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• SoundHapticVR: Head-Based Spatial Haptic Feedback for Accessible Sounds in Virtual Reality for Deaf and Hard of Hearing Users

  Pratheep Kumar Chelladurai, Ziming Li, Maximilian Weber, Tae Oh, Roshan L Peiris · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents SoundHapticVR, a head-based haptic feedback system that converts spatial audio cues in virtual reality into vibrotactile feedback for Deaf and Hard of Hearing (DHH) users. VR environments rely heavily on spatial audio to convey critical information — alerting…

  deaf and hard of hearing · haptics · virtual reality · sound localization · sensory substitution

• Dude, Where's My Luggage? An Autoethnographic Account of Airport Navigation by a Traveler with Residual Vision

  Cameron Tyler Cassidy, Stacy Marie Branham · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an autoethnographic study of airport navigation by a legally blind traveler with residual vision, conducted across eight round-trips through six U.S. airports. The first author, Cameron, who has Leber Hereditary Optic Neuropathy resulting in approximately…

  visual impairment · low vision · residual vision · indoor navigation · wayfinding

• Is it Part of Me? Exploring Experiences of Inclusive Avatar Use For Visible and Invisible Disabilities in Social VR

  Katrin Angerbauer, Phoenix Van Wagoner, Tim Halach, Jonas Vogelsang, Natalie Hube, Andria Smith, Ksenia Keplinger, Michael Sedlmair · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the lived experiences of people with disabilities (PWD) using inclusive avatars — avatars featuring disability signifiers — in the social VR platform VRChat. While prior research has documented accessibility barriers and harassment facing disabled users…

  virtual reality · avatars · invisible disability · visible disability · social VR

• "Slipping through the cracks": A Duoethnography of Web Accessibility

  Shira Abramovich, Elizabeth Patitsas · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This position paper uses duoethnography — a collaborative qualitative method where two researchers examine a shared topic through their contrasting personal experiences — to explore the practical labour of doing web accessibility work. The authors, Shira Abramovich (a…

  web accessibility · professional practice · accessibility management · organizational accessibility · qualitative research

• Misfitting With AI: How Blind People Verify and Contest AI Errors

  Rahaf Alharbi, Pa Lor, Jaylin Herskovitz, Sarita Schoenebeck, Robin N. Brewer · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents an in-depth qualitative study with 26 blind participants examining how they encounter, verify, and contest errors produced by AI-enabled visual assistance technologies (AI VAT) such as Seeing AI, Be My Eyes, and ChatGPT. While blind people increasingly rely…

  blind users · artificial intelligence · visual assistance technology · explainable AI · AI errors

• MAIDR Meets AI: Exploring Multimodal LLM-Based Data Visualization Interpretation by and with Blind and Low-Vision Users

  JooYoung Seo, Sanchita S. Kamath, Aziz Zeidieh, Saairam Venkatesh, Sean McCurry · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind and low-vision (BLV) users interact with large language models to interpret data visualizations, building on the authors' previously developed MAIDR (Multimodal Access and Interactive Data Representation) framework. MAIDR already provides…

  blind and low vision · data visualization · large language models · generative AI · sonification

• EditScribe: Non-Visual Image Editing with Natural Language Verification Loops

  Ruei-Che Chang, Yuxuan Liu, Lotus Zhang, Anhong Guo · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces EditScribe, a prototype system that makes image editing accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users through natural language interaction powered by large multimodal models (LMMs). Image editing is inherently visual and iterative — users need to see the…

  blind and low vision · image editing · generative AI · large multimodal models · natural language interaction

• Accessible Bus Stop Preview for Visually Impaired

  Mahmut Erdemli · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents research on creating an accessible bus stop preview system for visually impaired users, addressing a significant gap in public transportation accessibility. While navigation apps can guide visually impaired people to a bus stop's GPS coordinates, they provide…

  visual impairment · public transportation · outdoor navigation · bus stops · accessible maps

• An Ecosystem of Support: A U.S. State Government-Supported DIY-AT Program for Residents with Disabilities

  Erin Higgins, Marie E Sakowicz, Foad Hamidi · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper documents an Action Research study in which the authors collaborated with the Maryland Department of Disabilities (MDOD) to launch and study a state-level Do-It-Yourself Assistive Technology (DIY-AT) program. The program connected people with disabilities who needed…

  assistive technology · DIY · digital fabrication · 3D printing · makerspaces

• Co-Designing Programmable Fidgeting Experience with Swarm Robots for Adults with ADHD

  Samira Pulatova, Lawrence H Kim · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper explores how small tabletop swarm robots can provide customisable fidgeting experiences for adults with ADHD through co-design sessions with 16 diagnosed participants. Fidgeting — repetitive body movements or object manipulation — has been shown to benefit people with…

  ADHD · fidgeting · swarm robots · co-design · emotional regulation

• "Seven Stitches Later": A Technologically Interdependent Travel Experience From The Perspective Of A Visually Impaired Individual

  Aziz N Zeidieh · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This autoethnographic experience report presents a technologically interdependent travel framework developed from over ten years of first-hand travel experience by the author, a visually impaired individual. The paper's title references a real injury — seven stitches from…

  visual impairment · travel · navigation · orientation and mobility · autoethnography

• Help and The Social Construction of Access: A Case-Study from India

  Vaishnav Kameswaran, Jerry Robinson, Nithya Sambasivan, Gaurav Aggarwal, Meredith Ringel Morris · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper examines the role of help in how people with visual impairments (PVI) navigate indoor environments in India, challenging the Western-centric assumption that independence should be the primary goal of assistive technology design. Through a mixed-methods qualitative…

  visual impairment · indoor navigation · Global South · India · social accessibility

• Information Wayfinding of Screen Reader Users: Five Personas to Expand Conceptualizations of User Experiences

  J. Bern Jordan, Victoria Van Hyning, Mason A. Jones, Rachael Bradley Montgomery, Elizabeth Bottner, Evan Tansil · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents five user personas representing the diverse range of screen reader experiences, developed from observations across several studies with blind screen reader users. The authors challenge the common assumption in research and development that screen reader users…

  screen readers · blind users · personas · user experience · information wayfinding

• Development and Evaluation of the Mobile Tech Support Questionnaire for Older Adults

  Hasti Sharifi, Joseph E Michaelis, Debaleena Chattopadhyay · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper develops and validates the Mobile Tech Support Questionnaire (MTSQ), a standardised instrument for measuring older adults' preferences for and perceived quality of technology support during ongoing mobile device use. While mobile device ownership among older adults…

  older adults · mobile technology · tech support · questionnaire development · digital literacy

• SeaHare: An omnidirectional electric wheelchair integrating independent, remote and shared control modalities

  Giulia Barbareschi, Ando Ryoichi, Midori Kawaguchi, Minato Takeda, Kouta Minamizawa · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents SeaHare, an omnidirectional electric wheelchair that integrates three control paradigms — independent, remote, and shared — within a single platform, enabling direct comparison of how different control modes affect the experience of both wheelchair riders and…

  wheelchair · electric wheelchair · omnidirectional · shared control · remote control

• Designing Accessible Adaptations for an Electronic Toolkit with Blind and Low Vision Users

  Jacqueline Johnstone, Madhuka Nadeeshani, Hanmin Chen, Mohith Vemula, Erica J Tandori, Kate Stephens, Hashini Senaratne, Kirsten Ellis, Swamy Ananthanarayan · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents the co-design and evaluation of accessible adaptations to an existing modular electronic toolkit (Bricktronics) to make electronics learning accessible to blind and low vision (BLV) users. Computational and electronics toolkits are widely used in STEM…

  blind and low vision · electronics education · co-design · digital fabrication · 3D printing

• "I Try to Represent Myself as I Am": Self-Presentation Preferences of People with Invisible Disabilities through Embodied Social VR Avatars

  Ria J. Gualano, Lucy Jiang, Kexin Zhang, Tanisha Shende, Andrea Stevenson Won, Shiri Azenkot · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how people with invisible disabilities want to represent their disability identity through avatars in social virtual reality environments. While prior research has explored avatar-based disability disclosure for blind and d/Deaf users, invisible…

  invisible disability · virtual reality · avatars · self-presentation · disability disclosure

• Characterizing "Motor Ability" for Ability-Based Design

  Claire L. Mitchell, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper addresses a fundamental gap in ability-based design — a prominent accessibility framework proposed by Wobbrock et al. — by rigorously defining and operationalising the concept of "motor ability" that is central to the approach. Ability-based design shifts the focus…

  ability-based design · motor ability · accessibility framework · human motor control · adaptive interfaces

• SMART-TBI: Design and Evaluation of the Social Media Accessibility and Rehabilitation Toolkit for Users with Traumatic Brain Injury

  Yaxin Hu, Hajin Lim, Lisa Kakonge, Jade T. Mitchell, Hailey L. Johnson, Lyn S. Turkstra, Melissa C. Duff, Catalina L. Toma, Bilge Mutlu · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces SMART-TBI (Social Media Accessibility and Rehabilitation Toolkit), a browser extension designed to make Facebook more accessible for people with traumatic brain injury (TBI). TBI can cause a range of cognitive and communication challenges — including…

  traumatic brain injury · social media accessibility · cognitive accessibility · Facebook · AI-assisted communication

• Vision-Based Assistive Technologies for People with Cerebral Visual Impairment: A Review and Focus Study

  Bhanuka Gamage, Leona Holloway, Nicola McDowell, Thanh-Toan Do, Nicholas Price, Arthur Lowery, Kim Marriott · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper reveals a significant research gap in assistive technology for people with cerebral visual impairment (CVI) through a scoping review and focus studies. CVI is caused by damage to the brain's visual processing centres rather than the eyes themselves, making it…

  cerebral visual impairment · CVI · vision-based assistive technology · computer vision · augmented reality

• Design and Evaluation of an Automatic Text Simplification Prototype with Deaf and Hard-of-hearing Readers

  Oliver Alonzo, Sooyeon Lee, Akhter Al Amin, Mounica Maddela, Wei Xu, Matt Huenerfauth · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates the design preferences and interactions of Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing (DHH) readers with automatic text simplification (ATS) tools. Many DHH individuals who use sign language as their primary language experience English as a second language with different…

  deaf and hard of hearing · text simplification · reading accessibility · natural language processing · lexical simplification

• Uncovering the New Accessibility Crisis in Scholarly PDFs: Publishing Model and Platform Changes Contribute to Declining Scholarly Document Accessibility in the Last Decade

  Anukriti Kumar, Lucy Lu Wang · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents a large-scale analysis of 20,000 scholarly PDFs published between 2014 and 2023 to characterise the scope and trajectory of document accessibility in academic publishing. Most scholarly works are distributed as PDFs, a format that can present severe…

  PDF accessibility · scholarly publishing · document accessibility · screen readers · tagged PDF

• Understanding How Blind Users Handle Object Recognition Errors: Strategies and Challenges

  Jonggi Hong, Hernisa Kacorri · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how blind and low-vision users interact with object recognition systems, specifically focusing on how they identify and handle recognition errors. While object recognition technologies powered by computer vision and machine learning have enormous…

  blind users · object recognition · AI errors · computer vision · camera-based assistive technology

• TwIPS: A Large Language Model Powered Texting Application to Simplify Conversational Nuances for Autistic Users

  Rukhshan Haroon, Fahad Dogar · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents TwIPS, a prototype texting application powered by a large language model that assists autistic users with the pragmatic and tonal aspects of text-based communication. Many autistic individuals experience difficulties interpreting non-literal language…

  autism · communication · large language models · text messaging · tone interpretation

• Beadwork Bridge: Understanding and Exploring the Opportunities of Beadwork in Enriching School Education for Blind and Low Vision (BLV) People

  Shumeng Zhang, Weiyue Lin, Zisu Li, Ruiqi Jiang, Chen Liang, Mingming Fan, Raul Masu · 2024 · ASSETS '24: Proceedings of the 26th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper investigates how beadwork — the craft of creating patterns and objects by threading beads onto wire, string, or thread — serves as a rich educational tool for blind and low-vision (BLV) students, and explores what the HCI field can learn from these established…

  blind and low vision · education · beadwork · tactile learning · embodied cognition