Glossary

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Acquired Disability(also: Adventitious Disability, Late-onset Disability)

A disability that develops after birth, typically due to illness, injury, or aging, as opposed to congenital disabilities present from birth. Common causes include stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, progressive diseases (such as multiple sclerosis or macular…

Activities of Daily Living(also: ADLs, Daily Living Activities, ADL)

Routine tasks that people perform every day for self-care and independent functioning, including reading, cooking, grooming, dressing, and managing household items. For people with low vision, performing ADLs can be significantly impacted by reduced visual acuity, contrast…

Adherence(also: Treatment Adherence, Exercise Adherence, Compliance)

The extent to which a person follows prescribed medical treatments, exercise routines, or therapy programs. In physical therapy and rehabilitation, adherence is often framed as an individual responsibility, with non-adherence viewed as patient failure. However, accessibility…

Ankle Foot Orthosis(also: AFO, Ankle Brace, Foot Drop Brace)

An external medical device that encompasses the ankle joint and all or part of the foot, designed to support the ankle and improve gait in people with muscle weakness, spasticity, or structural deformity. AFOs are commonly prescribed for conditions such as cerebral palsy,…

Ankle-Foot Orthosis(also: AFO)

A lower-limb orthosis that supports the ankle and foot, typically prescribed to control foot drop, improve toe clearance during swing, and stabilise the ankle during stance. AFOs come in solid, hinged, posterior leaf-spring (PLS), and dynamic forms, made from thermoplastics,…

Assistive Device(also: Assistive Aid, Low-Vision Aid)

Any device, tool, or technology that helps a person with a disability perform tasks that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. In low-vision contexts, assistive devices range from optical aids (magnifiers, telescopes, specialized glasses) to electronic devices (video…

Assistive Technology Assessment(also: AT Assessment, Assistive Technology Evaluation, AT Evaluation)

An assistive technology assessment is a systematic evaluation process to identify the most appropriate assistive technology solutions for an individual with a disability. The assessment typically considers the person's abilities, goals, environments, and tasks to recommend…

Assistive device customization(also: AT personalization, Custom assistive technology)

The process of tailoring assistive technology devices to match an individual's specific physical dimensions, functional abilities, preferences, and activity requirements. Traditional AT customization involves ordering from catalogs with limited options and long wait times, or…

Augmented Feedback(also: Extrinsic Feedback)

Feedback provided by an external system - visual, auditory, haptic, or multimodal - that supplements the intrinsic sensory feedback a learner receives from their own body during a motor task. Augmented feedback is widely used in motor learning, rehabilitation, and embodied skill…

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