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• Instant Tactile-Audio Map: Enabling Access to Digital Maps for People with Visual Impairment

  Zheshen Wang, Baoxin Li, Terri Hedgpeth, Teresa Haven · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents an automated system for converting standard digital map images into interactive tactile-audio maps that people who are blind can explore independently. The core problem addressed is that while online map services like Google Maps provide rich geographical…

  tactile maps · visual impairment · multimodal interaction · audio feedback · navigation

• Real-Time Anomaly Detection for Traveling Individuals

  Tian-Shya Ma · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This short paper presents a real-time anomaly detection system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments travel safely and independently on routine journeys such as commuting via public transportation. The system works by comparing a traveller's current GPS…

  cognitive impairment · navigation · location awareness · anomaly detection · safety

• Usability of a multimodal videogame to improve navigation skills for blind children

  Jaime Sánchez, Mauricio Sáenz, Miguel Ripoll · 2009 · Proceedings of the 11th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '09)

  This paper presents a usability evaluation of two complementary tools designed to help blind school-aged children develop orientation and mobility (O&M) skills in closed, unfamiliar spaces. The first tool is the Digital Clock Carpet (DCC), a custom-built haptic input device…

  blind children · orientation and mobility · haptic interfaces · audio interfaces · virtual environments

• Grouping Hyperlinks for Improved Voice/Mobile Accessibility

  Alex Penev, Raymond K. Wong · 2008 · Proceedings of the 2008 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper from UNSW Sydney proposes an automatic technique for clustering a web page's hyperlinks into topical groups to help blind screen reader users and mobile device users locate desired links more quickly. The core problem is that sighted users can visually scan a page in…

  web accessibility · screen readers · blind users · navigation · mobile accessibility

• A context aware handheld wayfinding system for individuals with cognitive impairments

  Yao-Jen Chang, Shih-Kai Tsai, Tsen-Yung Wang · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents a context-aware wayfinding system designed to help individuals with cognitive impairments navigate indoor environments independently, with a focus on workplace and community travel. The system consists of three components: a handheld PDA (ASUS P525 with…

  cognitive disability · wayfinding · QR code · ubiquitous computing · navigation

• PowerUp: An Accessible Virtual World

  Shari Trewin, Vicki L. Hanson, Mark R. Laff, Anna Cavender · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper describes the design and validation of accessibility features for PowerUp, an IBM-developed multiplayer 3D virtual world educational game aimed at middle school students. The researchers were tasked with making the game usable by players with visual, hearing,…

  game accessibility · virtual reality · visual impairment · blindness · cognitive accessibility

• RouteCheckr: Personalized Multicriteria Routing for Mobility Impaired Pedestrians

  Thorsten Völkel, Gerhard Weber · 2008 · Proceedings of the 10th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '08)

  This paper presents RouteCheckr, a client/server system for personalised pedestrian navigation that calculates routes optimised for multiple criteria relevant to mobility impaired users. The authors identify three key shortcomings of existing navigation systems: map data…

  navigation · wayfinding · wheelchair accessibility · visual impairment · mobility

• The Status of Using "Big Eye" Chinese Screen Reader on "Wretch" Blog in Taiwan

  Yui-Liang Chen, Yung-Yu Ho · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This short paper examines the accessibility of Wretch Blog (wretch.cc), one of the most popular blogging platforms in Taiwan, when used with "Big Eye," a Chinese-language screen reader. The authors find that most core functionality of the blog works for visually impaired users —…

  web accessibility · screen readers · blind users · blogging · multilingual accessibility

• The HearSay Non-Visual Web Browser

  Yevgen Borodin, Jalal Mahmud, I. V. Ramakrishnan, Amanda Stent · 2007 · Proceedings of the 2007 International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility (W4A)

  This paper presents the original HearSay non-visual web browser (version 1/2), developed at Stony Brook University in collaboration with the Helen Keller Services for the Blind. HearSay is a free, open-source, cross-platform browser written in Java that uses Mozilla for web…

  non-visual web browser · screen readers · blind users · web accessibility · natural language processing

• A Software Model to Support Collaborative Mathematical Work between Braille and Sighted Users

  Dominique Archambault, Bernhard Stöger, Mario Batusic, Claudia Fahrengruber, Klaus Miesenberger · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper presents the software model behind the MaWEn (Mathematical Working Environment) project, a long-term collaboration between Johannes Kepler Universität Linz and Université Pierre et Marie Curie in Paris. The project addresses a fundamental barrier in mathematics…

  braille · mathematics accessibility · collaborative editing · MathML · inclusive education

• A Novel Wayfinding System Based on Geo-coded QR Codes for Individuals with Cognitive Impairments

  Yao-Jen Chang, Shih-Kai Tsai, Yao-Sheng Chang, Tsen-Yung Wang · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This paper presents a wayfinding prototype system that uses geo-coded QR codes placed at decision points along routes to provide just-in-time navigation directions to people with cognitive impairments. Developed by researchers at Chung Yuan Christian University, National Chiao…

  cognitive impairment · wayfinding · QR code · navigation · ubiquitous computing

• Accessible spaces: navigating through a marked environment with a camera phone

  Kee-Yip Chan, Roberto Manduchi, James Coughlan · 2007 · Proceedings of the 9th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (Assets '07)

  This short Assets '07 demonstration paper from UC Santa Cruz and the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute describes a camera-phone-based wayfinding system for blind travellers. The core idea is to deploy small, cheap, pie-shaped colour markers in an environment — on walls,…

  wayfinding · navigation · blindness · visual impairment · computer vision

• Analysis of Navigability of Web Applications for Improving Blind Usability

  Hironobu Takagi, Shin Saito, Kentarou Fukuda, Chieko Asakawa · 2007 · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction (TOCHI), Vol. 14, No. 3, Article 13

  This TOCHI article is a two-study investigation into why modern web applications — especially visually dense online shopping sites — remain slow and frustrating for blind users even when they pass automated accessibility checks. The authors argue that current usability theory,…

  web accessibility · screen readers · voice browser · navigation · usability testing

• Voice over Workplace (VoWP): Voice Navigation in a Complex Business GUI

  Frankie James, Jeff Roelands · 2002 · Proceedings of the Fifth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets 02)

  This paper explores the design of voice navigation interfaces for complex business GUIs, specifically SAP Workplace, to support physically disabled users who cannot use a mouse or keyboard. The authors conducted two user studies examining the fundamental trade-off in voice…

  voice interface · speech recognition · physical disability · GUI accessibility · navigation

• Wearable Interfaces for Orientation and Wayfinding

  David A. Ross, Bruce B. Blasch · 2000 · Proceedings of the Fourth International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '00)

  This paper from the Atlanta VA Rehabilitation R&D Center presents the development and evaluation of three wearable orientation interfaces designed to help people with severe visual impairment maintain spatial orientation while navigating, with street crossing as the critical…

  wayfinding · orientation and mobility · wearable technology · blindness and low vision · haptic feedback

• Comparing Effects of Navigational Interface Modalities on Speaker Prosodics

  Julie Baca · 1998 · Proceedings of the Third International ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '98)

  This paper investigates whether speech-only (displayless) interfaces impose a measurable cognitive burden on users compared to multimodal interfaces that include visual or tactile components. The research uses an innovative methodology: rather than relying on subjective workload…

  speech technology · cognitive load · non-visual interaction · navigation · prosody

• Development of Dialogue Systems for a Mobility Aid for Blind People: Initial Design and Usability Testing

  Thomas Strothotte, Steffi Fritz, Rainer Michel, Andreas Raab, Helen Petrie, Valerie Johnson, Lars Reichert, Axel Schalt · 1996 · Proceedings of the Second Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '96)

  This paper presents the MoBIC Travel Aid (MoTA), an EU-funded system designed to increase independent mobility for blind and elderly travellers by combining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the Global Positioning System (GPS). The system has two complementary…

  blindness and low vision · navigation · GPS · GIS · orientation and mobility

• Hyperbraille: a hypertext system for the blind

  T. Kieninger, N. Kuhn · 1994 · Proceedings of the First Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '94)

  This 1994 paper presents Hyperbraille, a system designed to make hypertext documents accessible to blind users through braille output devices. The research addresses a fundamental challenge: hypertext systems rely heavily on visual cues such as highlighted or colored text to…

  Braille · hypertext · blind users · navigation · document analysis

• Personal guidance system for the visually impaired

  J. M. Loomis, R. G. Golledge, R. L. Klatzky, J. M. Speigle, J. Tietz · 1994 · Proceedings of the First Annual ACM Conference on Assistive Technologies (Assets '94)

  This 1994 paper outlines the design and progress of a portable navigation system intended to enable visually impaired individuals to travel independently through both familiar and unfamiliar environments. The system integrates three core functional components: a positioning and…

  navigation · blind users · GPS · geographic information system · wayfinding