Reviews

Search results

• Early Diagnosis of Autism through Analysis of Pre-Speech Vocalizations

  Keshi Dai · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper proposes an approach for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) by computationally analyzing the pre-speech vocalizations of infants aged 6 to 18 months. The author notes that while autism can be reliably diagnosed by age 3, and potentially as early as 12…

  autism spectrum disorder · early diagnosis · speech recognition · pre-speech vocalization · early intervention

• Simulating HCI for Special Needs

  Pradipta Biswas · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper describes the development of a simulator designed to model human-computer interaction for users with physical disabilities, addressing a significant gap in HCI research. The author argues that existing HCI models such as the GOMS family (KLM, CMN-GOMS, CPM-GOMS) and…

  human-computer interaction · motor impairment · user modeling · simulation · assistive interface

• Encouraging Speech and Vocalization in Children with Autistic Spectrum Disorder

  Joshua Hailpern · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper reviews existing HCI research on autism spectrum disorder and proposes a new direction: using technology to encourage speech and vocalization in children with ASD who have not acquired spoken language. The author identifies a gap in the field — while HCI researchers…

  autism spectrum disorder · speech disorder · vocalization · visual feedback · auditory feedback

• Enhancing Accessibility through Correction of Speech Recognition Errors

  John-Mark Bell · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper investigates methods for automatically correcting errors in speech recognition-generated captions of university lectures, aiming to improve accessibility for hearing-impaired students. The author notes that while ASR-based captioning can make lectures accessible by…

  automatic speech recognition · captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · higher education · natural language processing

• Online Support Communities for Older People: Investigating Network Patterns and Characteristics of Social Support

  Ulrike Pfeil · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper describes a PhD research programme investigating how older people exchange social support in online communities, using SeniorNet's depression discussion board as the primary study site. The author argues that while much accessibility work has focused on making web…

  aging · social accessibility · online community · social support · social network analysis

• Increasing the Accessibility of Pen-Based Technology: An Investigation of Age-Related Target Acquisition Difficulties

  Karyn Moffatt · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper describes dissertation research on improving the accessibility of pen-based devices (PDAs, Tablet PCs) for older adults by identifying and addressing the root causes of target acquisition difficulty. The author argues that previous research on target acquisition…

  aging · motor accessibility · input device · interaction design · target acquisition

• Accessmonkey: Enabling and Sharing End User Accessibility Improvements

  Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper proposes the Accessmonkey Framework, a collaborative platform for creating, sharing, and applying user-generated web accessibility improvements. The system addresses the reality that blind users frequently encounter inaccessible web content — information encoded…

  web accessibility · screen reader · browser extension · crowdsourcing · user scripting

• Using Networked Multimedia to Improve Educational Access for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Students

  Anna C. Cavender · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper proposes a networked multimedia platform to address the specific challenges deaf and hard of hearing students face in mainstream university classrooms. The author identifies three core problems. First, isolation: as more deaf students enter mainstream universities,…

  deaf and hard of hearing · higher education · sign language · captioning · remote interpreting

• Improving the Efficacy of Automated Sign Language Practice Tools

  Helene Brashear · 2007 · SIGACCESS Accessibility and Computing

  This paper describes dissertation research on improving automatic sign language recognition for CopyCat, an interactive computer game that helps young deaf children practice American Sign Language (ASL). The work addresses a critical need: 90% of deaf children are born to…

  sign language · sign language detection · gesture-based interaction · computer vision · machine learning

• Quantitative Metrics for Measuring Web Accessibility

  Markel Vigo, Myriam Arrue, Giorgio Brajnik, Raffaella Lomuscio, Julio Abascal · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper addresses a fundamental limitation of WCAG conformance levels (A, AA, AAA): they function as binary pass/fail thresholds that cannot distinguish between a site meeting all Priority 1 checkpoints and one meeting all Priority 1 plus nearly all Priority 2 checkpoints —…

  accessibility metrics · automated testing · accessibility evaluation · quality assurance · web accessibility monitoring

• Profiling Learners with Special Needs for Custom E-Learning Experiences, a Closed Case?

  Paola Salomoni, Silvia Mirri, Stefano Ferretti, Marco Roccetti · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Bologna tackles the problem of creating comprehensive learner profiles that capture both user accessibility needs and device capabilities — two dimensions that existing standards addressed separately but not together. The authors argue that no…

  e-learning · user profiling · content adaptation · assistive technology · device capabilities

• Accessmonkey: A Collaborative Scripting Framework for Web Users and Developers

  Jeffrey P. Bigham, Richard E. Ladner · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper introduces Accessmonkey, a JavaScript-based scripting framework that enables web users, developers, and researchers to collaboratively improve web accessibility through client-side page modifications. Built as an extension of the Greasemonkey Firefox extension…

  web accessibility · web transcoding · browser extensions · JavaScript · collaborative accessibility

• Personalization of User Interfaces for Browsing XML Content Using Transformations Built on End-User Requirements

  Benoît Encelle, Nadine Baptiste-Jessel · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from IRIT at the University Paul Sabatier in Toulouse presents a model for generating personalized multimodal user interfaces for browsing XML content, driven by end-user requirements rather than developer-imposed defaults. The authors identify a core accessibility…

  personalization · multimodal interaction · user profiles · content adaptation · XML

• Web Browser Accessibility Using Open Source Software

  Željko Obrenović, Jacco van Ossenbruggen · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents AMICO:WEB, a middleware infrastructure designed to integrate open source and free software components into mainstream web browsers to improve accessibility. The authors from CWI Amsterdam identify a core problem: while the open source community has produced…

  open source · middleware · multimodal interaction · browser extensions · assistive technology

• A Preliminary Usability Evaluation of Strategies for Seeking Online Information with Elderly People

  Sergio Sayago, Josep Blat · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper from Pompeu Fabra University Barcelona presents an experimental study comparing how seven elderly participants (ages 65-74) performed using three strategies for finding complex information online: Google basic search, Google advanced search, and the Yahoo!…

  aging · usability · information seeking · search engines · mouse difficulties

• Experimental Evaluation of Usability and Accessibility of Heading Elements

  Takayuki Watanabe · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This study by Takayuki Watanabe of Tokyo Woman's Christian University provides empirical evidence for something the accessibility community has long advocated: that proper semantic markup of heading elements (h1-h6) significantly improves both usability and accessibility. The…

  semantic HTML · heading elements · screen readers · usability testing · blindness

• A Web Accessibility Report Card for Top International University Web Sites

  Shaun K. Kane, Jessie A. Shulman, Timothy J. Shockley, Richard E. Ladner · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of Washington presents a comprehensive multi-method accessibility evaluation of the home pages of the top 100 international universities as ranked by the Times Higher Education Supplement 2006 World University Rankings. The study combined four…

  web accessibility · education · accessibility testing · WCAG compliance · automated testing

• Semantic Web: The Story So Far

  Ian Horrocks · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This W4A 2007 keynote paper by Ian Horrocks of the University of Manchester provides an overview of the Semantic Web vision and the progress made toward realizing it, with particular focus on the Web Ontology Language (OWL). The paper opens by identifying fundamental limitations…

  semantic web · ontology · OWL · knowledge representation · web standards

• Ajax Live Regions: Chat as a Case Example

  Peter Thiessen, Charles Chen · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents one of the earliest practical implementations of WAI-ARIA live regions, using an accessible Ajax chat application called Reef Chat as a proof of concept. The authors — Peter Thiessen from the University of Toronto's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre and…

  WAI-ARIA · ARIA live regions · AJAX · Web 2.0 · screen readers

• The National Accessibility Portal: An Accessible Information Sharing Portal for the South African Disability Sector

  L. Coetzee, N. Govender, I. Viviers · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Pretoria describes the development of South Africa's National Accessibility Portal (NAP), a five-year research and development initiative led by the Meraka Institute in partnership with Disabled…

  global accessibility · digital divide · multilingual accessibility · developing countries · information sharing

• Accessibility of Emerging Rich Web Technologies: Web 2.0 and the Semantic Web

  Michael Cooper · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Michael Cooper of the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative examines the accessibility challenges and opportunities created by the emergence of Web 2.0 technologies in the mid-2000s. Cooper frames Web 2.0 as a paradigm shift characterised by greater…

  WAI-ARIA · Web 2.0 · Semantic Web · rich internet applications · web standards

• Leveraging Rich Accessible Documents on the Web

  Rui Lopes, Luís Carriço · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper by Lopes and Carriço from the University of Lisbon presents a framework for producing rich accessible documents on the web that goes beyond the common approach of providing simplified alternate versions for disabled users. The authors argue that accessibility in 2007…

  document accessibility · content adaptation · user modeling · profile modeling · multimodal interaction

• Web 2.0: Hype or Happiness?

  Mary Zajicek · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Mary Zajicek of Oxford Brookes University takes a deliberately broad, holistic view of Web 2.0 accessibility, arguing that physical access to web content is only the starting point. Zajicek defines accessibility along three dimensions: the ability to access…

  Web 2.0 · digital inclusion · older adults · visual impairment · digital divide

• Enabling an Accessible Web 2.0

  Becky Gibson · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A 2007)

  This keynote paper from IBM's Becky Gibson examines the accessibility challenges created by the emergence of Web 2.0 and the technologies being developed to address them. Written at a pivotal moment in web history, the paper describes how the shift from static HTML pages to…

  ARIA · Web 2.0 · JavaScript · DHTML · accessibility APIs

• Accessibility in Non-Professional Web Authoring Tools: A Missed Web 2.0 Opportunity?

  Christopher Power, Helen Petrie · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from the University of York evaluates the accessibility of Apple's iWeb, a non-professional web authoring tool representative of a new generation of Web 2.0 design applications aimed at non-technical users creating personal websites, blogs, and photo albums. The…

  web accessibility · authoring tools · WCAG compliance · Web 2.0 · semantic HTML