Deep Learning for Automatically Detecting Sidewalk Accessibility Problems Using Streetscape Imagery Author(s): Galen Weld, Esther Jang, Anthony Li, Aileen Zeng, Kurtis Heimerl and Jon E. Froehlich Institution: University of Washington and University of Maryland Abstract: Recent work has applied machine learning methods to automatically find and/or assess pedestrian infrastructure in online map imagery (e.g., satellite photos, streetscape panoramas). While promising, these methods have been limited by two interrelated issues: small training sets and the choice …
2019 Best Paper
Sign Language Recognition, Generation, and Translation: An Interdisciplinary Perspective Author(s): Danielle Bragg, Oscar Koller, Mary Bellard, Larwan Berke, Patrick Boudreault, Annelies Braffort, Naomi Caselli, Matt Huenerfauth, Hernisa Kacorri, Tessa Verhoef, Christian Vogler and Meredith Morris Institution: Microsoft Research, Microsoft, Rochester Institute of Technology, Gallaudet University, Paris-Saclay University, Orsay, Boston University, University of Maryland, Leiden University. Abstract: Developing successful sign language recognition, generation, and translation systems requires expertise in a wide range of fields, including computer …
2019 SIGACCESS ASSETS Paper Impact Award winner
Slide rule: making mobile touch screens accessible to blind people using multi-touch interaction techniques. Author(s): Shaun K. Kane, Jeffrey P. Bigham, and Jacob O. Wobbrock. Description: In October 2008 at ASSETS, Shaun Kane, Jeff Bigham, and Jacob Wobbrock described their work on an experimental screen reader system called Slide Rule. The paper took a risk, studying a technology, touchscreen devices, that seemed inherently inaccessible to blind users and demonstrated convincingly that they could be made …
October 2019 Newsletter
Issue 125 Preview: Welcome to the October 2019 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. This issue highlights the upcoming ASSETS 2019 Workshop AI Fairness for People with Disabilities and features eight of its position papers. Additionally, you will find an article on the benefits of accessibility topics in course curricula.
ASSETS 2019 – Student Research Competition
If you are an undergraduate or graduate student researching accessible computing or assistive technologies, we invite you to submit a two-page contribution to the ASSETS 2019 Student Research Competition (SRC). Authors of accepted submissions will present a poster summary of their contribution to a panel of experts at the ASSETS conference. The top three undergraduate and top three graduate poster presenters will then present their research to the conference audience. All accepted SRC submissions will …
June 2019 Newsletter
Issue 124 Preview: Welcome to the June 2019 issue of the ACM SIGACCESS newsletter. In the first article, Clayton Lewis writes an interesting article on how machine learning can benefit people with cognitive disabilities, what are the current technology limitations, and how can we, as a community, overcome them. In the second article, Carringyon, Laput, and Bigham present SpokeSense, a sensing solution designed for wheelchair basketball players that provides support for both long-term and real-time …
Call for Nominations: ASSETS 2019 Impact Award
Is there an ASSETS paper, published in 2009 or earlier, that has influenced your work? If so, please email the title and authors, and a brief statement summarizing the paper’s impact, to mccoy@udel.edu, as soon as possible, and before August 1. We’ll use the information you provide in the selection process for this year’s SIGACCESS ASSETS Paper Impact Award (see http://www.sigaccess.org/category/news/awards/impact-award/).
Opportunity: SIGACCESS Newsletter Editor
The SIGACCESS Newsletter is produced three times a year and freely available to all SIGACCESS members. It provides a non-archival venue to publish all sorts of accessibility-related material. After 5 years, our current editor, Hugo Nicolau from the University of Lisbon, is stepping down. SIGACCESS is indebted to Hugo for the incredible job he has done with updating the publication, moving to HTML for better accessibility, and providing the community with regular issues packed with …
Call for Position Papers: Workshop on AI for People with Disabilities
This workshop at ASSETS 2019 will examine AI fairness, accountability, transparency, and ethics (FATE) for the specific situations of people with disabilities. We invite researchers, disability advocates, policy makers, and practitioners to submit short position papers by July 3rd. More information: https://assets19.sigaccess.org/ai_fairness_workshop.html.