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• Evaluation of DysWebxia: A Reading App Designed for People with Dyslexia

  Luz Rello, Ricardo Baeza-Yates · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the evaluation of DysWebxia, an iOS reading application specifically designed for people with dyslexia. The app integrates evidence-based text presentation features known to improve reading performance for people with dyslexia — including customizable font…

  dyslexia · reading accessibility · text simplification · lexical simplification · mobile accessibility

• Exploratory study of web navigation strategies for users with physical disabilities

  J. Eduardo Pérez, Myriam Arrue, Xabier Valencia, Lourdes Moreno · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This exploratory study examined the web navigation strategies of 11 users with upper-body physical impairments, revealing substantial heterogeneity in how people with similar disability types interact with websites. Participants used a wide range of assistive input devices…

  motor accessibility · physical disability · assistive technology · web navigation · input devices

• Marker-based image recognition of dynamic content for the visually impaired

  Andréa Britto Mattos, Carlos Cardonha, Diego Gallo, Priscilla Avegliano, Ricardo Herrmann, Sergio Borger · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from IBM Research Brazil introduces a marker-based image recognition technique to help visually impaired people access information displayed on public panels and boards with fixed layouts but dynamic content — such as vending machines, split-flap airport displays,…

  computer vision · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · object recognition · situational disability

• JustSpeak: enabling universal voice control on Android

  Yu Zhong, T. V. Raman, Casey Burkhardt, Fadi Biadsy, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper introduces JustSpeak, a universal voice control system for Android that works across all applications without requiring any developer intervention. Unlike Google Now or Siri, which only support pre-defined commands for specific apps, JustSpeak dynamically constructs…

  voice interface · mobile accessibility · blindness · motor accessibility · Android

• APSIS4all: Personalisation as a Strategy to Ensure Accessibility and Enhance User Experience of Public Digital Terminals

  R. Ignacio Madrid, Christopher Bailey · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the APSIS4all project, a European Commission-funded initiative that uses personalisation to make Public Digital Terminals (PDTs) — specifically ATMs and Ticket Vending Machines (TVMs) — accessible to people with disabilities, older adults, and those less…

  kiosk accessibility · personalization · public digital terminals · ATM accessibility · user experience

• Listen to Everything You Want to Read with Capti Narrator

  Yevgen Borodin, Yuri Puzis, Andrii Soviak, James Bouker, Bo Feng, Richard Sicoli, Andrii Melnyk, Valentyn Melnyk, Vikas Ashok, Glenn Dausch, I.V. Ramakrishnan · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Capti Narrator, a cross-platform text-to-speech application developed by Charmtech Labs that enables hands-free consumption of digital content. Unlike traditional screen readers that are tightly coupled to operating system interfaces, Capti is designed as a…

  text-to-speech · print disability · screen reader · mobile accessibility · universal access

• Can a Blind Person Understand Your World?

  Chieko Asakawa · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This keynote paper by Chieko Asakawa of IBM Research presents a vision for the next frontier of accessibility for blind people: moving from digital information access to real-world understanding through cognitive computing. Asakawa charts the exponential growth of accessible…

  blindness · cognitive assistance · image recognition · computer vision · machine learning

• Predictive, Accessible Web Automation: A Longitudinal Study

  Yury Puzis, Yevgen Borodin, I.V. Ramakrishnan · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents a six-week longitudinal pilot study of Automation Assistant, a predictive web automation system designed to improve non-visual web browsing for blind users. The core problem is that screen readers force users to navigate web pages sequentially — a…

  screen readers · web automation · blindness · non-visual web access · adaptive interfaces

• Widget Design Authoring Toolkit

  Elaine Pearson, Franck-Olivier Perrin · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents WIDGaT (Widget Design and Authoring Toolkit), an open-source, code-free online tool that enables non-technical teaching and support staff to create personalised widgets for disabled students in higher education. The project, developed at Teesside University's…

  education accessibility · personalization · authoring tools · learning disabilities · assistive technology

• Accessing Peer Social Interaction: Using Authorable Virtual Peer Technology as a Component of a Group Social Skills Intervention Program

  Andrea Tartaro, Justine Cassell, Courtney Ratz, Jennifer Lira, Valeria Nanclares-Nogués · 2014 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper evaluates the Authorable Virtual Peer (AVP), a life-sized animated character technology designed to support social skills development in children with autism spectrum disorders. The AVP differs from other virtual agent approaches by offering three modes of…

  autism · social skills · virtual peer · social communication · assistive technology

• Automatic Task Assistance for People with Cognitive Disabilities in Brushing Teeth - A User Study with the TEBRA System

  Christian Peters, Thomas Hermann, Sven Wachsmuth, Jesse Hoey · 2014 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper presents TEBRA (TEeth BRushing Assistance), an Assistive Technology for Cognition (ATC) system that supports people with moderate cognitive disabilities in brushing their teeth independently. The research addresses a fundamental challenge: people with cognitive…

  cognitive disability · assistive technology · activities of daily living · dementia · intellectual disability

• Text Entry by Raising the Eyebrow with HaMCoS

  Torsten Felzer, Stephan Rinderknecht · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demo paper presents HaMCoS (HAnds-free Mouse COntrol System), a system that enables text entry for people with very severe physical disabilities using tiny contractions of the brow muscle. The system targets users in a "locked-in" state, where communication with the outside…

  assistive technology · text entry · switch access · motor impairments · mouse emulation

• VisAural: A Wearable Sound-Localisation Device for People with Impaired Hearing

  Benjamin M. Gorman · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents VisAural, a wearable device that converts sound direction information into visual cues for people with hearing impairments. The system addresses a gap left by conventional hearing aids, which help with general sound detection but do not preserve spatial…

  hearing impairments · wearable technology · sound localisation · sensory substitution · assistive technology

• Tactile Graphics with a Voice: Using QR Codes to Access Text in Tactile Graphics

  Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that makes text labels in tactile graphics accessible by replacing Braille labels with QR codes that can be scanned and read aloud using a smartphone. The motivation is significant: while tactile graphics are…

  visual impairment · blindness · tactile graphics · QR codes · Braille

• Text Entry via Discrete and Analog Myoelectric Signals

  Adam J. Sporka, Antonín Posusta, Ondrej Poláček, Tomáš Flek, Jakub Otáhal · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demo paper presents a prototype system for text entry using surface electromyography (sEMG) signals detected from muscles in the user's forearm. The system is intended for people with upper extremity disabilities who retain the ability to control their forearm muscles.…

  assistive technology · text entry · electromyography · biosignals · motor impairments

• OS-Level Surface Haptics for Touch-Screen Accessibility

  Suhong Jin, Joe Mullenbach, Craig Shultz, J. Edward Colgate, Anne Marie Piper · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demonstration paper introduces an operating system-level implementation of surface haptic feedback for Android tablets, built on the TPad Tablet platform developed at Northwestern University. The TPad combines a standard 7-inch Android tablet with a variable friction haptic…

  haptic feedback · touchscreen accessibility · surface haptics · variable friction · assistive technology

• AccessBraille: Tablet-based Braille Entry

  Stephanie Ludi, Michael Timbrook, Piper Chester · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents AccessBraille, an iOS framework that provides a virtual Braille keyboard for iPad applications. The system is designed as a reusable framework that any iOS developer can integrate into their apps, rather than being a standalone application. The…

  braille · tablet · iOS accessibility · text entry · blindness

• Text Entry Using a Compact Keypad with OSDS

  Torsten Felzer, Stephan Rinderknecht · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents OSDS (OnScreenDualScribe), a Windows software tool that enables people with neuromuscular diseases to replace a standard full-size keyboard with a compact 19-key numeric keypad called the DualPad. For people with conditions that cause motor impairment,…

  text entry · alternative input · keyboard replacement · neuromuscular disease · motor disability

• The Gest-Rest: A Pressure-Sensitive Chairable Input Pad for Power Wheelchair Armrests

  Patrick Carrington, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper introduces the Gest-Rest, a pressure-sensitive input device designed to fit over a standard power wheelchair armrest, enabling users to perform touch and gesture interactions without needing to reach for or hold a separate device. The concept builds on the authors'…

  wheelchair accessibility · alternative input · gesture interaction · motor disability · pressure input

• KeyGlasses: Semi-transparent Keys on Soft Keyboard

  Mathieu Raynal · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents KeyGlass, a text entry system designed to reduce pointer travel distance on soft (on-screen) keyboards by dynamically adding predicted character keys near the most recently typed character. Standard soft keyboards use QWERTY or AZERTY layouts familiar from…

  text entry · soft keyboard · character prediction · motor accessibility · input methods

• Explorations on Breathing Based Text Input for Mobile Devices

  Jackson F. Filho, Thiago Valle, Wilson Prata · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents progress on PuffText, a breathing-based text input system for mobile phones designed for people with motor disabilities who cannot handle a mobile device manually. The system uses the phone's built-in microphone to detect "puffs" of breath, which serve as the…

  text entry · alternative input · motor disability · sip-and-puff · mobile accessibility

• Phoneme-based Predictive Text Entry Interface

  Ha Trinh, Annalu Waller, Keith Vertanen, Per Ola Kristensson, Vicki L. Hanson · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents iSCAN-2, an iPad application that enables nonspeaking individuals to enter text by selecting phonemes (speech sounds) rather than spelling words with letters. People with severe speech impairments often face challenges in literacy acquisition, making…

  AAC · text entry · phoneme · speech impairment · word prediction

• Text Entry Using Single-Channel Analog Puff Input

  Adam J. Sporka · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This short demonstration paper presents a prototype text entry system that repurposes a single-channel analog puff input device — specifically the AKAI EWI USB, a MIDI controller designed for woodwind instrument emulation — as an assistive technology for people with motor…

  sip-and-puff · text entry · assistive technology · motor disabilities · alternative input

• Speech Dasher: A Demonstration of Text Input using Speech and Approximate Pointing

  Keith Vertanen, David J.C. MacKay · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper demonstrates Speech Dasher, a multimodal text entry system that combines speech recognition with the Dasher zooming interface to enable fast, corrected text input using only voice and gaze direction. The core problem addressed is that while speech dictation is fast,…

  speech recognition · eye tracking · gaze input · text entry · error correction

• Path-Guided Indoor Navigation for the Visually Impaired Using Minimal Building Retrofitting

  Dhruv Jain · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS 2014)

  This paper presents the design and evaluation of a cellphone-based indoor navigation system that provides step-by-step path guidance for visually impaired users in unfamiliar buildings with minimal infrastructure requirements. The system combines infrared (IR) beacons mounted at…

  indoor navigation · visual impairment · wayfinding · assistive technology · infrared