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Parallel DOM Architecture for Accessible Interactive Simulations

Authors:

Taliesin L. Smith,

Jesse Greenberg,

Emily B. MooreAuthors Info & Claims

W4A '18: Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference

Article No.: 4, Pages 1 - 8

https://doi.org/10.1145/3192714.3192817

Published: 23 April 2018 Publication History

Abstract

Interactive simulations are used in classrooms around the world to support student learning. Creating accessible interactive simulations is a complex challenge that pushes the boundaries of current accessibility approaches and standards. In this work, we present a new approach to addressing accessibility needs within complex interactives. Within a custom scene graph that utilizes a model-view-controller architectural pattern, we utilize a parallel document object model (PDOM) to create interactive simulations (PhET Interactive Simulations) accessible to students through alternative input devices and descriptions accessed with screen reader software. In this paper, we describe our accessibility goals, challenges, and approach to creating robust accessible interactive simulations, and provide examples from an accessible simulation we have developed and possibilities for future extensions.

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Cited By

Fiedler BSmith TGreenberg JMoore EAhmetovic DYaneva V(2022)For one or for all?Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference10.1145/3493612.3520456(1-11)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3493612.3520456
Huddleston JGalgoczy MGhumrawi KGiabbanelli PRice KNataraj NBrown MHarper CFlorence C(2022)Design and Deployment of a Simulation Platform: Case Study of an Agent-Based Model for Youth Suicide Prevention2022 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC)10.1109/WSC57314.2022.10015509(2582-2593)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2022
https://doi.org/10.1109/WSC57314.2022.10015509
Tomlinson BWalker BMoore EBernhaupt RMueller FVerweij DAndres JMcGrenere JCockburn AAvellino IGoguey ABjørn PZhao SSamson BKocielnik R(2020)Auditory Display in Interactive Science Simulations: Description and Sonification Support Interaction and Enhance Opportunities for LearningProceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3313831.3376886(1-12)Online publication date: 21-Apr-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3313831.3376886
Show More Cited By

Index Terms

Parallel DOM Architecture for Accessible Interactive Simulations
1. Human-centered computing
  1. Accessibility
    1. Accessibility systems and tools
    2. Accessibility theory, concepts and paradigms
2. Software and its engineering
  1. Software organization and properties
    1. Software system structures
      1. Software architectures

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cover image ACM Other conferences

W4A '18: Proceedings of the 15th International Web for All Conference

April 2018

223 pages

ISBN:9781450356510

DOI:10.1145/3192714

Copyright © 2018 ACM.

Permission to make digital or hard copies of all or part of this work for personal or classroom use is granted without fee provided that copies are not made or distributed for profit or commercial advantage and that copies bear this notice and the full citation on the first page. Copyrights for components of this work owned by others than the author(s) must be honored. Abstracting with credit is permitted. To copy otherwise, or republish, to post on servers or to redistribute to lists, requires prior specific permission and/or a fee. Request permissions from [email protected].

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Association for Computing Machinery

New York, NY, United States

Publication History

Published: 23 April 2018

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Research-article
Research
Refereed limited

Funding Sources

William and Flora Hewlett Foundation
University of Colorado Boulder
National Science Foundation, NSF

Conference

W4A '18

W4A '18: The Internet of Accessible Things

April 23 - 25, 2018

Lyon, France

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W4A '18 Paper Acceptance Rate 25 of 43 submissions, 58%;

Overall Acceptance Rate 171 of 371 submissions, 46%

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Cited By

Fiedler BSmith TGreenberg JMoore EAhmetovic DYaneva V(2022)For one or for all?Proceedings of the 19th International Web for All Conference10.1145/3493612.3520456(1-11)Online publication date: 25-Apr-2022
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3493612.3520456
Huddleston JGalgoczy MGhumrawi KGiabbanelli PRice KNataraj NBrown MHarper CFlorence C(2022)Design and Deployment of a Simulation Platform: Case Study of an Agent-Based Model for Youth Suicide Prevention2022 Winter Simulation Conference (WSC)10.1109/WSC57314.2022.10015509(2582-2593)Online publication date: 11-Dec-2022
https://doi.org/10.1109/WSC57314.2022.10015509
Tomlinson BWalker BMoore EBernhaupt RMueller FVerweij DAndres JMcGrenere JCockburn AAvellino IGoguey ABjørn PZhao SSamson BKocielnik R(2020)Auditory Display in Interactive Science Simulations: Description and Sonification Support Interaction and Enhance Opportunities for LearningProceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3313831.3376886(1-12)Online publication date: 21-Apr-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3313831.3376886
Smith TMoore EBernhaupt RMueller FVerweij DAndres JMcGrenere JCockburn AAvellino IGoguey ABjørn PZhao SSamson BKocielnik R(2020)Storytelling to Sensemaking: A Systematic Framework for Designing Auditory Description Display for InteractivesProceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems10.1145/3313831.3376460(1-12)Online publication date: 21-Apr-2020
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3313831.3376460
Sorge VAhmetovic DBernareggi CGardner J(2019)Scientific DocumentsWeb Accessibility10.1007/978-1-4471-7440-0_22(397-415)Online publication date: 4-Jun-2019
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-7440-0_22
Tomlinson BKaini PZhou SSmith TMoore EWalker BHwang FMcGrenere JFlatla D(2018)Design and Evaluation of a Multimodal Science SimulationProceedings of the 20th International ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility10.1145/3234695.3241009(438-440)Online publication date: 8-Oct-2018
https://dl.acm.org/doi/10.1145/3234695.3241009
Moore ESmith TGreenberg J(2018)Keyboard and Screen Reader Accessibility in Complex Interactive Science Simulations: Design Challenges and Elegant SolutionsUniversal Access in Human-Computer Interaction. Methods, Technologies, and Users10.1007/978-3-319-92049-8_28(385-400)Online publication date: 5-Jun-2018
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-92049-8_28

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