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Many physically challenged users cannot interact with a computer through a conventional keyboard and mouse. They may interact with a computer through one or two switches with the help of a scanning mechanism. In this paper we present a new scanning technique based on clustering screen objects and then compare it with two other scanning systems by using a simulator. The analysis shows that the best scanning system is a type of block scanning that divides the screen in four equal sized partitions for four iterations and then switches to eight‐directional scanning. However, with a more accurate target acquisition process, the cluster scanning technique is found to outperform other scanning systems.

Hearing impaired users often find it difficult to listen to voice over television, computer or public announcement systems due to background noise, music or poor sound quality. This paper presents a hearing impairment simulator that can help digital content developers to understand the auditory perception of hearing impaired users. Existing hearing impairment simulations often fail to publish results on validation or running the system on stored files. The present work describes validation result on a hearing impairment simulator and link to download the system that can simulate any sound stored as a wav file.

This work presents a simulator with a downloadable link to the software and results on a couple of user trials involving users with varying degrees of hearing impairment validating the system. The simulator also simulates frequency smearing which is not available in most online hearing impairment simulators. The simulator is part of a bigger project which also involves simulating visual, cognitive and motor impairment.

The result shows the present implementation can accurately simulate hearing perception for spoken voice. It also demonstrates that both frequency attenuation based on audiogram response and smearing are needed for accurate simulation as random frequency attenuation does not distort the sound well enough to be inaudible.

It should be noted that this simulation is not accurate enough to be used for medical purpose, rather aims to be an engineering tool to simulate approximately correct auditory perception of hearing impaired people. However, like other researches on user modelling and simulation in HCI, this simulator aims to enhance the design space where designers can optimize volume and quality of sound output and if necessary of background music or noise.

This paper presents a hearing impairment simulator that can help digital content developers to judge the sound quality of their content for hard of hearing users.

Existing literature on hearing impairment simulators either presents a software without detailed result on validation or focuses on detailed theoretical results on psychology without any easy deployable software. Most existing software also does not allow running simulation on stored file which limits their purpose. This work presents a simulator with a downloadable link to the software and results on a couple of user trials involving users with varying degrees of hearing impairment validating the system. The simulator also simulates frequency smearing which is not available in most online hearing impairment simulators.

This paper aims to present a new input interaction system for people with severe disabilities. The new system works based on eye gaze tracking and single switch scanning interaction techniques. It combines eye gaze tracking and scanning in a unique way which is faster than only scanning‐based systems while more comfortable to use than only eye gaze tracking‐based systems, which is also supported by a user study.

The aim was to design a new interaction technique combining eye tracking and scanning technique for severely disabled people. A comparative study with eight users involving only an eye tracking system and the system combining eye tracking and scanning was conducted.

The participants rated the new system easier and less strenuous to use than the eye gaze tracking‐based system, while the new system did not slow the speed of interaction.

This new method based on eye gaze tracking and single switch scanning interaction techniques has potential to be a new interaction technique combining free source eye tracker and scanning switches. It is hoped users who can move a limb to use a single switch‐based scanning system will be hugely benefitted by this new system.

The purpose of this paper is to design an adaptation algorithm to facilitate pointing in electronic interfaces by users with motor impairment.

First, the algorithm was optimized using a simulator, then the algorithm was validated through a user study involving seven motor‐impaired and six able‐bodied users and three different pointing devices.

The algorithm significantly reduces pointing time overall and most participants pointed quicker with the gravity well than without it.

The adaptation algorithm can significantly reduce pointing time for both motor and situational impairment.

This paper aims to present a brief overview of the European “Gentle User Interfaces for Elderly People” (GUIDE) project, which is creating a software framework and design tools that allow developers to efficiently integrate accessibility and personalisation features into their applications, minimizing intervention with existing development process and tools. The GUIDE project aims to fill the accessibility, expertise, time, budget and framework gap between mainstream applications and accessibility systems through its user modelling and multimodal adaptation systems.

The paper looks at the GUIDE project which involves users in early design process, understands their requirements, formulates them into user models and implements the model into a software framework to personalize interfaces with change of range of abilities and context of use. It proposes a research solution to industry and works closely with it so that the research can make a market impact.

Early evaluation of the system shows it can accommodate a wide range of users and enhance their quality of participation with digital media. The project also contributes to develop standards for hybrid TV and the interoperable user model.

The GUIDE project is a first of its kind to take an end‐to‐end approach to accessible computing through presentations on user‐centred design, accessibility solutions, a software framework for industrial developers and standardization issues for legislators and regulators.

India has taken a successful step towards meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by providing access to basic amenities such as safe drinking water, waste management, drainage systems and bio-compost pits in households. The purpose of this study is to identify factors that significantly impact access to such basic amenities in villages in two states in the hilly regions of India.

Village-level secondary data collected from the Unnat Bharat Abhiyan (UBA) website has been analyzed using multiple linear regression and non-parametric statistical tests. Socio-economic and demographic variables are the independent factors in regression whereas availability of basic amenities is the dependent variable.

Findings reveal that in Himachal Pradesh, gender ratio, annual income per family, percentage of BPL households, percentage of pucca houses, and percentage of village population above graduation, significantly impact access to piped water in village households. Also, literacy rate and percentage of population with education above graduation significantly impact availability of compost pits. Further, in Uttarakhand, percentage of pucca houses influences access to waste collection system and availability of compost pits. Availability of drainage systems is influenced by literacy rate. A comparison between the two hilly states reveals that Himachal Pradesh is better off in terms of ease of access to drinking water whereas Uttarakhand is ahead in terms of other amenities.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, no other studies have used socio-economic and demographic variables to study access to basic amenities in villages in hilly states in India.