Glossary

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Variable Ability(also: Fluctuating Ability, Dynamic Disability)

The characteristic of many chronic illnesses and disabilities where a person's functional abilities change significantly over time — across days, hours, or even minutes. Variable ability includes both baseline fluctuations (such as flares triggered by environmental factors or…

Video Prompting(also: Video-based prompting, Step-by-step video instruction)

An instructional technique that uses short video clips to show a person with a developmental or intellectual disability how to complete individual steps of a task, presented one step at a time. Unlike video modeling (which shows the entire task performed continuously), video…

Visual Attention(also: Attentional Allocation, Gaze Behaviour)

The cognitive process of selectively focusing on specific parts of the visual field while filtering out other information. Visual attention determines which elements in a scene or interface a person notices, how long they focus on them, and in what order. Research has shown that…

Visual Attention Span(also: VAS, Visual Attention Window)

The number of distinct visual elements that can be processed simultaneously in a single glance. Visual attention span is a cognitive capacity linked to reading ability — when reading, the eyes fixate on a word and the visual attention span determines how many letters can be…

Visual Clutter(also: Visual Noise, Visual Complexity)

An excess of visual elements in an environment or interface that makes it difficult to locate, identify, or focus on relevant information. Visual clutter is a significant barrier for people with cerebral visual impairment, simultanagnosia, and other visual processing conditions,…

Visual Context Switching(also: Visual Attention Switching, Gaze Switching)

The act of shifting visual focus between multiple sources of information, such as between a sign language interpreter and a presentation screen, or between captions and a speaker's face. For deaf and hard of hearing users, visual context switching is a significant accessibility…

Visual Data Exploration(also: VDE, data visualization exploration)

Visual data exploration is the interactive process of examining datasets through graphical representations such as charts, maps, and dashboards to discover patterns, trends, and anomalies. Accessibility considerations are critical because conventional visualizations rely…

Visual Distraction(also: Visual Clutter, Visual Noise)

Visual elements in an interface or content that draw attention away from the primary content or task, including animated advertisements, moving backgrounds, decorative overlays, notification badges, recommended content panels, and complex visual layouts. Visual distractions are…

Visual Perception(also: Visual Processing)

The brain's ability to interpret and organize visual information, including recognizing shapes, distinguishing between similar forms, perceiving spatial relationships, and processing symmetry. In accessibility contexts, differences in visual perception are relevant to dyslexia…

Visual Processing(also: Visual Processing Disorder, Visual Perception)

The brain's ability to interpret and make sense of visual information received through the eyes. Visual processing difficulties can affect reading, spatial awareness, figure-ground discrimination, and the ability to process complex visual layouts, even when visual acuity is…

Visual Prompts(also: Picture Prompts, Visual Cues, Photographic Cues)

Images, icons, photographs, or other visual representations used to guide, remind, or support individuals in completing tasks, following schedules, or navigating environments. Visual prompts are particularly important for people with cognitive disabilities, intellectual…

Visual Search Strategy(also: Scanning Strategy, Visual Scanning)

Systematic approaches to visually exploring an environment or scene to locate specific objects, patterns, or information. In low-vision rehabilitation, therapists train clients in efficient search strategies such as systematic scanning patterns (horizontal, vertical, spiral),…

Visual Skimming(also: Visual Scanning, Page Scanning)

The rapid visual process of scanning a page to quickly identify relevant content, key information, and areas of interest without reading every word. Sighted users can typically assess a webpage's relevance in about five seconds through visual skimming, guided by visual…

Visual-Spatial Processing(also: Visuospatial Processing, Visual-Spatial Cognition)

Visual-spatial processing is the cognitive ability to perceive, analyze, and mentally manipulate spatial relationships and visual information. It encompasses skills such as judging distances, understanding maps, recognizing shapes and patterns, and mentally rotating objects.…

Visualization Literacy(also: Data Visualization Literacy, Graphical Literacy, Graph Literacy)

The ability to read, interpret, and extract meaningful insights from visual data representations such as charts, graphs, maps, and infographics. Visualization literacy encompasses skills like identifying trends, making comparisons, understanding scales and axes, and critically…

Visuospatial Attention(also: Visual-Spatial Attention, Visuospatial Processing)

The cognitive ability to attend to, process, and mentally manipulate visual and spatial information in the environment. Visuospatial attention involves orienting to locations in space, tracking objects, and understanding spatial relationships between elements. Research has…

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