Glossary

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T9(also: Text on 9 Keys, Tegic T9)

T9 (Text on 9 Keys) is a dictionary-based predictive text-entry method developed by Tegic Communications in the 1990s for mobile phone keypads with multiple letters assigned to each numeric key. Rather than pressing a key multiple times to cycle through letters (the older…

TTY(also: TDD, Telecommunications Device for the Deaf, Text Telephone)

A text-based telecommunications device that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities to communicate over telephone lines by typing messages that are displayed on a screen or printed on paper. TTY devices were the primary means of telephone…

TTY Relay Service(also: Telecommunications Relay Service, TRS, Text Telephone Relay)

A telecommunications service that enables people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities to communicate by telephone through a relay operator who converts between text and voice. Users type messages on a TTY (teletypewriter) device, and the relay operator…

Table Navigation Mode(also: Table Navigation)

A screen reader feature that allows users to navigate within data tables by moving a virtual cursor cell-by-cell in two dimensions — by row and by column — rather than reading content linearly. Introduced by Ogane and Asakawa in 1998 and subsequently adopted by virtually all…

Table-to-Prose(also: Table-to-Prose Transformation, Tabular Data Narration)

The process of converting structured tabular data into natural language prose descriptions that can be easily understood when read aloud or presented through speech synthesis. Table-to-prose transformation goes beyond simple cell-by-cell linearization by constructing coherent…

Tablet Input(also: Graphics Tablet, Pen Tablet, Digitizer Tablet)

An input device consisting of a flat surface that detects the position and movement of a stylus or digital pen, translating physical writing and drawing motions into digital input. Graphics tablets (such as those made by Wacom) provide an alternative to mouse input that…

Tablet PC(also: Tablet Computer, Pen Tablet)

A portable computing device featuring a touchscreen display that can be operated with fingers, a stylus, or both. For accessibility purposes, tablets offer several advantages: adjustable screen angle and position, portability for use in comfortable positions, direct manipulation…

Tactile Aid(also: Tactile Learning Aid, Tactile Tool)

A physical object designed to convey information through touch, used to make visual or abstract concepts accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Tactile aids can include raised-line drawings, textured surfaces, 3D-printed models, and laser-cut representations of…

Tactile Animation(also: Animated Tactile Graphics, Tactile Motion Graphics)

A sequence of tactile images displayed over time on a refreshable tactile display to convey motion, change, or dynamic processes through touch. Unlike static tactile graphics, tactile animations allow blind and low-vision users to perceive movement, temporal progression, and…

Tactile Authoring(also: Tactile Graphic Authoring, BLV Authoring)

The creation of tactile graphics — raised-line drawings, swell-paper images, or refreshable-display renderings — by or with blind and low-vision authors, rather than exclusively by sighted experts. Tactile authoring tools include moldable materials, 3D printing pens,…

Tactile Ballot(also: Tactile Voting Device, Tactile Template, Tactile Sleeve)

A physical overlay, sleeve, or template placed over a paper ballot that provides raised, cut-out, or braille markings aligned with ballot boxes so that blind and low-vision voters can locate candidate entries by touch and mark their choice independently. Tactile ballots have…

Tactile Data Comics(also: TDC)

A presentation method for accessible education that combines step-by-step tactile graphics on a refreshable tactile display with synchronized verbal narration. Inspired by visual data comics, tactile data comics decompose complex images into sequential frames that progressively…

Tactile Display(also: Haptic Display)

A device that presents information through the sense of touch, using raised elements, vibrations, or other tactile stimuli to convey data that would typically be presented visually. Tactile displays serve as assistive technology for blind and low vision users, enabling access to…

Tactile Feedback(also: Haptic Feedback, Touch Feedback)

Physical sensations provided to a user through touch, including vibrations, textures, pressure, or resistance, that communicate information or confirm interactions. In accessibility, tactile feedback serves as a non-visual, non-auditory channel for conveying…

Tactile Graphic(also: Tactile Image, Raised-Line Graphic, Tactile Diagram)

A physical representation of visual information that uses raised lines, textures, and relief to convey images, diagrams, maps, and other visual content through touch. Tactile graphics are essential for blind and visually impaired people to access visual information in education,…

Tactile Graphic Reader(also: Tactile Graphic Display, Tactile Image Reader)

A device that combines physical tactile graphics (raised-line images on paper) with digital audio feedback, enabling blind and visually impaired users to explore graphical content through touch while receiving spoken or sonified information about the elements they contact.…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Diagrams, Raised Graphics)

Visual information represented in a raised or textured format that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and low vision users to access charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Tactile graphics use combinations of raised lines, textures, and braille labels to convey…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Images, Tactile Diagrams, Raised-Line Graphics)

Visual information represented in a form that can be perceived through touch, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access images, diagrams, maps, charts, and spatial layouts. Tactile graphics can be created through embossing, thermoforming, 3D printing, or swell…

Tactile Graphics Assistant(also: TGA)

A software tool developed at the University of Washington that automates parts of the tactile graphics translation process to help specialists more efficiently convert printed images into tactile form for blind users. The TGA pipeline includes image classification (identifying…

Tactile Guide(also: Tactile Jig, Tactile Fixture)

A physical modification attached to equipment or tools that provides tactile directional feedback to guide a user through a task without relying on vision. In manufacturing and assembly settings, tactile guides are made from materials such as electrical tape, Dymo tape, metal…

Tactile Image Exploration(also: Tactile Graphics Exploration, Haptic Image Exploration)

Tactile image exploration is the process by which blind or visually impaired users perceive and interpret graphical content through touch, typically by moving their fingers across raised-line drawings, embossed diagrams, or haptic displays. Unlike visual perception, which allows…

Tactile Imaging(also: Tactile Image, Tactile Image Conversion, Visual-to-Tactile Conversion)

The process of converting visual images into tactile representations that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and visually impaired users to access graphical information. Tactile imaging involves simplifying complex visual content into raised patterns, textures, or…

Tactile Interface(also: Haptic interface, Touch-based interface)

An input/output interface that conveys information through the sense of touch — using vibration, pressure, skin stretch, temperature, or physical shape change. In navigation for blind people, tactile interfaces are often preferred to audio because they do not block the ambient…

Tactile Manipulatives(also: Tactile Learning Objects, Tactile Teaching Aids)

Physical objects designed to be explored through touch for educational purposes, particularly valuable for students who are blind or have low vision. In STEM accessibility, tactile manipulatives include embossed diagrams, 3D-printed models, textured game pieces, and…

Tactile Marker(also: Tactile Anchor, Physical Anchor)

Physical objects such as coasters, placemats, or textured stickers placed in the environment to provide tactile reference points that help bridge virtual and physical interactions. In AR-based low-vision training, tactile markers attached to virtual objects can ground digital…

Tactile Markers(also: Bump Dots, Tactile Labels, Braille Labels)

Physical indicators such as raised dots, textured stickers, or braille labels applied to objects, appliances, and controls to make them identifiable by touch for people who are blind or have low vision. Tactile markers are commonly placed on oven dials, microwave buttons,…

Tactile Model(also: 3D Tactile Object, Touch Model)

A three-dimensional physical object designed to be explored through touch, used to convey spatial, structural, or conceptual information to blind and low vision users. Tactile models can represent anything from anatomical structures to geographical features to scientific…

Tactile Overlay(also: Touch Overlay, Tactile Screen Overlay)

A physical sheet or frame placed on top of a touchscreen or flat surface that provides raised tactile landmarks, borders, buttons, and contextual information for users who are blind or have low vision. Tactile overlays can be made from laser-cut cardboard, 3D printed materials,…

Tactile Printer(also: Braille Embosser, Tactile Embosser)

A device that produces raised-line graphics and text on paper or other media, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access visual information through touch. Tactile printers work by embossing dots or lines onto heavy paper, or by using thermal processes with…

Tactile Screenshots(also: Tactile UI Representations)

Embossed or raised representations of graphical user interface screens that allow blind users to explore software layouts through touch. Tactile screenshots preserve the spatial arrangement of UI elements such as buttons, icons, text areas, and navigation elements, enabling…

Tactile Stimulation(also: Tactile Feedback, Cutaneous Stimulation)

Tactile stimulation refers to the use of physical sensations delivered to the skin to convey information, typically through vibrations, pin arrays, textures, or pressure changes. In assistive technology, tactile stimulation is fundamental to braille displays, haptic interfaces,…

Tactile User Interface(also: Tactile UI, TUI)

A user interface designed to be operated and understood through the sense of touch, enabling interaction for blind and low vision users. Tactile user interfaces may include physical buttons with tactile markings, raised icons, textured surfaces that indicate different functional…

Tactile Working Memory(also: Haptic Working Memory, Touch Working Memory)

The cognitive system responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating tactile information received through the sense of touch. Similar to visual and auditory working memory, tactile working memory has limited capacity (typically 2-5 items depending on conditions) and is…

Tactile graphics(also: Raised-line graphics, Touch graphics)

Physical representations of visual information using raised surfaces, textures, and patterns that can be explored through touch. Tactile graphics are essential for conveying spatial and graphical information — maps, charts, diagrams, mathematical graphs — to blind and visually…

Tactile learning(also: Haptic learning, Touch-based learning)

An educational approach that uses the sense of touch as a primary channel for acquiring knowledge, developing skills, and understanding concepts. For BLV students, tactile learning is essential — braille reading, tactile diagrams, physical manipulatives, and hands-on crafts like…

Tactile relief(also: 2.5D relief, Tactile relief model)

A physical representation that preserves depth information and surface textures from a two-dimensional image, creating a raised surface that can be explored by touch. Unlike flat raised-line drawings or tactile diagrams, tactile reliefs convey spatial relationships, depth…

Tactile-First Strategy(also: Touch-Based Strategy, Tactile-First Approach)

An approach to completing tasks that prioritizes touch and physical sensation as the primary sensory channel for guidance, feedback, and assessment. In accessibility contexts, tactile-first strategies are developed by people with vision impairments to navigate tasks…

Tactilization(also: Tactile Rendering, Haptic Rendering)

The process of converting visual or abstract information into tactile representations that can be perceived through the sense of touch. In accessibility, tactilization transforms content such as web page layouts, data visualizations, or text emphasis into patterns of vibration,…

Tacton(also: Tactile Icon, Vibrotactile Pattern)

A structured and abstract vibrotactile message designed to communicate complex information to users non-visually, analogous to how icons communicate information visually or earcons communicate through audio. Tactons encode information through vibration parameters such as rhythm,…

Tactor(also: Vibrotactile Actuator, Tactile Actuator, Vibration Motor)

A small electromechanical device that produces vibrations against the skin to convey information through the sense of touch. Tactors are the fundamental components of tactile displays and wearable haptic devices, commonly used in electronic travel aids, navigation belts, and…

TalkBack(also: Android TalkBack, Google TalkBack)

The built-in screen reader for Android devices, developed by Google as part of the Android Accessibility Suite. TalkBack provides spoken feedback, vibration, and other audible cues to help blind and visually impaired users navigate their devices without seeing the screen. Users…

Talking Browser(also: Talking Web Browser, Speaking Browser)

A historical term for a specialised web browser that converts on-screen content into synthesised speech, enabling blind and low-vision users to browse the web through audio rather than through a separate screen reader layered over a visual browser. Talking browsers such as IBM…

Talking Head(also: Virtual Talking Head, Animated Face, 3D Talking Head)

A talking head is a computer-generated 3D or 2D animated representation of a human face and articulatory system that produces visible speech movements synchronised with audio output. In accessibility and speech therapy contexts, talking heads are particularly valuable because…

Talking Lights

Talking Lights is a commercial location-signalling system that modulates ordinary fluorescent light fixtures to transmit an inaudible digital signal, which a hand-held receiver carried by a blind user decodes into spoken information about the current location (for example, a…

Talking Signs(also: Talking Sign)

An assistive technology system that uses infrared (IR) frequency modulated voice signals to transmit spoken information about signage to people with vision loss. Developed by the Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute in 1992, Talking Signs broadcast recorded messages that can…

Tangible Interface(also: Tangible User Interface, TUI)

A user interface that uses physical objects as representations and controls for digital information, allowing users to interact through touch and manipulation of tangible artifacts. In accessibility contexts, tangible interfaces have been used for braille literacy education…

Tangible Programming(also: Physical Programming, Tangible Coding, Tactile Programming)

A programming approach that uses physical objects — such as blocks, cards, or robots — that users can manipulate with their hands to create programs, rather than typing code or dragging on-screen elements. Tangible programming is particularly valuable for students with visual…

Tangible Technology(also: Tangible Interface, Tangible User Interface, TUI)

Technology that connects physical objects to digital systems, allowing users to interact with computing through touching, manipulating, and moving real-world objects rather than through screens or keyboards. Tangible technologies are particularly valuable in accessibility…

Tangible interaction(also: Tangible user interface, TUI, Physical computing)

An interaction paradigm in which users manipulate physical objects and materials to interact with digital information, bridging the gap between the physical and digital worlds. Tangible interfaces leverage people's existing skills in manipulating physical objects, making them…

Tangram Workstation(also: Tangram)

A LibreOffice extension for creating tactile graphics collaboratively. Tangram enables sighted users to design graphics while providing real-time tactile feedback to blind reviewers through a connected pin-matrix display. The tool includes a palette of validated tactile fill…