Glossary

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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…

Talking Mats

A visual communication framework that uses a textured mat and sets of picture symbols to help people express their views on topics that matter to them. Developed at the University of Stirling, Talking Mats provides a structured way for people who find it difficult to communicate…

Technical Agency

Technical agency, in the context of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), refers to an individual's ability to actively participate in and contribute to a conversation through direct actions such as speaking, gesturing, or vocalizing. It is distinguished from…

Teleconferencing Accessibility(also: Video Conferencing Accessibility, Remote Meeting Accessibility)

The practice of ensuring that teleconference and video conferencing platforms and meetings are usable by people with disabilities, including deaf and hard of hearing users, blind and low-vision users, and people with cognitive or motor disabilities. Teleconferencing…

Telegraphic Speech(also: Telegraphic Input, Compressed Speech)

A simplified form of communication that uses only essential content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives) while omitting function words (articles, prepositions, conjunctions) and grammatical inflections. In AAC and assistive technology contexts, telegraphic input allows users with…

Text Gloss(also: Text Glosses)

In Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), a text label or annotation associated with a visual symbol (such as an icon or pictogram) on a communication device. The text gloss serves two purposes: it provides a written description to help communication partners…

Text Messaging(also: SMS, Short Message Service, Texting)

Text messaging is the exchange of short written messages between mobile devices over a cellular or data network, most commonly using the SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) standards, or modern over-the-top messaging apps. Text messaging has been a…

Text-to-Speech(also: TTS, Speech Synthesis, Screen Reading)

Technology that converts written text into spoken audio output, using either pre-recorded speech segments or synthesized voices. Text-to-speech is a foundational accessibility technology used by screen readers for blind users, by people with learning disabilities like dyslexia,…

Tone indicator(also: Tone tag)

A text-based marker appended to online messages to explicitly signal the intended emotional tone or communicative intent, such as /s for sarcasm, /j for joking, /gen for genuine, or /srs for serious. Tone indicators emerged from neurodivergent online communities to address the…

Transactional Communication Model

The most dynamic model of communication, in which all parties are simultaneously senders and receivers, co-creating meaning through instantaneous, continuous feedback. In this model, communication is a collaborative process where context, environment, and shared understanding…

Transcription(also: Speech-to-Text Transcription, Real-Time Transcription)

The process of converting spoken language into written text, either in real time or after the fact. In accessibility contexts, transcription services provide communication access for deaf and hard of hearing individuals by producing text versions of spoken content in classrooms,…

Translanguaging

The practice of drawing on multiple languages within a single interaction or communication act, leveraging a person's full linguistic repertoire rather than treating languages as separate, bounded systems. Translanguaging is particularly relevant to accessibility for…

Transliteration(also: Sign Language Transliteration)

The word-by-word conversion of text from one system into another — for example, rendering a name in one script using the characters of another. In sign-language accessibility the term has a specific meaning: producing a signed form of spoken or written English by substituting a…

Trouble-Indicating Behavior(also: TIB, Trouble Source-Repair)

Verbal or nonverbal behaviors that signal confusion, misunderstanding, or difficulty in communication. In research on dementia and human-robot interaction, TIBs are categorized into types including: requests for repetition, requests for clarification, metalinguistic comments ("I…

Turn Taking(also: Conversational Turn-Taking, Turn-Taking)

The pragmatic skill of alternating speaking and listening roles during conversation, including knowing when to speak, how long to speak, and how to signal readiness to yield or take a turn. Turn taking is a fundamental component of social communication that children typically…

Turn-Taking(also: Conversational Turn-Taking, Floor Management)

The process by which speakers in a conversation negotiate who speaks when, managing transitions between speakers through verbal and non-verbal cues. Turn-taking involves recognizing when a speaker is finishing, signaling desire to speak, and yielding the floor to others. In AAC…

Turn-Taking

The process by which participants in a conversation manage who speaks when, including how speakers signal they are finished and how listeners indicate they want to contribute. Turn-taking norms are typically based on spoken communication speeds and can create significant…

18 results.