Ubiquitous Web Access for People with Visual Impairments.

This project investigates the feasibility of ubiquitous web access. The envisioned technology allows people with vision impairments access the Web from anywhere, seamlessly switching from one device to another, and continuously browsing the same web pages, from the same spot, and with favorite personalized accessibility settings. Ubiquitous web access is realized by enabling usable synchronization of personalized accessibility settings and browsing states across devices. A methodology is developed to synchronize the accessibility settings and browsing states. To test the concept, advanced accessibility features are enabled on a variety of web access devices, including desktop operating systems, web terminals, smartphones (iPhone), and the plain telephone. End-user interfaces are designed for usable interaction with the devices. Finally, automated experiments and extensive user studies with blind subjects are conducted to determine project feasibility.