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• Scanning for Digital Content: How Blind and Sighted People Perceive Concurrent Speech

  João Guerreiro, Daniel Gonçalves · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates whether blind and sighted people can leverage concurrent speech — multiple audio streams playing simultaneously — to more efficiently scan and identify relevant digital content, exploiting the well-known Cocktail Party Effect. Screen readers currently…

  visual impairment · concurrent speech · auditory interface · screen reader · cocktail party effect

• Tablet-Based Activity Schedule in Mainstream Environment for Children with Autism and Children with ID

  Charles Fage, Léonard Pommereau, Charles Consel, Emilie Balland, Hélène Sauzéon · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents Classroom Schedule+ (CS+), a tablet-based activity schedule application designed to support the inclusion of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in mainstream school environments. Developed through participatory design with mainstream teachers,…

  autism spectrum disorder · intellectual disability · mainstream inclusion · activity schedule · tablet

• An Analysis of Age, Technology Usage, and Cognitive Characteristics Within Information Retrieval Tasks

  Michael Crabb, Vicki L. Hanson · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper challenges the common practice of using chronological age as the primary metric for distinguishing user performance in HCI studies, arguing that Internet confidence and cognitive factors — particularly perceptual speed — are far better predictors of browsing…

  aging · cognitive accessibility · web search · information retrieval · fluid intelligence

• Investigating the Implications of 3D Printing in Special Education

  Erin Buehler, Niara Comrie, Megan Hofmann, Samantha McDonald, Amy Hurst · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper investigates the use of 3D printing in special education settings through case studies at three sites serving students with cognitive, motor, and visual impairments, and presents GripFab, a simplified 3D modeling tool designed for occupational therapists (OTs) to…

  3D printing · digital fabrication · special education · assistive technology · DIY assistive technology

• The Gest-Rest Family: Exploring Input Possibilities for Wheelchair Armrests

  Patrick Carrington, Jian-Ming Chang, Kevin Chang, Catherine Hornback, Amy Hurst, Shaun K. Kane · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper introduces the Gest-Rest Family, a suite of gesture-based input devices designed to fit over standard power wheelchair armrests, enabling users with upper body motor impairments to interact with computing devices without needing to reach for or hold separate input…

  wheelchair · motor impairment · input device · chairable computing · assistive technology

• A Pool of Representative Users for Accessibility Research: Seeing through the Eyes of the Users

  Marianne Dee, Vicki L. Hanson · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper documents the establishment, management, and lessons learned from the SiDE (Social Inclusion through the Digital Economy) User Pool, a large participant pool of over 800 older adults created at the University of Dundee to support accessibility and digital inclusion…

  research methods · participant recruitment · older adults · user pool · accessibility research

• Tactile Graphics with a Voice

  Catherine M. Baker, Lauren R. Milne, Ryan Drapeau, Jeffrey Scofield, Cynthia L. Bennett, Richard E. Ladner · 2016 · ACM Transactions on Accessible Computing (TACCESS)

  This paper presents Tactile Graphics with a Voice (TGV), a system that uses QR codes and a smartphone application to make text labels on tactile graphics accessible to blind and low-vision users — particularly the estimated 60% of blind people who are not fluent in Braille.…

  tactile graphics · visual impairment · QR codes · STEM accessibility · Braille

• Online Nemeth Braille Input/Output Using Content MathML

  Samuel S. Dooley, Susan Osterhaus, Dan Brown, Edgar Lozano, Su H. Park · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents a software system that enables automatic two-way conversion between printed mathematical notation and Nemeth Braille, using Content MathML as an intermediary representation. Access to mathematical content remains one of the most challenging…

  braille · mathematics accessibility · STEM accessibility · visual impairment · MathML

• Measuring the Impact of Automated Evaluation Tools on Alternative Text Quality: A Web Translation Study

  Silvia Rodríguez Vázquez · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents the first empirical study on web accessibility conducted around a translation task, investigating how automated evaluation tools affect the quality of image text alternatives produced by web translators. Twenty-eight professional French translators were asked…

  alternative text · image accessibility · web translation · localization · automated testing

• NavCog: Turn-by-Turn Smartphone Navigation Assistant for People with Visual Impairments or Blindness

  Dragan Ahmetovic, Cole Gleason, Kris M. Kitani, Hironobu Takagi, Chieko Asakawa · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents NavCog, an open-source iOS smartphone navigation system designed to assist people with visual impairments or blindness in navigating complex indoor and outdoor environments. While many blind people can independently traverse familiar routes by…

  indoor navigation · visual impairment · blindness · assistive technology · Bluetooth beacons

• Dytective: Towards Detecting Dyslexia Across Languages Using an Online Game

  Luz Rello, Kristin Williams, Abdullah Ali, Nancy Cushen White, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents Dytective, a browser-based game designed to screen for risk of dyslexia across English and Spanish languages. At least 10% of the global population has dyslexia, and in Spain over 40% of school dropout is attributed to it. Current detection methods are…

  dyslexia · screening · learning disabilities · game-based assessment · multilingual

• AudioDraw: User Preferences in Non-Visual Diagram Drawing for Touchscreens

  William Grussenmeyer, Eelke Folmer · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates how people who are blind can independently create visual diagrams on touchscreen tablets, addressing a significant gap in accessibility. Diagram-building features in productivity tools like MS Word, PowerPoint, and UML editors are largely inaccessible…

  blindness · touchscreen accessibility · diagram creation · non-visual interaction · STEM accessibility

• Identifying Challenges and Opportunities in Computer-Based Vocational Training for Low-Income Communities of People with Intellectual Disabilities

  Vagner Figueredo de Santana, Rodrigo Laiola Guimarães, Andrea Britto Mattos · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents findings from a qualitative field study of computer-mediated vocational training for low-income students with intellectual disability (ID) at APAE DE SÃO PAULO, a Brazilian NGO that provides educational support, vocational training, and habilitation therapy.…

  intellectual disability · vocational training · digital inclusion · developing countries · educational technology

• Accessible OzPlayer Video Player

  Matt McLeod, Gian Wild · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents OzPlayer, a web video player built by Australian accessibility consultancy AccessibilityOz specifically to address the widespread inaccessibility of popular video players on the web. The authors, who routinely audited client websites, found that…

  video accessibility · media accessibility · keyboard accessibility · captions · audio description

• Masterplanning the digital campus to support learners with disabilities

  David Sloan, Sarah Horton, Billy Gregory · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This position paper from accessibility consultants at The Paciello Group argues that educational organizations delivering online learning need a strategic, holistic approach to digital accessibility rather than the reactive, remediation-based practices that are common in the…

  e-learning accessibility · organizational accessibility · accessibility policy · higher education · inclusive teaching

• Exploring pedagogical culture for accessibility education in computing science

  Sarah Lewthwaite, David Sloan · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper examines the state of accessibility education in computing science through the lens of pedagogy—the theory and practice of teaching and learning. Lewthwaite and Sloan argue that while significant efforts are underway to embed accessibility into academic curricula and…

  accessibility education · pedagogy · computing science education · curriculum development · capacity building

• An online chess game designed for people with dyslexia

  Luz Rello, Sergi Subirats, Jeffrey P. Bigham · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper presents an online chess learning platform specifically designed for people with dyslexia and investigates whether people with dyslexia learn and play chess differently from those without. The researchers built an instrumented web-based chess game incorporating…

  dyslexia · serious games · game accessibility · learning disabilities · cognitive accessibility

• Improving OER websites for learners with disabilities

  Rosa Navarrete, Sergio Luján-Mora · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents an OER (Open Educational Resources) website designed to enhance the user experience of learners with disabilities when searching for and retrieving educational resources. The authors argue that despite the inclusive vision behind the OER movement,…

  open educational resources · user experience · personalization · information architecture · e-learning accessibility

• TactBack: VibroTactile braille output using smartphone and smartwatch for visually impaired

  Aritra Dhar, Aditya Nittala, Kuldeep Yadav · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract presents TactBack, a system that uses vibration patterns on off-the-shelf smartphones and smartwatches to convey braille characters haptically. The system was motivated by the limitations of audio-based screen reader feedback (TalkBack) for visually…

  braille · haptic technology · wearable technology · visual impairment · deafblindness

• Lake Devo: accessible online role-play

  Greg Gay, Maureen Glynn, Naza Djafarova · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract describes Lake Devo, a web-based role-playing environment developed at Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) for collaborative learning, and the strategies used to make it accessible to blind students using screen readers. Lake Devo…

  WAI-ARIA · screen reader accessibility · e-learning accessibility · web accessibility · collaborative learning

• Using data from social media websites to inspire the design of assistive technology

  Xing Yu · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes using social media data as a low-cost, scalable method to inform the design of assistive technology, addressing limitations of traditional user research approaches. The author argues that designing assistive technology faces unique…

  assistive technology · social media · natural language processing · machine learning · prosthetics

• An empirical investigation of the situationally-induced impairments experienced by blind mobile device users

  Ali Abdolrahmani, Ravi Kuber, Amy Hurst · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This paper investigates the situationally-induced impairments and disabilities (SIIDs) experienced by blind people when using mobile devices in real-world contexts. While prior SIID research has focused on sighted users encountering temporary impediments (like walking while…

  situational impairment · mobile accessibility · visual impairment · blindness · screen readers

• Life-long learning on the inclusive web

  Jutta Treviranus · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  In this keynote-style paper, Jutta Treviranus—director of the Inclusive Design Research Centre at OCAD University—argues that formal education systems are fundamentally failing to enable all students to reach their diverse potential, and that this failure will worsen as society…

  inclusive design · inclusive education · accessibility policy · complex adaptive systems · open educational resources

• Computer vision-based analysis of web page structure for assistive interfaces

  Michael Cormier · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This doctoral consortium paper proposes a novel approach to understanding web page structure by analyzing rendered page images using computer vision, rather than relying on the DOM tree or source code as most existing web page segmentation methods do. The author argues that the…

  computer vision · web page segmentation · screen reader accessibility · cognitive accessibility · machine learning

• Editor for accessible images in e-Learning platforms

  Sandra Sanchez-Gordon, Juan Estevez, Sergio Luján-Mora · 2016 · Proceedings of the 13th International Web for All Conference (W4A)

  This extended abstract defines a set of twenty features that an HTML visual text editor should provide to support content authors in creating accessible images within e-learning platforms. The features were derived from reviewing published research on accessible images and…

  image accessibility · alternative text · e-learning accessibility · authoring tools · WCAG compliance