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• Accessible Touchscreen Technology for People with Visual Impairments: A Survey

  William Grussenmeyer, Eelke Folmer · 2017 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This comprehensive survey reviews the state of the art in touchscreen accessibility for people who are blind or have low vision, covering research from the mid-1990s through 2016. The authors organize the field by input modalities (gestural, voice, sensor-based) and output…

  touchscreen accessibility · mobile accessibility · visual impairment · screen readers · gestures

• Using Dynamic Audio Feedback to Support Peripersonal Reaching in Young Visually Impaired People

  Graham Wilson, Stephen A. Brewster · 2016 · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This paper investigates whether dynamic audio feedback — sound that changes based on the proximity between a reaching hand and target objects — can improve the accuracy of peripersonal reaching (reaching within arm's length) for blind and visually impaired young people.…

  blindness · visual impairment · sonification · spatial cognition · child development

• Tag Thunder: Towards Non-Visual Web Page Skimming

  Elena Manishina, Jean-Marc Lecarpentier, Fabrice Maurel, Stéphane Ferrari, Maxence Busson · 2016 · Proceedings of the 18th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS '16)

  This demonstration paper presents Tag Thunder, an audio equivalent of visual tag clouds designed to bring skimming capabilities to blind web users. When sighted people access a web page, they first skim the content — rapidly scanning layout, typography, and visual emphasis to…

  blindness · screen reader · web accessibility · speech · natural language processing

• Exploring Auditory Graphing Software in the Classroom: The Effect of Auditory Graphs on the Classroom Environment

  Brianna J. Tomlinson, Jared Batterman, Yee Chieh Chew, Ashley Henry, Bruce N. Walker · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study examines the real-world deployment of GNIE (Graph and Number line Input and Exploration), an auditory graphing software developed by Georgia Tech's Sonification Lab, in a middle school math classroom at the Georgia Academy for the Blind over two school years…

  auditory displays · sonification · STEM accessibility · educational technology · visual impairment

• Audio-Based Feedback Techniques for Teaching Touchscreen Gestures

  Uran Oh, Stacy Branham, Leah Findlater, Shaun K. Kane · 2015 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper proposes and evaluates two complementary audio-based techniques for teaching touchscreen gestures to blind and low-vision users: gesture sonification (mapping finger position to pitch and stereo panning to create an audio representation of the gesture) and corrective…

  visual impairment · touchscreen · gesture learning · sonification · audio feedback

• Accessible On-line Graphics

  Anuradha Madugalla · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This is an alternate ACM Digital Library entry (DOI: 10.1145/2745555.2746672) for the same paper also catalogued under DOI: 10.1145/2578726.2746672. Please see the full review under that DOI for complete summary, key findings, and relevance analysis. The paper proposes…

  blindness · tactile graphics · accessible graphics · floor plans · SVG

• Accessible On-line Graphics

  Anuradha Madugalla · 2015 · Proceedings of the 12th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes semi-automated methods for transcribing online graphics — particularly floor plans — into accessible formats for blind users. The research is motivated by the fundamental problem that screen readers and voice synthesisers can only process…

  blindness · tactile graphics · accessible graphics · floor plans · SVG

• Eyes-free Exploration of Shapes with Invisible Puzzle

  Andrea Gerino, Lorenzo Picinali, Cristian Bernareggi, Sergio Mascetti · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents Invisible Puzzle Game, an iPhone application that uses sonification techniques to enable people who are blind or visually impaired to explore shapes on touchscreen devices. Image exploration is fundamental for developing visuospatial skills and STEM…

  sonification · blindness · visual impairment · touchscreen · image exploration

• Using Dynamic Audio Feedback to Support Peripersonal Reaching in Visually Impaired People

  Graham Wilson, Stephen A. Brewster · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demonstration paper explores how dynamic audio feedback can help blind and visually impaired people locate and reach for objects in their immediate (peripersonal) space. The research addresses an important developmental challenge: blind children engage less with objects in…

  visual impairment · audio feedback · sonification · spatial awareness · child development

• Towards Large Scale Evaluation of Novel Sonification Techniques for Non Visual Shape Exploration

  Andrea Gerino, Lorenzo Picinali, Cristian Bernareggi, Nicolò Alabastro, Sergio Mascetti · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents six sonification techniques for exploring shapes on touchscreen devices and evaluates them through Invisible Puzzle, an iPhone application enabling large-scale unsupervised testing. The research addresses a critical need: people who are blind need access to…

  sonification · blindness · visual impairment · touchscreen · image exploration

• Nonvisual Access to an Interactive Electric Field Simulation: Work in Progress

  Clayton Lewis, Derek Riemer · 2015 · ASSETS '15: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This demonstration paper presents work-in-progress on making the PhET Project's Radiating Charge physics simulation accessible to blind users through audio representation. The PhET Project offers over 130 interactive science simulations downloaded more than 75 million times…

  blindness · sonification · STEM education · interactive simulation · inclusive design

• Exploring Interface Design for Independent Navigation by People with Visual Impairments

  Erin L. Brady, Daisuke Sato, Chengxiong Ruan, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2015 · ASSETS 2015: Proceedings of the 17th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This short poster paper from ASSETS 2015 explores how people with visual impairments respond to different navigation interface designs during in situ walking tasks. The authors observe that prior research has been limited in two ways: user studies of navigation applications are…

  visual impairment · blind navigation · non-visual navigation · wayfinding · wizard of oz

• Headlock: A Wearable Navigation Aid that Helps Blind Cane Users Traverse Large Open Spaces

  Alexander Fiannaca, Ilias Apostolopoulous, Eelke Folmer · 2014 · ASSETS '14: Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility

  This paper presents HEADLOCK, a navigation aid for optical head-mounted displays (OHMDs) like Google Glass that helps blind cane users traverse large open spaces—environments that are particularly challenging because they lack the tactile features (walls, corridors, floor…

  visual impairment · blindness · navigation · wayfinding · wearable technology

• Headlock: A Wearable Navigation Aid that Helps Blind Cane Users Traverse Large Open Spaces

  Alexander Fiannaca, Ilias Apostolopoulous, Eelke Folmer · 2014 · Proceedings of the 16th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers & Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This demo paper presents HEADLOCK, a navigation aid built for an optical head-mounted display (HMD) that helps blind cane users traverse large open spaces — environments like building foyers, plazas, and parking lots that lack the tactile boundaries (walls, curbs, fences) that…

  blind navigation · wearable technology · head-mounted display · computer vision · sonification

• A Mobile Interactive Maps Application for a Visually Impaired Audience

  Nikolaos Kaklanis, Konstantinos Votis, Dimitrios Tzovaras · 2013 · Proceedings of the 10th International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This demo paper presents "Open Touch/Sound Maps," an Android mobile application that makes interactive maps accessible to visually impaired and blind users through multimodal feedback. Web-based spatial information resources like OpenStreetMap are inherently visual, leaving…

  visual impairment · accessible maps · sonification · haptic feedback · mobile 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

• Follow That Sound: Using Sonification and Corrective Verbal Feedback to Teach Touchscreen Gestures

  Uran Oh, Shaun K. Kane, Leah Findlater · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper proposes and evaluates two techniques for teaching touchscreen gestures to users with visual impairments: gesture sonification (mapping finger position to audio using pitch for the y-axis and stereo panning for the x-axis) and corrective verbal feedback…

  touchscreen accessibility · sonification · gesture learning · blind users · visual impairment

• Do You See What I See? Designing a Sensory Substitution Device to Access Non-Verbal Modes of Communication

  M. Iftekhar Tanveer, A. S. M. Iftekhar Anam, Mohammed Yeasin, Majid Khan · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper presents iFEPS (improved Facial Expression Perception through Sound), a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device that enables blind users to perceive their conversation partner's facial expressions through audio feedback. Research suggests that 80% of…

  sensory substitution · blind users · facial expression · non-verbal communication · computer vision

• FEPS: A Sensory Substitution System for the Blind to Perceive Facial Expressions

  Md. Iftekhar Tanveer, A.S.M. Iftekhar Anam, A.K.M Mahbubur Rahman, Sreya Ghosh, Mohammed Yeasin · 2012 · Proceedings of the 14th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2012)

  This demonstration paper presents FEPS (Facial Expression Perception through Sound), a visual-to-auditory sensory substitution system that enables blind individuals to perceive their conversation partner's facial expressions through sound. The inability to perceive facial…

  visual impairment · blind users · sensory substitution · sonification · facial expression recognition

• HapticRiaMaps: Towards Interactive Exploration of Web World Maps for the Visually Impaired

  Nikolaos Kaklanis, Konstantinos Votis, Panagiotis Moschonas, Dimitrios Tzovaras · 2011 · Proceedings of the International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents HapticRiaMaps, a free open-source web application from the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH) in Greece that makes online 2D maps accessible to visually impaired users through haptic force feedback and audio sonification. The system retrieves…

  blind and low vision · haptic technology · accessible maps · sonification · multimodal interaction

• Spindex (Speech Index) Improves Auditory Menu Acceptance and Navigation Performance

  Myounghoon Jeon, Bruce N. Walker · 2011 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This paper introduces the "spindex" (speech index), a novel auditory cue designed to improve navigation through spoken menus on mobile devices. The spindex works by pronouncing the first letter of each menu item before the full text-to-speech (TTS) rendering—analogous to the…

  auditory interfaces · mobile accessibility · text-to-speech · screen readers · user interface design

• Annotation-based Video Enrichment for Blind People: A Pilot Study on the Use of Earcons and Speech Synthesis

  Benoît Encelle, Magali Ollagnier-Beldame, Stéphanie Pouchot, Yannick Prié · 2011 · Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This paper presents exploratory work from the ACAV (Collaborative Annotation for Video Accessibility) project, investigating how combining earcons (nonverbal audio messages) with speech synthesis can improve video accessibility for blind people. Traditional audio description has…

  video accessibility · blindness · audio description · earcons · speech technology

• Toward 3D Scene Understanding via Audio-description: Kinect-iPad Fusion for the Visually Impaired

  Juan Diego Gomez, Sinan Mohammed, Guido Bologna, Thierry Pun · 2011 · Proceedings of the 13th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2011)

  This demonstration paper presents a computer-vision-based framework that combines a Microsoft Kinect 3D depth sensor with an iPad touchscreen to enable visually impaired users to understand the spatial layout of indoor scenes through audio. The system works in several stages:…

  sonification · visual substitution · Kinect · computer vision · blindness

• On the Audio Representation of Radial Direction

  Susumu Harada, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2011 · Proceedings of the SIGCHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '11)

  This paper proposes a new primitive for auditory displays — radial direction — and evaluates a concrete mapping of vowel-like sounds to eight cardinal and ordinal directions. The authors observe that almost all prior sonification work has mapped data to linear sound properties…

  sonification · auditory display · auditory interface · non-visual interaction · eyes-free interaction

• Universal Design of Auditory Graphs: A Comparison of Sonification Mappings for Visually Impaired and Sighted Listeners

  Bruce N. Walker, Lisa M. Mauney · 2010 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing

  This study investigates whether auditory graphs—using sound to represent data for people who cannot see visual graphs—can be designed universally for both sighted and visually impaired users, or whether different sonification mappings are needed for different populations. Most…

  sonification · auditory display · data visualization · blind users · visual impairment