Glossary

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Digital Nudge(also: Technology Nudge, Behavioral Nudge)

Design elements in digital interfaces that subtly guide users toward particular behaviors or decisions. In privacy contexts, nudges might suggest obfuscating detected sensitive content or prompt users to review their sharing settings. HCI scholarship has critiqued nudging as…

Dignity of risk(also: Right to risk)

A disability rights principle, articulated by Robert Perske in 1972, asserting that people with disabilities have the right to make self-directed choices that involve risk, including the freedom to fail and learn from experience. In technology contexts, the dignity of risk…

Disability Rights(also: Disability Justice, Disability Advocacy)

The movement and legal framework advocating for equal rights, opportunities, and full participation of people with disabilities in society. Key legislation includes the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD),…

Disability dongle

A well-intentioned but impractical accessibility invention, typically created by non-disabled people, that fails to address the actual needs of disabled users. The term, coined by disability advocate Liz Jackson, critiques technologies designed without meaningful input from…

Doll Therapy

A nonpharmacological intervention used in dementia care in which a person is given a lifelike doll to hold, dress, and care for. For some people with advanced dementia, engaging with the doll can reduce agitation and distress, promote calm, and provide a sense of purpose and…

Emotion Recognition(also: Facial Emotion Recognition, FER, Affect Recognition)

AI technology that attempts to identify human emotional states from facial expressions, voice patterns, body language, or physiological signals. Emotion recognition systems have been widely criticized for poor accuracy, cultural bias, and particular harm to people with…

Empathy Simulation(also: Disability Simulation, Impairment Simulation)

A design technique where non-disabled people temporarily simulate a disability experience — such as wearing a blindfold, using a wheelchair, or restricting hand movement — to develop empathy and understanding for people with disabilities. While widely used in design education…

Emulated Empathy

Emulated empathy is the design strategy, central to AI companion systems, of producing interactional cues - attentive language, affective mirroring, memory of previously shared information - that simulate an empathic relationship without the system possessing any subjective…

Enforced Trust(also: Compelled Trust)

A dynamic in which blind people are required to trust technologies, sighted individuals, and systems without having independent means to verify the information or outputs provided to them. Enforced trust arises from the knowledge imbalance where blind users cannot directly…

Epistemic Injustice(also: Knowledge Injustice)

A form of injustice that occurs when someone is wronged in their capacity as a knower — either by having their testimony dismissed or undervalued (testimonial injustice) or by lacking the conceptual resources to understand their own experience (hermeneutical injustice). In…

Ethics Washing(also: Ethics-Washing)

The practice of creating the illusion of high ethical standards through superficial transparency efforts, ethics committees, or principles documentation while actual practices do not reflect these stated values. In technology contexts, ethics washing may involve publishing AI…

Face Recognition(also: Facial Recognition, Face Detection)

A technology that uses computer vision and machine learning to identify or verify a person by analysing their facial features from images or video. In accessibility contexts, face recognition has significant potential as an assistive tool for blind and deafblind people, enabling…

Fair Compensation(also: Equitable Compensation, Research Compensation)

The practice of providing adequate and equitable payment to research participants for their time, expertise, and contributions. In accessibility research, fair compensation is particularly important because participants with disabilities contribute specialized lived expertise…

Forced Intimacy

Forced Intimacy is a concept coined by disability and transformative justice activist Mia Mingus that describes the experience of disabled people being expected to share very personal information with non-disabled people simply to access basic services, navigate public spaces,…

Fraudulent Participants(also: Impostor Participants, Fake Participants)

Individuals who falsely claim to meet a study's eligibility criteria in order to participate in research, typically for financial compensation. In accessibility research, fraudulent participants may claim to have disabilities they do not have, undermining data validity and…

Gender recognition(also: Automatic gender recognition, AGR, Gender classification)

AI technology that attempts to infer a person's gender from visual features such as facial characteristics, body shape, or voice. Gender recognition systems are controversial in accessibility contexts because they typically enforce binary gender classifications, frequently…

Griefbot(also: Deadbot)

A griefbot (sometimes 'deadbot') is an AI chatbot trained on the written, voice or video communications of a deceased person, intended to let bereaved loved ones continue a simulated dialogue with them. Griefbots are a specific application of continuing-bonds practice and raise…

Guardianship(also: Legal Guardianship, Guardian, Caregiver Guardianship)

A legal arrangement in which a person (the guardian) is appointed to make decisions on behalf of another person who is deemed unable to make certain decisions independently, often due to intellectual disability, cognitive impairment, or age. In accessibility research,…

Human-AI Alignment(also: AI Alignment, Value Alignment)

The design and training of AI systems to exhibit behaviours consistent with human values, intentions, and goals. In accessibility, human-AI alignment requires that AI systems accurately represent and respond to the diverse values and experiences of disabled and neurodivergent…

Human-like trust in AI(also: Anthropomorphic trust)

The phenomenon where users develop trust in AI systems based on their human-like qualities — such as natural voice, conversational style, emotional expressiveness, and social behaviors — rather than the system's actual functional reliability. In accessibility contexts, this…

Inclusive AI(also: Accessible AI, Disability-Inclusive Artificial Intelligence)

The design and development of artificial intelligence systems that account for the needs, experiences, and data of people with disabilities and other marginalized groups. Inclusive AI requires representative training datasets, accessible interfaces for AI-powered tools, and…

Inclusive Thinking

A design and problem-solving mindset that treats the needs of people with diverse abilities as a core consideration from the outset of a project, rather than as an afterthought or accommodation added later. Inclusive thinking goes beyond technical knowledge of accessibility…

Informational Privacy(also: Information Privacy, Data Privacy)

The ability of individuals to control information about themselves—determining what personal data is collected, who can access it, and how it is used. In assistive technology contexts, informational privacy concerns arise when systems monitor health behaviors, location, or…

Informed Consent

The process by which individuals are provided with clear, understandable information about how their data will be collected, used, and shared, enabling them to make voluntary decisions about participation or data sharing. In accessibility contexts, informed consent presents…

Linguistic Imperialism(also: Language Imperialism)

The imposition of one language or language modality over others, often by dominant groups over minority language communities. In deaf contexts, linguistic imperialism manifests when spoken language is privileged over sign language, such as forcing deaf individuals to use…

Medicalization(also: Medical gatekeeping)

The process by which human conditions and differences are defined, categorized, and treated as medical problems requiring clinical intervention. In disability and AI contexts, medicalization is reinforced when technologies institutionalize diagnostic authority (e.g., AI autism…

Misgendering

The act of referring to someone using language that does not reflect their gender identity, such as incorrect pronouns, titles, or gendered terms. In digital accessibility and AI contexts, misgendering occurs when automated systems incorrectly classify a person's gender based on…

Ocular normativity(also: Ocularcentrism, Ocular norm, Visual normativity)

A concept from critical disability studies describing the cultural assumption that sight is the primary, most reliable, and most natural mode of knowing and perceiving the world. Ocular normativity positions visual interaction as the default and universal way to engage with…

Participant Recruitment(also: Research Recruitment, Subject Recruitment)

The process of identifying, inviting, and enrolling individuals to participate in research studies. In accessibility research, participant recruitment presents unique challenges including ensuring intersectional representation of disability communities, avoiding overburdening…

Participant Verification(also: Eligibility Verification, Screening Verification)

The process of confirming that research participants genuinely meet a study's eligibility criteria, particularly regarding disability status. Verification is complicated by multiple factors: different models of disability define disability differently; online and remote…

Paternalism(also: Paternalistic Approach)

The practice of making decisions for others based on the assumption that one knows what is best for them, without adequately consulting or empowering them to make their own choices. In disability contexts, paternalism manifests when parents, professionals, researchers, or…

Personally Identifying Information(also: PII, Personal Data, Personally Identifiable Information)

Any data that can be used to identify a specific individual, including names, addresses, photographs, financial details, and biometric data. In accessibility contexts, PII is a significant concern when disabled users contribute data for AI training, as they may inadvertently…

Personhood

The recognition of a human being as a full person with agency, dignity, self-expression, and moral standing, irrespective of cognitive, physical, or communicative impairments. In dementia care and accessibility practice, affirming personhood means interacting with the individual…

Perturbation testing(also: Counterfactual testing, Template-based testing)

A bias evaluation methodology for NLP models that systematically substitutes identity-related terms (e.g., disability phrases) in otherwise identical sentences to measure whether the model produces different predictions based on the identity mention alone. By holding all other…

Privacy

The right and practical ability of a person to control the collection, use, and disclosure of information about themselves, their body, their activities, and their relationships. For accessibility, privacy intersects with disability in specific ways: assistive-technology usage…

Privacy Threat Model(also: Privacy Threat Analysis, Privacy Risk Assessment)

A systematic process for identifying, classifying, and evaluating potential privacy risks that a technology system may pose to its users. Privacy threat modeling extends security-focused frameworks (like Microsoft's STRIDE) to address privacy-specific concerns. The LINDDUN…

Private Visual Content(also: PVC, Visual Privacy)

Private visual content (PVC) refers to visual information in images or videos that the person depicted or sharing the content considers private and would not want publicly disclosed. For people who are blind using visual interpreter services, PVC is a particular concern because…

Re-identification risk(also: De-anonymization risk, Data re-identification)

The possibility that an individual can be identified from supposedly anonymized data by combining multiple data points or matching against external datasets. People with disabilities face heightened re-identification risk because uncommon combinations of attributes — rare…

Reflexivity(also: Researcher Reflexivity)

A research practice in which scholars continuously examine how their own identities, positions, assumptions, disciplinary training, and power relationships shape the research they conduct — the questions they ask, the methods they choose, the participants they recruit, and the…

Representational harm(also: Representational bias)

A category of harm caused by AI systems that perpetuate or amplify negative stereotypes, demeaning portrayals, or erasure of particular social groups, distinct from allocative harms that deny resources or opportunities. In disability contexts, representational harms occur when…

Research Ethics(also: Ethics in Research)

The principles and practices governing the responsible conduct of research, including informed consent, minimizing harm, protecting privacy, and ensuring equitable treatment of participants. In disability research, ethics considerations include power dynamics between researchers…

Research Fatigue(also: Participant Fatigue, Community Research Fatigue)

The exhaustion or disengagement experienced by individuals or communities that are repeatedly recruited for research studies, particularly when they see little benefit or change resulting from their participation. In disability communities, research fatigue is a growing concern…

Research reciprocity(also: Participatory reciprocity)

The principle that research participation should be a mutually beneficial exchange in which participants gain value — such as social connection, learning opportunities, a sense of contributing to knowledge, or direct improvements to their lives — rather than being treated solely…

Safeguarding(also: Abuse Prevention, Protection from Abuse)

The set of policies, practices, and measures designed to protect vulnerable individuals — including people with disabilities, children, and older adults — from abuse, neglect, and exploitation. Safeguarding encompasses prevention through education and training, detection of…

Self-Determination(also: Autonomy, Self-Determination Theory)

The right and ability of individuals to make choices and decisions about their own lives, bodies, and futures without external coercion or control. In disability rights, self-determination is a core principle affirming that disabled people should have agency over their own care,…

Sensory erasure(also: Sensory exclusion)

The systematic marginalization or elimination of non-visual sensory modalities in the design of technologies, interfaces, and information systems. Sensory erasure occurs when platforms treat visual interaction as the only legitimate or primary mode of engagement, rendering…

Surveillance

The systematic, focused, and often routine observation of people, their activities, or their data for purposes of influence, management, entitlement, or control. In accessibility and HCI research, surveillance is an analytical frame used to examine how monitoring technologies —…

Surveillance technology(also: Surveillance tech, Monitoring technology)

Technologies that collect, analyse, and track data about individuals' behaviours, locations, bodies, or communications. In disability contexts, surveillance technology raises justice concerns because assistive tools (computer vision for blind users, behaviour monitoring for…

Techno-Solutionism(also: Technological Solutionism, Tech Solutionism)

The belief that technology can solve complex social, political, and cultural problems, often without addressing underlying systemic causes. In accessibility, techno-solutionism manifests as the assumption that building the right assistive device or application will resolve the…

Technology Dependency(also: Tech Dependency, Digital Dependency)

The state of relying on technology to perform tasks that one might otherwise accomplish independently, or the risk that technology use persists beyond the original need. In disability and accessibility contexts, technology dependency raises complex questions: reliance on…