Glossary

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Audio Production(also: Audio Engineering, Sound Production)

The process of creating, recording, editing, mixing, and mastering audio content using specialized software and hardware. For blind and low-vision users, audio production presents unique accessibility challenges because professional digital audio workstations (DAWs) like Logic…

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response(also: ASMR)

A sensory tingling experience, typically in the scalp and upper spine, triggered by specific audio–visual stimuli such as whispering, soft tapping, or gentle hand movements. ASMR is associated with reduced heart rate and is used by many people — including neurodivergent…

Caption Delay(also: Caption Latency, Synchronization Delay)

The time lag between spoken audio and the appearance of the corresponding caption on screen. In live captioning, typical delays are around 5–6 seconds due to the time needed for captioners to hear, process, and produce text plus transmission overhead. In fast-paced sports, such…

Captioning(also: Captions, Subtitles for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing, SDH)

The process of displaying synchronized text on screen that represents spoken dialogue, sound effects, and other audio information in video content. Unlike subtitles, captions are specifically designed for deaf and hard of hearing viewers and include non-speech sounds like [door…

Colour Commentary(also: Color Commentary, Colour commentator)

In sports broadcasting, the analytical and contextual commentary provided alongside the play-by-play — offering opinions, background on players and teams, strategy discussion, and remarks during gameplay pauses. Colour commentary conveys information that is not visually present…

Diegetic Sound(also: In-Game Sound, In-World Sound)

Sound that originates from within the world of a game, film, or virtual environment—sounds that characters within that world could theoretically hear. In gaming and VR, diegetic sounds include environmental audio (footsteps, ambient noise, machinery), character dialogue, and…

Disability Porn

A critical term used within disability studies and disability communities to describe media content that frames disabled people as objects of pity, tragedy, or spectacle for a non-disabled audience's emotional consumption. Often paired with or related to 'inspiration porn,' the…

Disability Representation(also: Disability Portrayal, Disability Media Representation)

How disabled people and disability are depicted, described, and constructed in media, marketing, technology, research, and public discourse. Disability representation encompasses visual imagery, language choices, narrative framing, and the selection of whose voices and…

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…

Information Graphics(also: Infographics, Data Graphics, Statistical Graphics)

Visual representations of data, information, or knowledge designed to present complex information quickly and clearly. Common types include bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, scatter plots, and more complex visualizations. Information graphics pose significant accessibility…

Intralingual Subtitling(also: Same-language subtitling, SLS)

The practice of transcribing and synchronising audio content into text in the same language as the spoken audio. Intralingual subtitling differs from interlingual (translation) subtitling and is particularly important for deaf and hard-of-hearing viewers, second-language…

Large Print(also: Large Type, Enlarged Print, Giant Print)

Text or graphic material produced in a larger-than-standard font size to improve readability for people with low vision. Large print typically uses font sizes of 16 to 18 points or larger, though individual needs vary significantly depending on the type and degree of vision…

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,…

Narrative Engagement(also: Story Engagement)

A multidimensional construct used in media studies and HCI research to capture how deeply a viewer is drawn into a story, including narrative understanding, attentional focus, narrative presence (the feeling of being inside the story world), and emotional engagement with…

Play-by-Play(also: Play-by-play announcing, Play-by-play commentary)

In sports broadcasting, the moment-to-moment verbal description of on-screen action provided by the main commentator (e.g., who has the puck, who is passing to whom). Because play-by-play describes what sighted viewers can see, it largely duplicates visual information for Deaf…

Podcast(also: Podcasting)

An episodic, on-demand audio programme distributed over the internet, typically via RSS or proprietary platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and BBC Sounds. Podcasts are a dominant form of long-form audio media — 92% of UK adults listen to some audio content weekly — but…

Pop-on Captions(also: Pop-on style, Block captions)

A captioning display style in which a complete caption appears on screen as a single block, remains visible for a readable duration, and is then replaced in one transition by the next block. Pop-on captions let viewers "glance and grab" an entire sentence at once, which viewer…

Roll-up Captions(also: Roll-up style, Scroll-up Captions)

A captioning display style in which text is added one word or line at a time, scrolling upward as new text arrives and pushing earlier lines off the top. Roll-up is typically used in live captioning because it can display words as they are produced without waiting for a full…

Short-Form Video Content(also: SFVC, Short-Form Content, SFC)

Brief video content, typically 15–60 seconds long, presented in portrait orientation and consumed via infinite vertical scroll on platforms such as TikTok, Instagram Reels, YouTube Shorts, Facebook Reels, and Douyin. The format has become an important information and community…

Verbatim Captioning(also: Verbatim Captions)

A captioning approach that reproduces every spoken word exactly as uttered, including filler words, false starts, and repetitions. Regulators in many countries (e.g., the Canadian CRTC, the US FCC) emphasize verbatim accuracy as a quality requirement. Verbatim captions preserve…

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