Glossary

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Core Vocabulary(also: Core Words)

A small set of high-frequency words — typically pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions — that make up approximately 80% of what people say in everyday communication. Examples include words like "I," "want," "go," "more," "help," and "that." In AAC practice, core…

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory(also: CCAT, Kim's Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory)

A communication theory, developed principally by Young Yun Kim, that describes how individuals adjust to an unfamiliar cultural environment over time through cycles of stress, adaptation, and growth. The theory emphasises that adaptation is mediated by host communication…

Cross-neurotype communication(also: Cross-neurological communication, Neurotype-crossing communication)

Communication between individuals with different neurological profiles, most commonly between autistic and neurotypical people. Cross-neurotype communication is characterized by differences in conversational style — autistic individuals often prefer direct, literal language with…

Cued Speech(also: Cued Language)

A visual communication system that combines mouth movements of speech with hand shapes and positions (cues) near the face to make spoken language visually accessible. Unlike sign language, which is an independent language with its own grammar, cued speech represents the phonemes…

Deictic Gesture(also: Pointing Gesture)

A deictic gesture is a pointing or indicating motion (typically with a finger, but also with gaze, head, or tool) that directs another person's attention to a specific referent in the shared environment. In face-to-face tutoring, deictic gestures are central to effective…

Deictic Reference(also: Deixis, Pointing Reference)

Communication that refers to something by pointing or indicating rather than describing it explicitly—words like "this," "that," "here," and "there." In face-to-face communication, deictic references typically rely on visual cues (pointing gestures, gaze direction). For people…

Delegated Agency(also: Delegated Technical Agency)

Delegated agency occurs in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) when a close conversation partner (such as a parent or aide) acts on behalf of an augmented communicator to advance the communicator's conversational goals. This may include expanding on the…

Diarization(also: Speaker Diarization, Speaker Segmentation)

The process of automatically determining "who spoke when" in an audio or video recording by segmenting the audio stream and assigning each segment to a specific speaker. In accessibility contexts, diarization is critical for deaf and hard of hearing users who rely on captions or…

Digital Storytelling(also: Multimedia Storytelling, Personal Digital Narrative)

The use of digital media — including photographs, video clips, audio recordings, and text — to create and share personal narratives. In the context of accessibility and AAC, digital storytelling offers an alternative to text-based and real-time spoken communication, allowing…

Disability Etiquette(also: Disability manners, Interaction etiquette)

A set of conventions for respectful and appropriate interaction with disabled people, typically taught to non-disabled colleagues, service staff, students, and healthcare providers. Common principles include speaking directly to the disabled person (not their interpreter or…

Disability Language(also: Disability Terminology, Disability Nomenclature)

The words and phrases used to refer to disabled people and disability, which carry significant social, political, and cultural implications. Disability language encompasses identity-first language (e.g., "disabled person"), person-first language (e.g., "person with a…

Disordered Speech(also: Pathological Speech, Atypical Speech)

Speech that differs from typical patterns due to motor, neurological, structural, or developmental conditions. Disordered speech encompasses conditions like dysarthria, apraxia, stuttering, and speech differences from cerebral palsy or Parkinson's disease. For accessibility,…

E-Tran Frame(also: Eye-Transfer Frame, Eye-Pointing Frame, ETRAN)

A low-technology augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device consisting of a transparent frame or board that allows a person to communicate by directing their eye gaze toward symbols, letters, words, or colour-coded groups arranged on the frame. The communication…

Echolalia(also: Echoing, Echolalic Speech)

The repetition or echoing of words, phrases, or sounds spoken by others, commonly observed in individuals with autism spectrum disorder and some other developmental conditions. Echolalia can be immediate (repeating something just heard) or delayed (repeating something heard…

Embodied Communication(also: Embodied Interaction)

Communication that involves the whole body as a resource for meaning-making, including gestures, posture, facial expressions, gaze, touch, and physical movement through space. Embodied communication recognizes that meaning is not solely transmitted through words but is…

Emergent Communicator(also: Beginning Communicator, Pre-Symbolic Communicator)

A person who is in the early stages of learning to use symbolic communication — understanding that symbols, words, pictures, or signs can represent objects, actions, and concepts. Emergent communicators may use a combination of gestures, vocalizations, facial expressions, and…

Emoji(also: Emojis)

Small pictographic characters — faces, gestures, objects, symbols — encoded as Unicode code points and rendered by platform-specific font sets, used to convey affect, tone, and non-verbal nuance in otherwise text-based or visually-limited communication. For accessibility, emoji…

English Literacy(also: Reading Literacy, English Reading Literacy)

The ability to read, write, and comprehend written English. In the context of deaf and hard-of-hearing accessibility, English literacy is a significant consideration because many DHH individuals — particularly those who are native ASL users — may have lower levels of English…

Ethnomethodology

A sociological approach, founded by Harold Garfinkel, that studies the everyday methods people use to make sense of and produce social order in interaction - the implicit rules and shared practices through which we treat ordinary situations as ordinary. Conversation analysis…

Expressive Communication(also: Expressive AAC, Rich Communication)

Communication that conveys not just informational content but also emotion, personality, attitude, humor, and social nuance. For AAC users, achieving expressive communication is a significant challenge because most AAC technology prioritizes efficient message transmission over…

Extra-Speech Information(also: ESI, Paralinguistic Information)

Aspects of spoken language beyond the words themselves that convey additional meaning, including how something is said rather than what is said. Examples include tone of voice (yelling, whispering), vocal emotion (sarcasm, anger, joy), singing, the language being spoken, speaker…

Eye Gaze(also: Gaze, Gaze Direction, Visual Gaze)

The direction and focus of a person's eyes during visual attention, used both as a communication signal and as a measurable indicator of cognitive processing. In sign language communication, eye gaze serves critical linguistic functions including marking grammatical…

Eye Gaze Communication(also: Gaze-Based Communication, Eye Tracking Communication)

The use of eye movements and gaze direction as a means of communication, either naturally (making eye contact, looking at objects to indicate interest) or through technology (eye-tracking systems that allow users to select items on a screen by looking at them). For AAC users,…

Facial Expression

The use of facial muscles to convey emotions, reactions, or linguistic meaning. In sign languages such as ASL, facial expressions serve a grammatical function far beyond conveying emotion — they mark questions (raised eyebrows for yes/no questions, furrowed brows for…

Facial Expressions in Sign Language(also: Non-Manual Markers, Non-Manual Signals, NMMs)

Meaningful facial movements and configurations that serve grammatical, lexical, and affective functions in sign languages. In American Sign Language, facial expressions are not merely emotional indicators but carry essential linguistic information including marking questions…

Finger Braille(also: Tactile Finger Spelling)

A communication method used primarily by deaf-blind people, in which a sender taps or presses on the fingers of the receiver to represent Braille dot patterns, simulating typing on a Braille typewriter. The receiver's six fingers (three on each hand) correspond to the six dots…

Fingerspelling(also: Manual alphabet, Dactylology)

A method of spelling out words letter by letter using hand shapes, used within sign languages to represent proper nouns, technical terms, or words that lack a dedicated sign. Each letter of the written alphabet corresponds to a specific hand configuration. Fingerspelling poses…

Fingerspelling(also: Manual Alphabet, Dactylology)

A method of spelling out words letter-by-letter using hand positions that represent each letter of the alphabet. In American Sign Language, fingerspelling uses a one-handed manual alphabet and is primarily used for proper names, technical terms, and words that do not have…

Floor Holding(also: Holding the Floor, Turn Holding)

The conversational practice of maintaining one's turn to speak, signaling to others that one has not finished and intends to continue. For AAC users, floor holding is particularly challenging because the time required to compose messages creates long pauses that communication…

Formulaic Language(also: Formulaic Speech, Routine Language)

Pre-established, conventionalised phrases and expressions that occur predictably in specific social or transactional contexts, such as greetings, service transactions, or ceremonial speech. In accessibility and communication technology, the formulaic nature of certain…

Fringe Vocabulary(also: Fringe Words, Context-Specific Vocabulary)

Topic-specific or situation-specific words in an AAC system, typically nouns and other content words that are needed in particular contexts but not used frequently across all conversations. Examples include words like "dinosaur" at a museum, "swing" at a playground, or…

Gaze Typing(also: Eye Typing, Gaze-Based Text Entry, Eye-Typing)

A text input method that uses eye tracking technology to allow users to type by looking at keys on a virtual on-screen keyboard. The most common technique is dwell-based selection, where the user fixates on a letter for a set duration (typically 300-1000 milliseconds) to select…

Gaze-Based Communication(also: Eye Gaze Communication, Gaze-Based AAC)

A form of augmentative and alternative communication that uses eye movement tracking to enable people with severe motor and speech impairments to select words, phrases, symbols, or commands on a screen. Users make selections by fixating their gaze on a target for a set dwell…

German Sign Language(also: DGS, Deutsche Gebärdensprache)

The sign language used by the deaf community in Germany, recognised as an independent natural language with its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary distinct from spoken German. Like other sign languages worldwide, German Sign Language is a visual-spatial language that uses…

Gloss(also: Sign Gloss, Gloss Notation)

A form of transliteration used in sign language research where written words from a spoken language (typically the dominant spoken language of the region, such as English) are used as labels to represent individual signs. Glosses are written in capital letters by convention…

Gricean maxims(also: Conversational maxims, Cooperative principle)

A set of principles proposed by philosopher Paul Grice that describe the implicit rules governing cooperative conversation: quantity (be informative but not over-informative), quality (be truthful), relation (be relevant), and manner (be clear and orderly). Gricean maxims are…

Grid Display(also: Symbol Grid, Grid-Based AAC)

A common AAC layout format that presents communication options as symbols, icons, or words arranged in a grid pattern of rows and columns. Grid displays are widely used in speech-generating devices and AAC apps, allowing users to construct messages by selecting individual…

Haptic Communication(also: Social Haptics, Tactile Communication, Haptic Interaction)

A method of conveying information through touch-based signals, vibrations, or physical patterns on the body. Haptic communication is particularly important for individuals with deafblindness or other multisensory impairments, where visual and auditory channels are unavailable or…

High-Tech AAC(also: Electronic AAC, Speech-Generating Device)

Augmentative and alternative communication systems that use electronic or digital technology to support communication, including speech-generating devices, tablets with AAC software, smartphones with communication apps, and eye gaze systems. High-tech AAC can offer sophisticated…

Hong Kong Sign Language(also: HKSL)

Hong Kong Sign Language (HKSL) is the primary sign language used by the deaf and hard of hearing community in Hong Kong. It has its own distinct grammar and linguistic rules that differ significantly from spoken Chinese, Cantonese, and other sign languages such as American Sign…

Icon-Based Communication(also: Symbol-Based Communication, Picture-Based Communication)

Icon-based communication is a form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) in which users select graphic symbols or icons representing words, phrases, or concepts to construct messages. These systems are commonly used by individuals with severe speech impairments who…

Idiosyncratic Gesture(also: Personalised Gesture, Idiosyncratic Movement)

A body-based communicative movement whose form and meaning are specific to one individual (and often to one communication partner), rather than drawn from a shared vocabulary like American Sign Language. Idiosyncratic gestures are central to unaided AAC for many people with…

Imitation(also: Embodied Imitation)

The act of observing and reproducing another person's actions, gestures, or vocalisations. Imitation is a foundational social and developmental skill that supports language acquisition, motor learning, and the establishment of shared experience between a child and a caregiver or…

Improvisational Music Therapy(also: IMT, Creative Music Therapy)

A therapeutic approach in which the therapist and client spontaneously create music together without predetermined structure or composed material. This form of music therapy allows non-verbal communication and emotional expression through musical interaction, making it…

Indian Sign Language(also: ISL, Indo-Pakistani Sign Language, IPSL)

The sign language used predominantly by the Deaf community in India. Indian Sign Language has its own distinct grammar and vocabulary that differs substantially from American Sign Language (ASL) and other sign languages. ISL is used by millions of Deaf individuals across India…

Indirect speech act(also: Indirect request)

A linguistic utterance whose intended meaning differs from its literal meaning, commonly used in neurotypical communication for politeness or social convention. For example, "Can you pass the salt?" is literally a question about ability but is conventionally understood as a…

Information Theory(also: Shannon Theory, Mathematical Theory of Communication)

A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 for quantifying the transmission, processing, and storage of information. Central concepts include entropy (the measure of uncertainty or unpredictability in a message source), information rate (the reduction of…

Interaction Symmetry(also: Balanced Interaction)

The degree to which conversation partners have equal opportunities and means to participate in an interaction. In face-to-face spoken conversation, interaction is relatively symmetric—both partners can speak, listen, and use non-verbal cues at comparable speeds. AAC…

Interactional Synchrony

The coordinated, often unconscious alignment of conversational partners' body postures, gestures, gaze, vocal rhythm, and facial expressions during social interaction. Research in social psychology and affective neuroscience has linked interactional synchrony to rapport,…

Interactive Communication Model

A model of communication that extends the linear model by incorporating feedback from the receiver back to the sender, creating a two-way exchange. In AAC contexts, interactive high-tech devices enable the AAC user to receive responses and adjust their communication accordingly,…