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• 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

• VBGhost: A Braille-Based Educational Smartphone Game for Children

  Lauren R. Milne, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper presents VBGhost, an accessible educational smartphone game for blind and low vision children that reinforces Braille literacy through gameplay. The game is based on Ghost, a word-building game where players take turns adding letters to a growing word fragment…

  braille · mobile accessibility · game accessibility · blind children · education

• How Accessible is the Process of Web Interface Design?

  Kirk Norman, Yevgeniy Arber, Ravi Kuber · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper investigates the accessibility challenges faced by blind web interface developers through interviews with six legally blind participants (all male, aged 29-48) who had experience building websites and online applications. Five used JAWS as their primary screen…

  blind developers · web development · screen readers · programming accessibility · JAWS

• Optimization of Switch Keyboards

  Xiao (Cosmo) Zhang, Kan Fang, Gregory Francis · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper presents a method for optimizing the character layout of switch keyboards used by people with severe motor control difficulties, including those with locked-in syndrome resulting from spinal cord or brain injury. Switch keyboards work by scanning a cursor across…

  switch access · text entry · motor disability · locked-in syndrome · keyboard optimization

• Visual Complexity, Player Experience, Performance and Physical Exertion in Motion-Based Games for Older Adults

  Jan Smeddinck, Kathrin M. Gerling, Saranat Tiemkeo · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper investigates how visual complexity (graphical fidelity) affects player experience, in-game performance, and physical exertion in motion-based games designed for older adults. The study is motivated by the growing use of kinesiatric serious games (KSGs) in physical…

  game accessibility · older adults · aging · visual complexity · serious games

• What Health Topics Older Adults Want to Track: A Participatory Design Study

  Jennifer L. Davidson, Carlos Jensen · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper presents a participatory design study investigating what health topics older adults (aged 65+) want to track using mobile health (mHealth) applications. The authors argue that most mHealth app developers fail to conduct needs assessments with older adult end users,…

  older adults · aging · participatory design · mHealth · mobile 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

• Touchplates: Low-Cost Tactile Overlays for Visually Impaired Touch Screen Users

  Shaun K. Kane, Meredith Ringel Morris, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper introduces touchplates — inexpensive, unpowered, customizable tactile overlays that can be placed on touch screens to provide physical guides and tactile feedback for blind and visually impaired users. Unlike prior approaches that either offered limited functionality…

  touchscreen accessibility · tactile feedback · blind users · visual impairment · tangible interaction

• UbiBraille: Designing and Evaluating a Vibrotactile Braille-Reading Device

  Hugo Nicolau, João Guerreiro, Tiago Guerreiro, Luís Carriço · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This paper presents UbiBraille, a wearable vibrotactile device that enables blind users to read textual information privately and inconspicuously by leveraging their existing knowledge of Braille. The device consists of six small vibration motors attached to adjustable aluminum…

  braille · vibrotactile · wearable technology · blind users · haptic feedback

• 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

• Crowd Caption Correction (CCC)

  Rebecca Perkins Harrington, Gregg C. Vanderheiden · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '13)

  This short paper presents Crowd Caption Correction (CCC), a feature that allows meeting participants or authorized third parties to correct errors in real-time captions during telecollaboration sessions. Captions are critical for deaf and hard of hearing people to participate in…

  captioning · deaf and hard of hearing · crowdsourcing · telecollaboration · real-time captioning

• Safe Walking Technology for People with Dementia: What Do They Want?

  Kristine Holbø, Silje Bøthun, Yngve Dahl · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates how safe walking technology can be designed to meet the actual needs and preferences of people with dementia, rather than imposing surveillance-based solutions on them. The researchers worked with three people with early-stage dementia and their family…

  dementia · participatory design · assistive technology · GPS tracking · safe walking

• Multilingual Website Assessment for Accessibility: A Survey on Current Practices

  Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez, Anton Bolfing · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This short paper presents results from a survey of 67 web accessibility professionals exploring how multilingual websites are assessed for accessibility. The authors note that when a monolingual website is localized into multiple languages, the accessibility level achieved in…

  web accessibility · multilingual web · localization · accessibility assessment · internationalization

• How Power Wheelchair Users Choose Computing Devices

  Patrick Carrington, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper explores how power wheelchair users select and use computing devices in their daily lives. The researchers interviewed 8 power wheelchair or power scooter users (4 male, 4 female) through semi-structured interviews lasting up to two hours, cataloguing their use…

  motor impairment · wheelchair · mobile accessibility · device selection · assistive technology

• Brain-Training Software for Stroke Survivors

  Lourdes Morales Villaverde, Sean-Ryan Smith, Sri Kurniawan · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper investigates the feasibility of using commercially available web-based brain-training software as an affordable alternative to expensive specialized stroke rehabilitation software. The researchers observed and interviewed six stroke survivors at the Cabrillo…

  stroke · cognitive rehabilitation · brain training · cognitive impairment · usability

• Web Accessibility for Older Adults: Effects of Line Spacing and Text Justification on Reading Web Pages

  Helen Petrie, Sorachai Kamollimsakul, Christopher Power · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper empirically tests two common web accessibility recommendations for older adults: increased line spacing and left-only text justification. The authors note that at least 10 sets of guidelines for making websites accessible to older people exist in English alone,…

  older adults · web accessibility · typography · line spacing · text justification

• Involving Clinical Staff in the Design of a Support Tool to Improve Dental Communication for Patients with Intellectual Disabilities

  Rachel Menzies, Daniel Herron, Lesley Scott, Ruth Freeman, Annalu Waller · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper describes a design workshop conducted as part of the "Stories at the Dentist" project, which aims to develop a computer-based support tool to help people with intellectual disabilities (ID) better understand dental procedures. Visiting the dentist can cause…

  intellectual disability · healthcare accessibility · communication · user-centered design · clinical communication

• The Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII)

  Gregg C. Vanderheiden, Jutta Treviranus, Amrish Chourasia · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper describes the Global Public Inclusive Infrastructure (GPII), an ambitious international initiative to build a cloud-based infrastructure that can automatically personalize any device or technology to match an individual user's accessibility needs and preferences. The…

  GPII · cloud accessibility · auto-personalization · assistive technology · digital divide

• Eyes-Free Yoga: An Exergame Using Depth Cameras for Blind & Low Vision Exercise

  Kyle Rector, Cynthia L. Bennett, Julie A. Kientz · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents Eyes-Free Yoga, an exergame built on the Microsoft Kinect that teaches six yoga poses to people who are blind or low vision using entirely auditory feedback. Research shows that people with visual impairments are more likely to be obese and less physically…

  visual impairment · blindness · exergame · eyes-free interaction · auditory feedback

• Motion-Games in Brain Injury Rehabilitation: An In-Situ Multi-Method Study of Inpatient Care

  Cynthia Putnam, Jinghui Cheng · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper explores how commercial motion-based video games (Xbox Kinect, Nintendo Wii) are used in a rehabilitation hospital for patients with brain injuries. The researchers collaborated with therapists at the Schwab Rehabilitation Hospital (SRH) in Chicago, which…

  brain injury · rehabilitation · motion gaming · exergame · game accessibility

• Improving Public Transit Accessibility for Blind Riders by Crowdsourcing Bus Stop Landmark Locations with Google Street View

  Kotaro Hara, Shiri Azenkot, Megan Campbell, Cynthia L. Bennett, Vicki Le, Sean Pannella, Robert Moore, Kelly Minckler, Rochelle H. Ng, Jon E. Froehlich · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper introduces Bus Stop CSI (Crowdsourcing Streetview Inspections), a scalable method for collecting bus stop location and landmark descriptions by combining online crowdsourcing with Google Street View (GSV). Blind and low-vision bus riders rely heavily on physical…

  visual impairment · blindness · crowdsourcing · public transit · navigation

• Uncovering Information Needs for Independent Spatial Learning for Users Who Are Visually Impaired

  Nikola Banovic, Rachel L. Franz, Khai N. Truong, Jennifer Mankoff, Anind K. Dey · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper presents two studies examining how visually impaired individuals learn about their environments and build cognitive maps — the mental representations of spatial relationships that sighted people largely construct through casual visual observation. Study 1 involved…

  visual impairment · spatial learning · navigation · wayfinding · orientation and mobility

• Exploring the Use of Speech Input by Blind People on Mobile Devices

  Shiri Azenkot, Nicole B. Lee · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This paper investigates how blind people use speech input on mobile devices through two studies: a survey of 169 participants (64 blind/low-vision, 105 sighted) and a laboratory study with 8 blind participants composing paragraphs on an iPod Touch using speech dictation versus…

  visual impairment · blindness · speech input · speech recognition · mobile accessibility

• Manual Evaluation of Synthesised Sign Language Avatars

  Robert Smith, Brian Nolan · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper evaluates whether adding emotional facial expressions to sign language avatars improves their comprehension and naturalness for Irish Sign Language (ISL) users. Sign languages convey emotion and prosody primarily through non-manual features (NMFs) — facial…

  sign language · sign language avatar · Irish Sign Language · deaf · facial expressions

• PlatMult: A Multisensory Platform with Web Accessibility Features for Low Vision Users

  Marcio Oyamada, Jorge Bidarra, Clodis Boscarioli · 2013 · Proceedings of the 15th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS)

  This poster paper presents PlatMult, an integrated hardware and software platform that combines three sensory modalities — visual, auditory, and tactile — to improve web accessibility for low vision users. The authors note that screen magnifiers, the most common assistive…

  low vision · screen magnifier · screen reader · haptic feedback · multisensory