Accessibility Devices for Mobile Interfaces Extensions: A Survey

The development of mobile applications that consider accessibility can uniquely make use of software extensions to provide special interfaces to people with impairments. However, such extensions are limited so that the use of external devices is a natural alternative. The current market provides several accessibility devices that can be coupled to mobile devices, extending their interface abilities. However, there is not a work that compares such devices and assists the job of developers in finding an adequate device in accordance with their needs. Considering this scenario, this paper analyzed 60 scientific articles and over 250 relevant sites to identify devices that facilitate the use of applications running on mobile operating systems for impaired people. At the final of the process, 15 products were analyzed and compared against predefined features. Apart the number of existing devices for accessibility, it is possible to conclude that the market is still requiring a higher variety of options and further researches to provide a better level of accessibility for impaired users.