Glossary

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AAC

Abbreviation for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. AAC encompasses all forms of communication other than oral speech that are used to express thoughts, needs, wants, and ideas. This includes both unaided systems (such as gestures, sign language, and facial expressions)…

AAC Abandonment(also: AAC Device Abandonment, AT Abandonment)

The widespread phenomenon of users discontinuing their use of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices, particularly common among people with aphasia. Abandonment is driven by multiple factors including poor personalization and difficulty customizing devices to…

AAC Device(also: AAC System, Communication Device)

A dedicated hardware device or software application designed to support augmentative and alternative communication for people who cannot rely on natural speech. AAC devices range from low-tech options (communication boards, picture cards) to high-tech systems (speech-generating…

AAC Symbol Set(also: Symbol Set, Communication Symbol Set, Pictographic Symbol Set)

A standardised collection of pictographic images used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to represent words, phrases, or concepts. Each symbol in a set is mapped to specific vocabulary, allowing people who cannot use spoken language to construct messages by…

ABC Notation(also: ABC Text, ABC Music Notation)

A shorthand ASCII text format for representing music notation using plain characters that can be read directly by screen readers. In ABC notation, pitch is represented by letters (A-G for different octaves), rhythm by numbers and fractions, and musical elements like key…

AI Content Describer(also: NVDA AI Content Describer)

AI Content Describer is an add-on for the NVDA screen reader that uses multimodal AI models to generate descriptions of on-screen visual content — images, controls, icons, charts, and arbitrary screen regions — on demand. It gives NVDA users a JAWS-Picture-Smart-equivalent…

AI Homogenization(also: AI-Driven Homogenization, Generative AI Homogenization Effect)

The tendency for generative AI systems to produce outputs that converge toward similar patterns, reducing the diversity and uniqueness of results across different users and contexts. In accessibility and assistive technology, AI homogenization is particularly concerning because…

AI Proxy(also: AI Proxying)

A design pattern in which an AI system acts on a user's behalf within a social, communicative, or interpretive setting — for example, generating a facial expression, voice, or written reply that represents the user to others — rather than merely assisting the user with a…

AI Suitcase(also: AI-suitcase, Accessibility AI Suitcase)

A suitcase-shaped autonomous navigation robot for blind and low-vision travellers, developed as an open research platform by IBM Research, Carnegie Mellon University, Miraikan (the Japanese National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation), and project partners. The user holds…

AI Verification Loop(also: AI Feedback Loop, AI Query Loop)

An interactive process where a user queries an AI system to verify the correctness of their work, receives descriptive feedback, and iterates based on that feedback. In accessible tool design, AI verification loops allow users who cannot perceive visual output to confirm that…

AI hallucination(also: Model hallucination, Confabulation)

The generation of plausible-sounding but factually incorrect or fabricated information by AI systems, particularly large language and multimodal models. In accessibility applications, AI hallucinations are especially dangerous because users who cannot independently verify visual…

AI sycophancy(also: Sycophantic AI, AI agreeableness bias)

The tendency of AI systems, particularly large language models, to provide overly affirmative, agreeable, or encouraging responses that cater to the user rather than providing accurate information. In accessibility contexts, AI sycophancy poses serious safety risks — for…

AI-Fabrication(also: AI-Assisted Fabrication, AI-Driven Fabrication)

The use of artificial intelligence tools, particularly generative AI, to support the design and manufacturing of physical objects through digital fabrication methods such as 3D printing and laser cutting. In assistive technology contexts, AI-fabrication combines text-to-image…

ARIA Live Regions(also: Live Regions, aria-live)

ARIA live regions are areas of a web page that dynamically update with new content and use WAI-ARIA attributes to communicate those changes to assistive technologies. The aria-live attribute (with values of off, polite, or assertive) tells screen readers how urgently to announce…

ASL Dictionary(also: Sign Language Dictionary, ASL Lexicon)

A reference resource for looking up American Sign Language signs and their meanings. Unlike dictionaries for written languages, ASL dictionaries face unique challenges because signs cannot be typed as search queries. Traditional ASL dictionaries organize signs alphabetically by…

ASL education technology(also: Sign language learning technology)

Technology designed to support the teaching and learning of American Sign Language, ranging from video-based instructional platforms and feedback systems to computer vision tools that analyse signing performance. ASL education technology is an accessibility enabler because…

ASR Captioning(also: Automatic Captioning, Live Auto-Captioning, AI Captioning)

The use of automatic speech recognition (ASR) technology to generate real-time text captions of spoken language, commonly used as an accessibility tool for Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals in meetings, lectures, and video calls. Unlike professional captioning services (such…

AT Abandonment(also: Assistive Technology Abandonment, Device Abandonment)

The discontinuation of use of an assistive technology device by its intended user. AT abandonment rates are significant, with research showing that up to one-third of all assistive devices are abandoned within the first year. Common reasons include poor device fit, lack of…

AT Impact Framework(also: ATIF, Assistive Technology Impact Framework)

A multi-level conceptual framework for evaluating the impact of assistive technology interventions on quality of life, developed from longitudinal research with smartphone users with sensory disabilities in Kenya. ATIF is structured across three ecological levels: Self…

AT Information Access(also: Assistive Technology Information Access)

The ability of people with disabilities, caregivers, professionals, and other stakeholders to find, understand, and use information about assistive technology products and services. Effective AT information access requires content that is available in relevant languages and…

AT Service Delivery(also: Assistive Technology Service Delivery)

The systems, processes, and organizational structures through which assistive technology devices and services reach end users. Effective AT service delivery encompasses needs assessment, device selection, fitting, training, follow-up, and ongoing support. Models range from…

ATK(also: Accessibility Toolkit, Linux Accessibility Toolkit, AT-SPI)

ATK (Accessibility Toolkit) is the accessibility framework for the Linux desktop environment, providing an API through which applications expose their user interface elements to assistive technologies such as the Orca screen reader. ATK defines interfaces for accessible objects…

ATutor

ATutor is an open-source web-based Learning Management System (LMS) developed at the University of Toronto's Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC, now the Inclusive Design Research Centre) with accessibility as a founding design principle. Created in the early 2000s to…

Abacus(also: Cranmer Abacus, Counting Frame)

A manual calculating tool consisting of a frame with rods and movable beads used for arithmetic operations. For visually impaired users, adapted versions like the Cranmer abacus feature beads that stay in place when moved and a backing to prevent displacement. The abacus enables…

Abandonment of Assistive Technology(also: Assistive Technology Abandonment, AT Abandonment, Assistive Technology Discontinuance)

Abandonment of assistive technology is the well-documented phenomenon in which a substantial proportion of assistive devices acquired by disabled users — commonly reported in the literature at roughly one-third or higher — end up unused or discarded within a few years of…

Ability-Diverse Collaboration(also: Cross-Ability Collaboration, Mixed-Ability Collaboration)

A framework for understanding collaborative interactions between individuals with different abilities, where participants strategically combine and share their capabilities to achieve shared outcomes. The Ability-Diverse Collaboration Framework identifies two key modes of…

Ability-Mediating Design

A design framework introduced by Radu-Daniel Vatavu that focuses on how interactive systems mediate and reshape users' abilities rather than adapting to fixed abilities. Its core principles are mediation (systems empower users with enhanced skills), world coverage (systems…

Ability-based design(also: ABD)

An accessibility framework that shifts the design focus from disability (what users cannot do) to ability (what users can do), arguing that interactive systems should adapt to users' actual capabilities rather than requiring users to conform to standard interfaces. Proposed by…

Abstract Syntax Tree(also: AST, Syntax Tree)

A hierarchical tree representation of source code structure that captures the syntactic relationships between programming constructs like functions, classes, loops, and statements. In accessibility, AST-based navigation tools like StructJumper allow blind programmers to traverse…

Accelerated Speech(also: Time-Compressed Speech, Speed-Up Speech)

Audio output played at faster than normal speaking rate, commonly used by people with visual impairments when interacting with screen readers and other audio-based assistive technologies. Research shows that experienced screen reader users can comprehend speech at up to 500…

Access For All(also: ISO/IEC 24751, IMS Access For All, AfA)

An international standard (ISO/IEC 24751) for describing user accessibility needs and preferences in a portable, application-independent format. Originally developed by the IMS Global Learning Consortium for educational contexts, it was adopted as an ISO standard and uses XML…

Access hack(also: Accessibility workaround, Adaptive strategy, Crip hack)

A creative workaround, adaptation, or improvised solution that a disabled person develops to navigate an inaccessible tool, environment, or system. Access hacks range from physical modifications (adapting a kitchen tool for one-handed use) to digital strategies (using keyboard…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Interface, Platform Accessibility API)

A programming interface provided by an operating system or UI framework that exposes information about user interface elements to assistive technologies. Accessibility APIs enable screen readers, switch access devices, and other assistive technologies to programmatically read,…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Application Programming Interface, Platform Accessibility API)

A software interface provided by operating systems and browsers that exposes information about user interface elements — including their roles, states, properties, and relationships — to assistive technologies such as screen readers. Accessibility APIs (e.g., Microsoft UI…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Application Programming Interface, A11y API)

A set of programming interfaces provided by operating systems that allow assistive technologies and accessibility services to interact with application user interfaces. Accessibility APIs expose information about on-screen elements — their labels, roles, states, and…

Accessibility API Mapping(also: AAM, Accessibility API Mappings, Acc API Mapping)

Accessibility API Mappings (AAMs) are W3C specifications that define how the semantics of web content technologies — such as HTML, SVG, and WAI-ARIA — correspond to features in platform accessibility APIs like MSAA/UIA on Windows, ATK/AT-SPI on Linux, and NSAccessibility on…

Accessibility Commons(also: AC Repository, AC Metadata Repository)

A shared metadata repository and schema proposed in 2008 by IBM, the University of Washington, Stony Brook University, and the University of Manchester to let accessibility-remediation research projects publish and reuse externally authored fixes for inaccessible web content. An…

Accessibility Focus(also: A11y Focus, Screen Reader Focus)

The currently selected element in a user interface as perceived by a screen reader or other assistive technology. When an element has accessibility focus, the screen reader announces its description and the user can interact with it. Only one element can have accessibility focus…

Accessibility Metadata(also: A11y Metadata, Accessibility Annotations)

Structured information that describes the accessibility features, hazards, or access modes of digital content. Accessibility metadata can be embedded within content (such as alt text in HTML) or stored externally in separate databases or annotation systems. External…

Accessibility Script(also: Accessibility Plugin, Screen Reader Script)

An accessibility script is a piece of code, often developed by the user community rather than the software vendor, that adds or improves screen reader support and keyboard accessibility in an application that is otherwise inaccessible or difficult to use with assistive…

Accessibility Settings(also: Ease of Access, Accessibility Preferences)

A centralised area within an operating system or application where users can configure features that adapt the interface to their needs. Typical accessibility settings include display options (text size, high contrast, colour filters, cursor size), audio options (mono audio,…

Accessibility Technology(also: Access Technology)

A broad term encompassing any technology used to address accessibility barriers, including both dedicated assistive technologies and mainstream technologies repurposed for access. Unlike the narrower term assistive technology, accessibility technology recognizes that people may…

Accessibility Tree(also: A11y Tree, Accessible Tree)

A hierarchical data structure maintained by operating systems and browsers that represents the accessible elements of a user interface in a form that assistive technologies can interpret. The accessibility tree is derived from the visual UI but organized logically rather than…

Accessibility overlay(also: Accessibility widget, Accessibility plugin, Overlay tool)

A software layer, typically implemented as a JavaScript widget or browser extension, that applies modifications to a website's presentation or behavior with the goal of improving accessibility. Overlays range from user-driven tools that empower individuals to fix specific…

Accessible Data Visualization(also: Accessible Charts, Accessible Graphs)

The practice of designing data visualizations such as charts, graphs, and plots so that they can be perceived, understood, and interacted with by people with disabilities, including those who are blind or have low vision. Approaches include providing alternative text…

Accessible Digital Musical Instrument(also: ADMI)

An Accessible Digital Musical Instrument (ADMI) is a digital musical instrument that has been designed or adapted to be usable by people with disabilities. ADMIs typically use motion capture, gesture recognition, or other sensor technologies to map physical movements to sound,…

Accessible Fabrication(also: Accessible Making, Accessible Digital Fabrication)

Accessible fabrication refers to the design and use of digital fabrication tools — such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines — in ways that are usable by people with disabilities and that produce accessible outputs. This includes making the fabrication tools…

Accessible Fitness Technology(also: Inclusive Exercise Technology, Adaptive Fitness Tech)

Technologies designed to enable people with disabilities to engage in physical exercise independently and effectively. Accessible fitness technology spans audio-based exercise games, haptic workout guides, accessible gym equipment, VR exergames, and wearable activity trackers…

Accessible Graphics(also: Accessible Images, Non-Visual Graphics)

Visual information such as charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations that has been made perceivable and understandable to people with visual impairments through alternative formats. These formats include tactile graphics (raised line drawings, swell paper, 3D-printed models),…

Accessible Making(also: Accessible Fabrication, Inclusive Making)

The practice and research area focused on ensuring that maker activities—including digital fabrication, crafting, and DIY projects—are accessible to people with disabilities. This encompasses three related concepts: making assistive technologies accessible (ensuring disabled…