Dawn explorer: a framework for multimodal accessibility to computer systems

ABSTRACT

Technology is advancing at a rapid pace, automating many everyday chores in the process, changing the way we perform work and providing various forms of entertainment. Makers of technology, however, often do not consider the needs of the disabled in their design of products by, for example, providing some alternative means of input. The use of computers presents a challenge to many disabled users who are not able to see graphical user interfaces, use a mouse or keyboard or otherwise interact with standard computers. This paper presents a multimodal user interface, emulating and extending the functionality of the Windows Explorer application, with alternative input and output methods. The project utilizes auditory and visual interaction technologies, comprises a modular and extendible architecture and utilises off-the-shelf hardware to reduce implementation cost and maximize accessibility.

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INDEX TERMS

Keywords:
GUI, audio, auditory interfaces, blind, disability, human-computer interaction, interface models, multimodal interfaces, rehabilitation engineering, users with special needs, visual impairment