Accessible Voice Interfaces

Voice interfaces such as in-home and mobile digital assistants, mobile screen readers, and chatbots are tools that can support communication, collaboration, and information seeking, and are becoming increasingly commonplace. Because they don't require the motor skills needed for text input through a keyboard, the barriers of entry and use for older adults and people with disabilities are lowered.

Yet, accessibility of speech interaction can still be a challenge. Using and designing voice interfaces is radically different from graphical interfaces, redefining how we must think about accessibility and what it means for a conversation to be accessible.

This workshop invites submissions from researchers whose work advances the study of, design, and use of voice-based interfaces by older adults and people with disabilities. At the workshop, we will 1) explore recent advances in accessibility and voice interface research, 2) situate voice-based accessibility in prior work and existing theoretical frameworks, 3) discuss open challenges in the design of voice-based systems, and 4) identify opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration to continue research in this field.