Glossary

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E-Commerce Accessibility(also: Accessible E-Commerce, Online Shopping Accessibility)

The degree to which online shopping experiences — product discovery, evaluation, checkout, fulfilment, customer support, and (on peer-to-peer platforms) selling — are usable by people with disabilities, particularly blind and low-vision (BLV) users who depend on screen readers,…

E-Government Accessibility(also: Digital Government Accessibility, E-Gov Accessibility)

The practice of ensuring that electronic government services — including websites, online forms, and digital public services — are usable by people with disabilities. E-government accessibility is particularly important because government services are often essential and…

E-Health(also: eHealth, Electronic Health)

The use of information and communication technologies for health services, including electronic health records, telemedicine, mobile health applications, and patient portals. E-health aims to improve healthcare access, efficiency, and quality, but accessibility barriers in…

E-Recruiting(also: Electronic Recruiting, Online Recruiting, Digital Recruitment)

The use of web-based tools and platforms for job posting, candidate sourcing, application submission, and hiring management. E-recruiting systems include job search websites, online application portals, applicant tracking systems, and social networking platforms like LinkedIn.…

Emergency Preparedness(also: Disaster Preparedness, Crisis Preparedness)

The planning, policies, and infrastructure put in place to ensure that communities can respond effectively to emergencies such as natural disasters, pandemics, and other crises. In accessibility contexts, emergency preparedness has a poor track record of including people with…

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…

Employee Onboarding Accessibility(also: Accessible Onboarding, Inclusive Onboarding)

The practice of ensuring that the employee onboarding process — including signing contracts, completing HR forms, accessing web portals, and orientation activities — is fully accessible to people with disabilities. Inaccessible onboarding systems frequently use mouse-dependent…

Experiential Layer Accessibility

The dimension of VR accessibility concerned with the quality, comfort, and safety of the VR experience for disabled users. This includes physical comfort (avoiding pain, exhaustion, and motion sickness), safety (preventing real-world collisions, addressing harassment in…

FAIR Principles(also: FAIR Data Principles, Findable Accessible Interoperable Reusable)

The FAIR Principles are a set of guidelines for making digital data and resources Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. Developed by an international consortium and published in 2016, they are widely adopted in research, libraries, and cultural heritage…

FOSTA-SESTA(also: Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act, Stop Enabling Sex Traffickers Act)

U.S. federal legislation (2018) that amended Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act to make online platforms liable for user content that facilitates sex trafficking. While intended to combat trafficking, the laws have had significant negative consequences for disabled…

Financial Delegation(also: Financial Proxy, Delegated Banking)

The practice of relying on a trusted person — such as a family member, friend, neighbour, or support worker — to perform financial tasks on one's behalf. Financial delegation is common among older adults and people with cognitive impairments or mental health conditions, yet most…

Financial Inclusion

The availability and equitable access to financial services and products for all individuals, regardless of disability, age, income level, geographic location, or digital literacy. In accessibility contexts, financial inclusion requires that banking, payment, and investment…

Fluid Traversal(also: Fluid Navigation)

A navigation design principle for screen reader interfaces that aims to mirror the flexibility of sighted visual attention. Fluid traversal has two key properties: it should be concise (requiring minimal key presses or actions to move between parts of a representation) and…

Focus Order(also: Tab Order, Focus Sequence)

The sequence in which interactive elements receive keyboard focus when a user presses the Tab key or uses other keyboard navigation. In accessibility, a logical focus order that follows the visual and semantic structure of the page is essential for screen reader users and…

Food Desert(also: Food Swamp, Low Food Access Area)

A geographic area, typically in low-income communities, where residents have limited access to affordable and nutritious food due to the absence of nearby grocery stores or fresh food retailers. Food deserts disproportionately affect people with disabilities, who may face…

GIF(also: Graphics Interchange Format, Animated GIF)

A file format originally created in 1987 for bundling multiple images that evolved into a widely used medium for short, silent, looping animations on the web and social media. GIFs are primarily used in online conversation to express emotions, reactions, and cultural references…

Game Accessibility(also: Accessible Gaming, Inclusive Game Design)

The practice of designing video games so they can be enjoyed by players with disabilities, including visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive impairments. Game accessibility encompasses a wide range of considerations: remappable controls and alternative input devices for motor…

Glanceability(also: Glanceable, At-a-Glance Access)

Glanceability refers to the ability of a user to quickly extract key information from a document, interface, or data display with minimal effort. In the context of accessibility, glanceability describes how readily a screen reader user can skim and navigate through content using…

Grid Navigation(also: Grid Accessibility, Table Navigation)

The ability to navigate through grid or table-based layouts using keyboard controls and assistive technologies. Calendar applications commonly use grid layouts to display weeks and months, which present significant accessibility barriers for screen reader users. Problems include…

Hypergraph

A mathematical structure that generalises both trees and graphs by allowing edges (called hyperedges) to connect any number of nodes rather than being limited to exactly two. In the context of accessible graphical representations, hypergraphs are used to model the visual…

IDE Accessibility(also: Accessible IDE, Development Environment Accessibility)

IDE accessibility refers to making integrated development environments — the software applications used for writing, testing, and debugging code — usable by developers with disabilities. IDEs like Visual Studio Code, IntelliJ, and Eclipse present significant accessibility…

Identity Wallet(also: Digital Identity Wallet, EUDI Wallet)

A smartphone app that stores digitally signed credentials representing attributes of a person's identity — such as name, date of birth, government-issued ID number, student enrolment, or professional qualification — and lets the holder selectively disclose only the attributes…

Image Description(also: Image Caption, Visual Description)

A textual representation of the content of an image, providing information about objects, people, scenes, text, colors, spatial relationships, and other visual elements. Image descriptions serve as a primary means for blind and low vision users to access visual content. They can…

Inclusive Immersion

A design objective for VR that seeks to create maximally accessible and enjoyable virtual and augmented reality experiences for users with different capability levels. The concept recognizes that immersion and enjoyment should be achievable regardless of disability, and that…

Information Architecture(also: IA)

The structural design of information environments, encompassing the organization, labeling, navigation, and search systems that help users find and manage information effectively. In digital accessibility, information architecture plays a critical role in ensuring that content…

Information Hierarchy(also: Content Hierarchy, Information Architecture)

The organization and prioritization of information elements in an interface, determining what users encounter first and how content is structured for navigation. In accessibility, information hierarchy is crucial because screen reader users experience content sequentially rather…

Interface Complexity(also: UI Complexity)

The degree of intricacy in a user interface, encompassing the number of elements, depth of navigation, variety of interaction patterns, and cognitive load required to accomplish tasks. For blind and low vision users, interface complexity is a significant accessibility barrier…

Kiosk Accessibility(also: Self-Service Kiosk Accessibility, Interactive Kiosk Accessibility)

The practice of designing and implementing self-service kiosks and public digital terminals so they can be used by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Kiosk accessibility encompasses hardware…

Language Access(also: Language Services, Linguistic Access)

The provision of services and resources that enable people with limited proficiency in the dominant language to meaningfully access information, programmes, and services. Language access encompasses professional interpretation (spoken), translation (written), bilingual staffing,…

Language Accessibility(also: Linguistic Accessibility)

The practice of ensuring that information, services, and digital content are available and comprehensible in the languages that people actually use and prefer. Language accessibility extends beyond translation between spoken languages to include providing content in signed…

Learning Management System(also: LMS)

A software platform used to create, deliver, manage, and track educational content and learning activities. Common examples include Blackboard, Moodle, Canvas, and Google Classroom. In the context of accessibility, LMS platforms are critical because they serve as the primary…

Lecture Accessibility(also: Accessible Lectures, Accessible Educational Media)

The practice of designing and delivering lectures and associated educational materials so that they are usable by students with disabilities, including those who are blind, have low vision, are deaf, or have other impairments. Lecture accessibility encompasses multiple…

List-Based Interface(also: List View, Linear Interface)

An interface layout that presents information as a sequential list rather than in a grid, table, or spatial layout. In accessibility contexts, list-based interfaces are generally more screen reader-friendly than grid layouts because they follow a natural linear reading order,…

Livestream Accessibility(also: Live Video Accessibility)

The practice of making live video broadcasts accessible to people with disabilities, particularly viewers with visual or hearing impairments. Livestreams present unique accessibility challenges because they feature multiple simultaneous visual elements (main video, webcams,…

Livestreaming(also: Live Streaming, Streaming)

Broadcasting real-time video content to an online audience, typically through platforms like Twitch, YouTube Live, or Facebook Gaming. Viewers can interact with streamers through text chat, creating a hybrid of performance and conversation. For accessibility, livestreaming…

Media Accessibility(also: Accessible Media)

The practice of ensuring that media content — including images, videos, audio, GIFs, memes, and other multimedia formats — is perceivable and understandable by people with diverse abilities. Media accessibility encompasses providing alternative text for images, captions and…

Meme Accessibility(also: Social Media Image Accessibility)

The practice of making internet memes — images, GIFs, and short videos that spread virally through social media — accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those with vision impairments. Memes typically combine visual elements with text overlays, cultural references,…

Online Community(also: Virtual Community, Online Forum)

A group of people who interact and share information through internet-based platforms such as mailing lists, forums, social media groups, or Q&A sites. For people with disabilities, online communities serve as critical resources for sharing accessibility knowledge,…

Online Health Community(also: OHC, Digital Health Community, Online Support Group)

A digital space where individuals with shared health conditions, disabilities, or wellness concerns connect to exchange information, provide emotional support, share experiences, and discuss treatment options. Traditional OHCs are typically hosted on dedicated forums or…

Online Peer Support(also: Digital Peer Support, Online Mutual Aid)

The exchange of information, emotional encouragement, and practical advice between individuals with shared experiences through digital platforms such as forums, social media groups, and dedicated support communities. For people with disabilities, online peer support provides…

Open Educational Resources(also: OER)

Teaching, learning, and research materials in any medium that are freely available for use, adaptation, and redistribution. OER can include textbooks, course materials, videos, assessments, and software tools, typically released under open licenses such as Creative Commons.…

PDF Remediation(also: PDF Tagging, PDF Accessibility Remediation, Document Remediation)

The process of adding structural tags to an existing PDF document to make it accessible to assistive technologies such as screen readers. Remediation involves identifying logical content elements (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, images), assigning appropriate tags,…

Patient Portal(also: Electronic Health Portal, Health Portal)

A secure online platform that gives patients access to their personal health information, such as medical records, lab results, medication lists, and appointment summaries. Patient portals are intended to improve patient engagement and health management, but they often present…

Perceptual Congruence(also: Perceptually Congruent Structure)

A design principle for accessible representations that requires the structure of a non-visual interface (such as a screen reader navigation tree) to mirror the visual structure of the original graphical representation. A perceptually congruent screen reader structure preserves…

Personally Identifiable Information(also: PII)

Any data that can be used to identify a specific individual, such as name, email address, location, biometric data, or device identifiers. For assistive technology users, PII concerns are heightened because the data collected often reveals sensitive information about a person's…

Physical Layer Accessibility

The dimension of VR accessibility concerned with whether users can physically access and operate VR hardware and interaction paradigms. This includes the setup process (putting on head-mounted displays, adjusting straps), manipulating controllers or using hand tracking, and…

Platform Accessibility

The degree to which online platforms (websites, apps, social media, marketplace platforms) are usable by and inclusive of disabled people. Platform accessibility encompasses not only technical compliance with standards like WCAG but also policies, algorithms, and moderation…

Proxy Account(also: Delegate Account)

A formal mechanism within a digital system that allows an authorized person to perform tasks on behalf of another user with defined permissions and accountability. In financial technology, proxy accounts enable financial delegates to help older adults or people with disabilities…

Public Digital Terminal(also: PDT, Self-Service Terminal, Self-Service Kiosk)

A publicly available interactive electronic device that provides services or information to users, such as ATMs, ticket vending machines, check-in kiosks, and information points. Public digital terminals present significant accessibility challenges because users cannot install…

Remediation(also: Accessibility Remediation, Barrier Remediation)

The process of identifying and fixing accessibility barriers in existing digital content, tools, or platforms after they have been created or deployed. Remediation is typically a reactive approach to accessibility, addressing problems found through audits or user complaints.…