Enhancing Screen Reader Intelligibility in Noisy Environments

People with blindness or severe low vision access mobile devices using screen readers. However, noisy environments can impair screen reader intelligibility. During mobility, this could disorient or even endanger the user. To address this issue, we propose three screen reader speech compensation techniques based on environmental noise: speech rate slowing, adaptive volume increase, and adaptive equalization. Through a study with 12 participants in three simulated noise scenarios, we evaluate screen reader intelligibility and the perceived distraction from the soundscape, with and without compensations. Four of the proposed compensations, in particular those that pair speech rate reduction with volume or equalization adaptation, significantly improve screen reader's speech intelligibility in all the considered scenarios, and the compensations do not have a significant impact on the distraction from the soundscape.