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News from the ACM Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing

2021 Best Student Paper

Aided Nonverbal Communication through Physical Expressive Objects Author(s) Stephanie Valencia, Mark Steidl, Michael Rivera, Cynthia Bennett, Jeffrey Bigham, Henny Admoni Intitutions: Carnegie Mellon University, Disability Rights Pennsylvania Abstract: Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices enable speech-based communication, but generating speech is not the only resource needed to have a successful conversation. Being able to signal one wishes to take a turn by raising a hand or providing some other cue is critical in securing a turn to speak. Experienced conversation …

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2020 Best Student Paper

Living Disability Theory: Reflections on Access, Research, and Design Author(s): Megan Hofmann, Devva Kasnitz, Jennifer Mankoff, Cynthia L Bennett Institution: Carnegie Mellon University, City University of New York, University of Washington Abstract: Accessibility research and disability studies are intertwined fields focused on, respectively, building a world more inclusive of people with disability and understanding and elevating the lived experiences of disabled people. Accessibility research tends to focus on creating technology related to impairment, while disability studies focuses on …

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2020 Best Paper

Input Accessibility: A Large Dataset and Summary Analysis of Age, Motor Ability and Input Performance Authors(s): Leah Findlater, Lotus Zhang Institution: University of Washington Abstract: Age and motor ability are well-known to impact input performance. Past work examining these factors, however, has tended to focus on samples of 20-40 participants and has binned participants into a small set of age groups (e.g., “younger” vs. “older”). To foster a more nuanced understanding of how age and motor …

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2021 SIGACCESS ASSETS Impact Award Winner

Disability studies as a source of critical inquiry for the field of assistive technology Author(s):Jennifer Mankoff, Gillian R. Hayes, and Devva Kasnitz. Description: In October 2010 at ASSETS, Jennifer Mankoff, Gillian R. Hayes, and Devva Kasnitz published this paper which was the first to identify and bridge the gap between the assistive technology research field and the field of critical disability studies. Bringing decades of critical thought in social and behavioral sciences to computer scientists, …

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October 2021 Newsletter

Issue 131 Preview: Welcome to the October 2021 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. In the first article Keke Wu provides an actionable summary of the 2021 CHI best paper, discussing the challenges towards cognitive accessible visualizations. For the second article, Ringland and Wolf reflect on their ASSETS 2016 best paper (which is now 5 years old!) and discuss what has happened since and what to look towards for the future. Towards a Universal Cognitive …

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June 2021 Newsletter

Issue 130 Preview: Welcome to the June 2021 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. This issue highlights the best virtual ASSETS yet, with an article dedicated to last year UX panel about “Lockdown Experiences”. The third article presents the SONAAR project which recently won the Delegates award for best demo at W4A. Be sure to check out the last article presenting the University of Washington Center for Research and Education in Accessible Technologies and Experiences …

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Join SIGACCESS Mailing List

Join our mailing list to receive the latest announcements and news from the ACM Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing.   To subscribe to the SIGACCESS mailing list: From the email address you wish to subscribe, send an email to LISTSERV@listserv.acm.org with a message body containing “subscribe access-announcements [Your Name]”. No subject line is needed. You will shortly receive a confirmation email from LISTSERV@listserv.acm.org with the subject line “Confirm your subscription to the access-announcements list”. Click the hyperlink in this email to …

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January 2021 Newsletter

Issue 129 Preview: Welcome to the October 2020 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. The following seven articles describe the research work of the students who attended the ASSETS 2020 Doctoral Consortium:

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October 2020 Newsletter

Issue 128 Preview: Welcome to the October 2020 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. The first two articles feature the work by the authors of the best Technical and Best Communication award from W4A 2020. First, Eraslan et al. discuss the ScanPath algorithm and its capabilities in detecting autism discussing the opportunities for future work. Next, Sala et al. presents a user study of five Spanish public e-services. The last article by Lynn Kirabo discusses …

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Jonathan Lazar: Outstanding Contribution Recipient 2020

In recognition of his life-long dedication to the goal of accessible technologies and digital content through his research, education, advocacy, policy and legal work.

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