Glossary

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ABET(also: Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology)

A non-profit, non-governmental body that accredits US post-secondary programmes in applied and natural science, computing, engineering, and engineering technology. ABET’s Computing Accreditation Commission and Engineering Accreditation Commission set the programme outcomes that…

ASSETS(also: ACM SIGACCESS Conference on Computers and Accessibility)

The premier academic conference on accessible computing, organized by ACM SIGACCESS (Special Interest Group on Accessible Computing). ASSETS began as a research conference planned by SIGCAPH (the predecessor to SIGACCESS) in the early 1990s and has grown into the leading venue…

Adaptive Technology Resource Centre(also: ATRC, Inclusive Design Research Centre)

The Adaptive Technology Resource Centre (ATRC) was a research centre at the University of Toronto dedicated to developing inclusive information technology and promoting digital accessibility. Founded in the 1990s, the ATRC became one of the most influential accessibility…

Alliance for Technology Access(also: ATA)

The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) was a U.S. national network of community-based, consumer-driven technology resource centers founded to make assistive technology accessible to people with disabilities. Headquartered in San Rafael, California, the network grew to include…

Braille Authority of North America(also: BANA)

The standards-setting body responsible for establishing braille codes and guidelines for the production of braille materials in the United States and Canada. BANA publishes guidelines for tactile graphics, braille formatting, and specialized braille codes for mathematics, music,…

CSUN Assistive Technology Conference(also: CSUN, CSUN Conference, ATIA Conference at CSUN)

The largest annual assistive technology conference in the world, organized by California State University, Northridge's Center on Disabilities. Founded in 1985, the conference brings together thousands of attendees including AT users, professionals, developers, educators, and…

Drake Music Project(also: Drake Music, DMP)

A UK charity founded in 1988 that facilitates music-making for physically disabled people through technology. The Drake Music Project runs workshops using adapted music technology — including MIDI controllers, switches, and customized software — to enable people with physical…

Gallaudet University

A federally chartered private university in Washington, D.C., and the only university in the world designed specifically for deaf and hard of hearing students, with all programs and services tailored to their needs. Founded in 1864 and named after Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet, a…

IAAP(also: International Association of Accessibility Professionals)

A professional membership organisation founded in 2014 that defines, promotes, and certifies accessibility professionals worldwide. IAAP offers certification programs including the Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies (CPACC) for foundational knowledge and…

ICADD(also: International Committee on Accessible Document Design)

A non-profit organization that developed techniques for making structured electronic documents accessible to people with print disabilities. ICADD created the SDA (SGML Document Access) mechanism — a set of attributes that map complex document type definitions to a simplified…

ICCHP(also: International Conference on Computers Helping People with Special Needs)

A biennial research conference on technology for people with disabilities, held in Europe since 1989. ICCHP provides a peer-reviewed academic venue for accessibility research with a strong European perspective, complementing the ASSETS conference. Topics span assistive…

Makers Making Change(also: MMC)

Makers Making Change is a Canadian non-profit program (part of the Neil Squire Society) that connects volunteer makers with people with disabilities to design, 3D-print, and distribute low-cost, open-source assistive technology. It hosts a library of freely downloadable AT…

Mobile Web Initiative(also: MWI, W3C Mobile Web Initiative)

The W3C Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) was a program launched in 2005 to improve the experience of accessing the web from mobile devices such as cell phones and handheld systems. Operating in a manner similar to the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), the MWI developed best…

NCAM(also: National Center for Accessible Media)

A research and development facility at WGBH (Boston public media) that develops accessible media technologies and guidelines. NCAM created widely-adopted guidelines for describing STEM images (charts, graphs, diagrams) for people with visual impairments, developed through expert…

NIDILRR(also: NIDRR, National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research)

A U.S. federal agency within the Administration for Community Living that funds disability and rehabilitation research, including accessible technology development. Originally named NIDRR (National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research), it was renamed NIDILRR in…

National Accessibility Portal(also: NAP, South African National Accessibility Portal)

A South African government-supported web portal developed by the Meraka Institute (CSIR) to provide accessible information sharing for the disability sector. The NAP was designed from inception as an accessible platform, featuring alternative CSS stylesheets for different font…

National Federation of the Blind(also: NFB)

The largest membership organization of blind people in the United States, founded in 1940. The NFB advocates for the rights and equality of blind and low vision people through policy work, technology advocacy, education, and community building. The organization frequently…

National Library Service(also: NLS, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled)

A program of the Library of Congress in the United States that provides Braille and audio materials to eligible borrowers who are blind, have low vision, or have physical disabilities that prevent them from reading standard print. The NLS operates through a network of regional…

National Technical Institute for the Deaf(also: NTID)

The National Technical Institute for the Deaf (NTID), one of the nine colleges of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), is the first and largest technical college in the world for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. Established by U.S. federal legislation in 1965, NTID…

Organizations of Persons with Disabilities(also: OPD, OPDs, Disabled Persons Organizations)

Organizations that are led, directed, and governed by people with disabilities, where the majority of members and leadership positions are held by disabled people. OPDs are distinct from organizations "for" people with disabilities that may be run by non-disabled people. Under…

RNIB(also: Royal National Institute of Blind People, Royal National Institute for the Blind)

The largest charity supporting blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom, providing services including accessible format transcription, assistive technology advice, employment support, and advocacy. The RNIB operates one of the world's leading music transcription…

SLPAT(also: Speech and Language Processing for Assistive Technologies)

A special interest group jointly supported by the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) and the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA), focused on speech and language technology for assistive applications. SLPAT brings together researchers from…

TeachAccess(also: Teach Access, TeachAccess initiative)

A US-based initiative co-founded in 2015 by technology companies, universities, and disability organisations to integrate accessibility into the curricula of computer science, design, and related disciplines. TeachAccess develops teaching materials, study-abroad programmes,…

Trace Center(also: Trace Research and Development Center)

A leading accessibility research center originally founded at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1971, now at the University of Maryland. The Trace Center pioneered foundational work in accessible technology, including early accessibility guidelines that influenced Section…

W4A(also: International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility, Web for All)

An annual research conference focused specifically on web accessibility, held in conjunction with the World Wide Web Conference (WWW/TheWebConf). W4A brings together researchers studying how to make the web accessible to people with disabilities, covering topics such as…

WAI(also: Web Accessibility Initiative)

A programme of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that develops strategies, standards, and supporting resources to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. WAI is responsible for producing some of the most widely adopted accessibility standards, including the Web…

Web Accessibility Initiative(also: WAI)

A program of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that develops strategies, standards, and supporting resources to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. Founded in 1997, WAI is responsible for producing the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG), the Authoring…

WebAIM(also: Web Accessibility In Mind)

WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) is a non-profit organization based at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University, founded in 1999 and recognized internationally as a leading provider of web accessibility expertise, training, and tooling. WebAIM produces…

e-NABLE(also: Enabling the Future)

A global volunteer network founded in 2013 that uses 3D printing to produce free, customizable upper-limb prosthetic devices — primarily for children with limb differences who outgrow conventional prosthetics quickly. e-NABLE connects makers, designers, medical professionals,…

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