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• BentoMuseum: 3D and Layered Interactive Museum Map for Blind Visitors

  Shi-Jie Wang, Tao Yang, Jia-Le Gao, Zhi-Yuan Tang, Meng-Xi Chen, Cheng-Yue Jia, Yue-Han Wang, Jian Zhao, Wei Zeng · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper presents BentoMuseum, a novel 3D-printed interactive museum map system designed to help blind visitors independently explore and navigate museum spaces. The system addresses a significant gap in museum accessibility — while museums increasingly provide accommodations…

  tactile maps · blind users · 3D printing · museum accessibility · audio-tactile interaction

• Animations at Your Fingertips: Using a Refreshable Tactile Display to Convey Motion Graphics for People who are Blind or have Low Vision

  Leona Holloway, Swamy Ananthanarayan, Matthew Butler, Madhuka Thisuri De Silva, Kirsten Ellis, Cagatay Goncu, Kate Stephens, Kim Marriott · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper investigates the potential of refreshable tactile displays (RTDs) to convey animated graphics to people who are blind or have low vision — a capability that has been virtually impossible with traditional static tactile media. While tactile graphics produced on swell…

  tactile graphics · refreshable tactile display · blind users · low vision · animation

• Blind Users Accessing Their Training Images in Teachable Object Recognizers

  Jonggi Hong, Jaina Gandhi, Ernest Essuah Mensah, Farnaz Zamiri Azar, Kyungjun Lee, Hernisa Kacorri · 2022 · Proceedings of the 24th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '22)

  This paper introduces MYCam, an open-source iOS testbed application designed to help blind users build and improve personalized object recognizers. While teachable object recognizers allow users to train custom models by taking photos of objects they want to recognize, blind…

  teachable AI · object recognition · blind users · machine learning · camera interaction

• Understanding Screen-Reader Users' Experiences with Online Data Visualizations

  Ather Sharif, Sanjana Shivani Chintalapati, Jacob O. Wobbrock, Katharina Reinecke · 2021 · ASSETS '21: The 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  Data visualizations are ubiquitous on the web, communicating everything from health statistics to financial trends, yet their inherently visual nature creates profound barriers for the approximately 7.6 million screen-reader users in the United States. Sharif et al. conducted…

  screen readers · data visualization · web accessibility · blind users · low vision

• Understanding Screen Readers' Plugins

  Farhani Momotaz, Md Touhidul Islam, Md Ehtesham-Ul-Haque, Syed Masum Billah · 2021 · Proceedings of the 23rd International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents the first empirical study focused specifically on understanding the ecosystem of screen reader plugins — small pieces of code that extend screen reader functionality. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 14 blind screen reader users (ages…

  screen readers · plugins · blind users · assistive technology · NVDA

• Reviewing Speech Input with Audio: Differences between Blind and Sighted Users

  Jonggi Hong, Christine Vaing, Hernisa Kacorri, Leah Findlater · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates how blind users identify automatic speech recognition (ASR) errors when reviewing dictated text through audio only—a critical yet understudied aspect of speech-based text entry. While speech input is a primary interaction method for blind mobile users…

  speech recognition · ASR errors · screen readers · text entry · blind users

• Tactile Working Memory Capacity of Users Who Are Blind in an Electronic Travel Aid Application with a Vibration Belt

  Jan B. F. van Erp, Katja I. Paul, Tina Mioch · 2020 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper investigates the tactile working memory capacity of users who are blind when using a vibrotactile belt for electronic travel aid (ETA) applications. ETAs that display obstacle information through vibration belts require users to integrate multiple tactile cues over…

  electronic travel aids · vibrotactile feedback · working memory · tactile displays · navigation

• A Proposal to Adapt the Semiotic Inspection Method to Analyze Screen Reader Mediated Interaction

  Lucas Pedroso Carvalho, Raquel Oliveira Prates, André Pimenta Freire · 2019 · Proceedings of the 18th Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC 2019)

  This paper proposes SIM-SR (Semiotic Inspection Method for Screen Reader mediated interaction), an adaptation of the Semiotic Inspection Method (SIM) from Semiotic Engineering theory to evaluate how screen readers mediate the communication between designers and visually impaired…

  semiotic engineering · screen readers · communicability · blind users · low vision

• Crowdsourcing the Installation and Maintenance of Indoor Localization Infrastructure to Support Blind Navigation

  Cole Gleason, Dragan Ahmetovic, Saiph Savage, Carlos Toxtli, Carl Posthuma, Chieko Asakawa, Kris M. Kitani, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2018 · Proceedings of the ACM on Interactive, Mobile, Wearable and Ubiquitous Technologies (IMWUT)

  This paper introduces LuzDeploy, a physical crowdsourcing system that coordinates non-expert volunteers to install and maintain Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacon infrastructure for indoor navigation systems used by blind people. The central problem is that indoor navigation…

  indoor navigation · crowdsourcing · Bluetooth beacons · blind users · wayfinding

• Facade: Auto-generating Tactile Interfaces to Appliances

  Anhong Guo, Jeeeun Kim, Xiang "Anthony" Chen, Tom Yeh, Scott E. Hudson, Jennifer Mankoff, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2017 · Proceedings of the 2017 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2017)

  This paper introduces Facade, a crowdsourced fabrication pipeline that enables blind people to independently make flat-panel appliance interfaces accessible by generating 3D-printed tactile button overlays. The problem addressed is that modern appliances have shifted from…

  3D printing · tactile interface · blind users · crowdsourcing · fabrication

• "With most of it being pictures now, I rarely use it": Understanding Twitter's Evolving Accessibility to Blind Users

  Meredith Ringel Morris, Annuska Zolyomi, Catherine Yao, Sina Bahram, Jeffrey P. Bigham, Shaun K. Kane · 2016 · Proceedings of the 2016 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2016)

  This multi-method study examines how blind people use Twitter and the accessibility barriers they face as the platform shifts from text-based to increasingly image-heavy content. The researchers combined an online survey of 132 blind Twitter users, large-scale analysis of six…

  social media accessibility · blind users · alternative text · image description · Twitter

• VizLens: A Robust and Interactive Screen Reader for Interfaces in the Real World

  Anhong Guo, Xiang "Anthony" Chen, Haoran Qi, Samuel White, Suman Ghosh, Chieko Asakawa, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2016 · Proceedings of the 29th Annual Symposium on User Interface Software and Technology (UIST 2016)

  This paper introduces VizLens, a system that functions as a screen reader for physical interfaces in the real world, enabling blind people to independently use inaccessible appliances like microwaves, thermostats, kiosks, and checkout terminals. VizLens deeply integrates…

  visual accessibility · computer vision · crowdsourcing · blind users · physical interfaces

• Optimus Web: Selective Delivery of Desktop or Mobile Web Pages

  Nádia Fernandes, Tiago Guerreiro, Diogo Marques, Luís Carriço · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Optimus Web, a client-side web proxy system that automatically selects and delivers the most accessible version of a website — either its desktop or mobile representation — to blind users. The system uses QualWeb, an automated accessibility evaluator that…

  web accessibility · blind users · screen readers · mobile accessibility · automated testing

• What Not to Wearable: Using Participatory Workshops to Explore Wearable Device Form Factors for Blind Users

  Michele A. Williams, Erin Buehler, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper documents two participatory design workshops conducted with a team of eight visually impaired adults to explore features and form factors for a wearable navigation device. The research team met monthly over nine months as a "design team," with two sessions dedicated…

  wearable technology · participatory design · blind users · navigation · assistive technology

• Look Ma, No ARIA: Generic Accessible Interfaces for Web Widgets

  Valentyn Melnyk, Vikas Ashok, Yury Puzis, Yevgen Borodin, Andrii Soviak, I. V. Ramakrishnan · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper proposes an alternative approach to web widget accessibility that bypasses ARIA entirely. Rather than relying on web developers to correctly implement ARIA markup — which is often missing, incorrect, or inconsistent — the system automatically detects, classifies, and…

  widget accessibility · screen readers · WAI-ARIA · machine learning · web chat

• Capti-Speak: A Speech-Enabled Web Screen Reader

  Vikas Ashok, Yevgen Borodin, Yury Puzis, I. V. Ramakrishnan · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Capti-Speak, a speech-augmented screen reader for web browsing that allows blind users to combine natural language voice commands with traditional keyboard shortcuts. Built as an extension to the Capti Narrator screen reader, Capti-Speak addresses a…

  screen readers · speech recognition · voice interface · web accessibility · blind users

• RegionSpeak: Quick Comprehensive Spatial Descriptions of Complex Images for Blind Users

  Yu Zhong, Walter S. Lasecki, Erin Brady, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2015 · Proceedings of the 33rd Annual ACM Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI 2015)

  This paper introduces RegionSpeak, a mobile application that helps blind users get comprehensive spatial descriptions of complex visual scenes by combining image stitching with parallelized crowdsourced labeling. The authors identify a gap in existing visual question-answering…

  visual accessibility · crowdsourcing · image description · spatial awareness · blind users

• Are Users the Gold Standard for Accessibility Evaluation?

  Amaia Aizpurua, Myriam Arrue, Simon Harper, Markel Vigo · 2014 · Proceedings of the 11th Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper critically examines whether user testing with blind users is a reliable "gold standard" for web accessibility evaluation. Drawing on an exploratory study with 11 legally blind participants (10 JAWS users, 1 VoiceOver user, ages 21-64) who navigated four restaurant…

  user testing · accessibility evaluation · blind users · screen readers · research methodology

• Real Time Object Scanning Using a Mobile Phone and Cloud-based Visual Search Engine

  Yu Zhong, Pierre J. Garrigues, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2013)

  This paper presents Scan Search, an iPhone application that enables blind users to identify everyday objects in real time by continuously scanning with their phone camera rather than taking individual photos. The core challenge addressed is that blind people struggle with the…

  visual accessibility · object recognition · blind users · mobile accessibility · computer vision

• Investigating the Appropriateness of Social Network Question Asking as a Resource for Blind Users

  Erin L. Brady, Yu Zhong, Meredith Ringel Morris, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2013 · Proceedings of the 2013 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW 2013)

  This paper explores whether social networking sites (SNSs) are a viable alternative to paid crowdsourcing for answering blind users' visual questions. The research combines three methods: a survey of 191 blind adults about their social networking habits and attitudes toward…

  social media accessibility · blind users · crowdsourcing · friendsourcing · visual question answering

• Visual Challenges in the Everyday Lives of Blind People

  Erin Brady, Meredith Ringel Morris, Yu Zhong, Samuel White, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2013 · CHI '13: Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems

  This paper presents the findings of a year-long large-scale study of VizWiz Social, an iPhone application that allows blind users to take a photograph, record a spoken question about it, and receive answers from crowd workers or social contacts within about a minute. Between May…

  blind users · crowdsourcing · mobile accessibility · VizWiz · visual question answering

• Designing an Accessible Clothing Tag System for People with Vision Impairments

  Michele A. Williams, Kathryn Ringland, Amy Hurst · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper explores the design of accessible clothing identification systems for people with vision impairments. The authors note that many clothing characteristics — color, pattern, fabric type, care instructions — are inherently visual and therefore inaccessible. People…

  vision impairment · blind users · RFID · wearable technology · daily living

• Comparison of Reading Accuracy between Tactile Pie Charts and Tactile Band Charts

  Kosuke Araki, Tetsuya Watanabe · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper compares the accuracy and efficiency of reading tactile pie charts versus tactile band charts for determining proportional data through touch. The authors are developing software that automatically generates tactile charts from CSV data and needed to determine…

  tactile graphics · data visualization · blind users · braille · pie charts

• Uncovering the Role of Expectations on Perceived Web Accessibility

  Amaia Aizpurua, Myriam Arrue, Markel Vigo · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper investigates how user expectations shape the perception of web accessibility for blind users, arguing that guideline compliance alone does not guarantee a satisfying user experience. The authors note a key gap: prior research found that only 50.4% of problems…

  web accessibility · blind users · screen readers · user experience · perceived accessibility

• Auditory Displays for Accessible Fantasy Sports

  Jared M. Batterman, Jonathan H. Schuett, Bruce N. Walker · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper addresses the inaccessibility of online fantasy sports platforms for visually impaired users and presents an accessible fantasy football system built around auditory display techniques. Fantasy sports are a major social and recreational activity with over 32…

  auditory display · sonification · blind users · visual impairment · sports accessibility