Hands-free" Wheelchair Control System

  Torsten Felzer, Bernd Freisleben · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper introduces HaWCoS (Hands-free Wheelchair Control System), a system that enables people with severe physical disabilities to control an electrically powered wheelchair using muscle contractions from any single muscle group in their body, without requiring the use of…

  electromyography · wheelchair control · physical disability · alternative input · assistive technology

• Auditory and Tactile Interfaces for Representing the Visual Effects on the Web

  Chieko Asakawa, Hironobu Takagi, Shuichi Ino, Tohru Ifukube · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from IBM Japan and Hokkaido University explores how blind users can perceive the visual structure and emphasis effects of web pages through auditory and tactile interfaces. The researchers identified a critical gap: modern web pages increasingly use visual effects…

  sonification · tactile interface · blindness · web accessibility · nonvisual interaction

• Sketching Images Eyes-Free: A Grid-Based Dynamic Drawing Tool for the Blind

  Hesham M. Kamel, James A. Landay · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper presents IC2D (Integrated Communication 2 Draw), a keyboard-operated drawing tool that enables blind users to create and explore graphical images using a grid-based auditory interface. The system divides the screen into a 3x3 grid mapped to the telephone keypad…

  blindness · drawing · graphics · auditory interface · grid-based interface

• Web Accessibility for Low Bandwidth Input

  Jennifer Mankoff, Anind Dey, Udit Batra, Melody Moore · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper addresses web accessibility for users with severe motor and speech impairments who can only produce one to four input signals when interacting with a computer — termed "low bandwidth" users. These include people with locked-in syndrome using neural control interfaces,…

  motor impairment · web accessibility · switch access · low bandwidth input · scanning

• Virtual Environments for Social Skills Training: The Importance of Scaffolding in Practice

  Steven J. Kerr, Helen R. Neale, Sue V. G. Cobb · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper describes the design and initial testing of two single-user virtual environment (VE) scenarios developed as part of the AS Interactive project, a multidisciplinary effort involving VR developers, psychologists, human factors researchers, and autism training…

  autism · virtual environment · social skills · scaffolding · education

• Improving the Accessibility of Aurally Rendered HTML Tables

  Robert Filepp, James Challenger, Daniela Rosu · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper from IBM's T.J. Watson Research Center proposes TTPML (Table To Prose Markup Language), an XML-compliant markup language designed to transform HTML tables into intelligible prose descriptions for blind and visually impaired users. The authors identify a fundamental…

  web accessibility · tables · aural rendering · screen reader · XML

• ICU-Talk, A Communication Aid for Intubated Intensive Care Patients

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

  This paper describes ICU-Talk, a computer-based communication aid developed specifically for intubated patients in hospital intensive care units (ICUs) who are temporarily unable to speak due to breathing tubes inserted through their mouth or throat. The three-year…

  augmentative and alternative communication · AAC · intensive care · intubation · hospital communication

• Older Adults' Evaluations of Speech Output

  Lorna Lines, Kate S. Hone · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper investigates older adults' subjective evaluations of different speech output voices in the context of an Intelligent Home System (IHS) designed to help older people live independently. Given that 66% of people with visual impairments in the UK are over 75, and that…

  speech output · older adults · aging · smart home · visual impairment

• Using Handhelds to Help People with Motor Impairments

  Brad A. Myers, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Sunny Yang, Brian Yeung, Jeffrey Nichols, Robert Miller · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '02)

  This paper presents the Pebbles project from Carnegie Mellon University, which developed software allowing handheld computers (Palm PDAs) to substitute for a PC's mouse and keyboard for people with muscular dystrophy and similar neuromuscular disorders. The key insight is that…

  motor disability · muscular dystrophy · alternative input · assistive technology · handheld devices