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• Towards Testing the Accessibility of Dynamic Visual Changes in Android Mobile GUI with Multi-Modal LLMs

  Mengxi Zhang, Jianlin Yu, Chen Xu, Jiqun Li, Xinglong Yin, Huaxiao Liu · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Computer-Human Interaction

  This paper addresses a long-standing gap in mobile accessibility testing: dynamic visual changes in Android GUIs that communicate task status or feedback to sighted users but are invisible to blind users of screen readers such as TalkBack. Examples include an input field…

  Android · mobile accessibility · screen readers · TalkBack · automated testing

• Designing Adaptive User Interfaces for mHealth Applications Targeting Chronic Disease: A User-Centered Approach

  Wei Wang, John Grundy, Hourieh Khalajzadeh, Anuradha Madugalla, Humphrey O. Obie · 2026 · ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology

  This paper from Monash and Deakin Universities addresses a persistent gap in mHealth design: most chronic disease self-management apps treat users as a homogeneous group, ignoring the wide variation in capabilities, health status, cultural background, and technological literacy…

  mHealth · adaptive user interfaces · chronic disease · accessibility · user-centered design

• A11yExtensions: Accessibility Extensions to Augment Mobile AI Assistive Technology In-Situ

  Jaylin Herskovitz, Ellie Seehorn, Ather Jammoa, Jason Meddaugh, Anhong Guo · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  A11yExtensions introduces the concept of in-situ extensions for mobile AI assistive technology — add-on services that augment existing deployed applications like Seeing AI, Be My AI, and Lookout with additional features, without modifying or replacing those apps. The project was…

  blind and low vision · mobile accessibility · AI assistive technology · co-design · automation

• Bridging the Gap between Automated Intervention and Actual User Experience: A Mixed-Methods Study on Mobile Accessibility Issues for Screen Reader Users

  Syed Fatiul Huq, Ziyao He, Yirui He, Sam Malek · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper by Huq, He, He, and Malek (UC Irvine) argues that existing automated accessibility testing tools for mobile apps do not faithfully represent what blind screen reader users actually experience, and proposes a user-aware categorisation to bridge the gap. The…

  mobile accessibility · screen readers · TalkBack · automated accessibility testing · software accessibility

• TaskAudit: Detecting Functiona11ity Errors in Mobile Apps via Agentic Task Execution

  Mingyuan Zhong, Xia Chen, Davin Win Kyi, Chen Li, James Fogarty, Jacob O. Wobbrock · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper introduces TaskAudit, an automated accessibility evaluation system for mobile apps that detects what the authors coin 'functiona11ity errors' — accessibility barriers that only manifest through interaction, where a UI's static state looks accessible but its…

  mobile accessibility · accessibility auditing · automated accessibility testing · generative agents · large language models

• ATTENPlay: A Game-Based Attention Network Test for Autistic Children

  Yuying Wan, Xin Tong, Kaishun Wu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  This CHI 2026 paper addresses a long-standing methodological problem in autism research: the Attention Network Test (ANT) — the standard computerized tool for measuring alerting, orienting, and executive-control attention networks — is abstract, repetitive, and built for…

  autism · autism spectrum disorder · attention network test · cognitive assessment · game-based assessment

• From Selfie Stick to Virtual Cane: Enabling Blind Exploration through Mobile Virtual Reality

  Hao Tang, Hong Zhao, Xinpeng Liu, Zhenchao Xia, William Seiple, Zhigang Zhu · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Consumer VR is a visual-first medium, which in practice shuts out blind and low-vision (BLV) users. Tang and colleagues argue that existing accessible VR systems do help BLV users explore virtual environments (VEs), but they depend on head-mounted displays, external tracking…

  blind and low vision · virtual reality · mobile accessibility · orientation and mobility · white cane

• Beyond Descriptions: A Generative Scene2Audio Framework for Blind and Low-Vision Users to Experience Vista Landscapes

  Chitralekha Gupta, Jing Peng, Ashwin Ram, Shreyas Sridhar, Christophe Jouffrais, Suranga Nanayakkara · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  Scene description apps (Seeing AI, Be My AI, Envision) do a reasonable job of telling blind and low-vision (BLV) users what is in front of them, but they are built for utility - 'there is a chair'. They fail at the aesthetic, leisure, emotional experience of distant landscapes:…

  blind and low vision · sonification · spatial audio · generative AI · psychoacoustics

• GuideMe: A VLM-Based System Assisting Independent Smartphone Learning for Older Adults

  Kairong Fang, Jiesi Zhang, Shi-Ting Ni, Pan Hui, Yuyang Wang · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  GuideMe tackles a problem familiar to anyone who has watched an older relative struggle to learn a new smartphone app: the combined weight of declining vision, memory, and motor function plus unfamiliar terminology makes independent learning extremely difficult, while in-person…

  older adults · aging · cognitive accessibility · vision-language model · conversational agent

• Collaboration and Assistive Technology: Facilitating Joint Awareness for Noise Sensitivity

  Emani Hicks, Luc Rieffel, Ariya Gowda, Aehong Min, Gillian R Hayes · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  People with noise sensitivity (PWNS) - including those with misophonia, hyperacusis, and tinnitus, and overlapping strongly with the autistic community (estimated 45% prevalence) - experience everyday sounds as painful, distressing, or overwhelming. Existing supports are patchy:…

  noise sensitivity · misophonia · hyperacusis · sensory processing · autism

• SituFont: A Just-in-Time Adaptive Intervention Interface for Enhancing Mobile Readability in Situational Visual Impairments

  Jingruo Chen, Kexin Nie, Mingshan Zhang, Chun Yu, Zhiqi Gao, Kun Yue, Yuanchun Shi, Chen Liang · 2026 · Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI '26)

  SituFont is a smartphone reading interface that treats situational visual impairment (SVI) as a first-class design target and dynamically adjusts font parameters in response to real-time context. The authors argue that static accessibility settings and one-off manual adjustments…

  situational visual impairment · situationally induced impairments and disabilities · adaptive typography · just-in-time adaptive intervention · human-in-the-loop

• Look Here, Click Me: Improving Older Adults’ Perception of Manipulable User Interface Components through AI-Based Perceptual Guidance

  Sera Park, Seoyeon Kim, Sangyeon Kim · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI 2026 Extended Abstracts paper from Sookmyung Women’s University (Seoul) tackles a concrete gap in older-adult digital literacy: existing programs teach step-by-step procedures ("tap here, then here, then here") that collapse the moment an app updates its layout. The…

  older adults · digital literacy · perceptual learning · accessibility · UI components

• Modeling Touch Input for Users with Motor Impairments: Empirical Insights into Training Size Requirements

  Radu-Daniel Vatavu, Irina Petrariu, Tudor Horomnea, Ovidiu-Ciprian Ungurean · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  This CHI Extended Abstract addresses a practical question for ability-based design: how many touch observations do you actually need before you can build a user-specific model of someone's touch performance? Most touch modeling work, including Bayesian Touch and the Dual…

  touch input · motor impairment · ability-based design · adaptive interfaces · touchscreen accessibility

• VisionAid: A Multimodal Assistive Application Supporting Safe Road Navigation for Visually Impaired People in Bangladesh

  Asif Mahbub, Nabil Bin Hannan · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA ’26)

  VisionAid is an Android pedestrian-safety app for blind and low vision (BLV) users in Bangladesh, where road crossing is dangerous because traffic is unstructured: lane discipline is rare, drivers run signals, and crosswalks are inconsistent. The authors argue that…

  blind and low vision · pedestrian navigation · mobile accessibility · computer vision · haptic feedback

• ArtfulSign: A Closed-Loop, Semantics-Grounded Mobile System for Learning Chinese Sign Language

  Yuan Zhao, Yueran Wang, Chenglong Tan, Siyang Tong, Dengfeng Yao, Wei Zhen · 2026 · Extended Abstracts of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI EA '26)

  ArtfulSign is a mobile iOS application that reframes Chinese Sign Language (CSL) learning as an embodied skill practiced through short closed-loop interaction cycles rather than passive video consumption. The authors argue that most existing sign language learning tools - video…

  Chinese Sign Language · sign language learning · embodied learning · closed-loop interaction · semantic grounding

• Crippin' WhatsApp's Interaction Design: Learnings from the blind/visually impaired users of India

  Hrittika Bhowmick, Atharva Shrivastava, Sandeep Ysp, Shilpaa Anand, Dipanjan Chakraborty · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2025)

  This paper examines how blind and visually impaired users in India navigate WhatsApp, using critical disability studies and Roland Barthes' concept of myth to argue that WhatsApp's design naturalizes visual interaction as universal while marginalizing auditory, haptic, and…

  screen readers · blind users · social media accessibility · Global South accessibility · critical disability studies

• Understanding How Visually Impaired Players Socialize in Mobile Games

  Zihe Ran, Xiyu Li, Qing Xiao, Yanyun Wang, Franklin Mingzhe Li, Zhicong Lu · 2025 · Proceedings of the 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility (ASSETS 2025)

  This study examines how visually impaired players in China use mobile games as platforms for socialization, going beyond the typical focus on gameplay accessibility to investigate the social dimensions of gaming. The researchers conducted semi-structured interviews with 30…

  game accessibility · blind and low vision · social interaction · mobile accessibility · Global South accessibility

• Toward a Multi-layer Framework to Assess the Quality of Life Impact of Smartphones as Assistive Technology for People with Sensory Disabilities in Kenya

  Maryam Bandukda, Lan Xiao, Giulia Barbareschi, Philip Oyier, Henry Athiany, Raul Szekely, Wallace M Karuguti, Mwangi J Matheri MJM, Victoria Austin, Catherine Holloway · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper presents the first longitudinal mixed-methods study investigating the impact of smartphones as assistive technology on the quality of life (QoL) of blind or partially sighted (BPS) and deaf or hard of hearing (DHH) individuals in Kenya. The study involved 193…

  smartphones · assistive technology · Global South · Kenya · blindness and visual impairment

• GestureVoice: Enabling Multimodal Text Editing for Blind Users Using Gestures and Voice

  Prerna Khanna, Sai Pravallika Reddy, IV Ramakrishnan, Xiaojun Bi, Aruna Balasubramanian · 2025 · ASSETS 2025: 27th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility

  This paper introduces GestureVoice, a multimodal text editing system that enables blind smartphone users to edit text using mid-air hand gestures detected by a smartwatch combined with voice commands, eliminating the need for touchscreen interaction. The research addresses a…

  text editing · blind users · multimodal interaction · gesture recognition · voice commands

• LLMs for Accessibility in Mobile Apps: Detection and Repair

  Wajdi Aljedaani, Ahmed Aljohani, Marcelo M. Eler, Abdulrahman Habib, Hyunsook Do · 2025 · Proceedings of the 22nd International Web for All Conference (W4A 2025)

  This study evaluates the capacity of three large language models—GPT-4o, Gemini 1.0 Pro, and Llama 3—to detect, classify, and remediate accessibility violations in Android mobile applications. While prior LLM accessibility research has focused primarily on web applications, this…

  mobile accessibility · large language models · Android accessibility · automated accessibility testing · accessibility remediation

• VisualAid: Enhancing Accessibility for Visually Impaired Users Through AI

  Wajdi Aljedaani, Sijo Rejigeorge, Priya Jha, Srija Yadavalli, Manikanta Kothakota, Marcelo M. Eler, Abdulrahman Habib · 2025 · Proceedings of the 22nd International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This technical note presents VisualAid, an AI-powered Android application designed to help visually impaired users understand and navigate their physical surroundings. The app integrates multiple AI technologies into a single mobile interface: YOLO11x for real-time object…

  visual impairment · object detection · image captioning · OCR · voice interaction

• Empowering Accessible Gesture Input Design with Gesture-A11Y

  Mihail Terenti, Laura-Bianca Bilius, Ovidiu-Ciprian Ungurean, Radu-Daniel Vatavu · 2025 · Proceedings of the 22nd International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper from Stefan cel Mare University of Suceava (Romania) introduces Gesture-A11Y, the first open-access web-based tool and database for accessible gesture input design, containing over 22,000 gesture records collected from 122 users with visual and/or motor impairments.…

  gesture interaction · motor accessibility · visual impairment · mobile accessibility · wearable technology

• ImageExplorer Deployment: Understanding Text-Based and Touch-Based Image Exploration in the Wild

  Ruolin Xu, Yuxuan Cai, Shuying Hou, Yu-Jung Chang, Anhong Guo · 2024 · Proceedings of the 21st International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the real-world deployment and evaluation of ImageExplorer, an iOS application that enables blind and low-vision users to explore images through two complementary modalities: text-based sequential exploration and touch-based spatial exploration. The app was…

  image accessibility · screen readers · touch exploration · blind users · image description

• Exploring Accessibility of Mobile Applications Through User Feedback: Insights from App Reviews in a Systematic Literature Review

  Alberto Dumont Alves Oliveira, Marcelo Medeiros Eler · 2024 · Proceedings of the XXIII Brazilian Symposium on Human Factors in Computing Systems (IHC 2024)

  This systematic literature review examines how user reviews from app stores have been used to study the accessibility of mobile applications. The authors searched five major academic databases (ACM, IEEE, ScienceDirect, Scopus, and Web of Science) and identified 638 papers,…

  mobile accessibility · app reviews · user feedback · systematic literature review · user reviews

• System-class Accessibility: The Architectural Support for Making a Whole System Usable by People with Disabilities

  Chris Fleizach, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2024 · ACM Queue

  This article introduces the concept of "system-class accessibility" — the architectural support built into an operating system to make the entire platform usable by people with disabilities. Written by Chris Fleizach (who led the development of VoiceOver on iOS at Apple) and…

  accessibility API · screen readers · VoiceOver · iOS accessibility · operating systems