Glossary

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Accelerated Speech(also: Time-Compressed Speech, Speed-Up Speech)

Audio output played at faster than normal speaking rate, commonly used by people with visual impairments when interacting with screen readers and other audio-based assistive technologies. Research shows that experienced screen reader users can comprehend speech at up to 500…

Accessible Name(also: Accessible Label, Acc Name)

The text string that assistive technologies such as screen readers use to identify and announce a user interface element. The accessible name is computed by browsers following the W3C's Accessible Name and Description Computation algorithm, which checks a priority-ordered…

Alt Text(also: Alternative Text, Alt Attribute, Image Description)

A textual description of an image that is embedded in the HTML code and read aloud by screen readers, providing blind and low vision users with information about visual content. Effective alt text is concise, descriptive, and context-appropriate — a decorative image may need…

Aria-Live(also: ARIA Live Region, Live Region)

An ARIA attribute (aria-live) used to designate regions of a web page whose content may change dynamically, ensuring that assistive technologies announce updates to users without requiring them to navigate to the changed content. The attribute accepts values of "polite" (waits…

Code Folding(also: Code Collapsing, Outlining)

Code folding is a feature in text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) that allows programmers to collapse sections of code (such as functions, classes, or loops) into a single line, hiding the detailed content while retaining a high-level structural overview.…

Code Navigation(also: Code Browsing, Codebase Navigation)

Code navigation refers to the process of moving through, understanding, and locating specific elements within a software codebase. For sighted developers, this is supported by visual cues such as syntax highlighting, indentation, code folding, and spatial layout. For blind…

Concurrent Exploration(also: Concurrent Slide Access, Simultaneous Exploration)

The ability for screen reader users to independently browse and interact with visual content (such as presentation slides) at the same time as a presenter is speaking, mirroring the way sighted audience members can freely scan visual materials while listening. Concurrent…

DOM Tree(also: Document Object Model, DOM)

A programming interface that represents an HTML or XML document as a hierarchical tree structure, where each node corresponds to a part of the document such as an element, attribute, or text content. Web browsers construct the DOM tree from HTML source code, and assistive…

Dashboard Accessibility(also: Accessible Dashboards)

The practice of designing data dashboards — visual interfaces combining charts, key performance indicators, filtering widgets, and interactive data querying — so they are usable by people with disabilities, particularly screen reader users. Accessible dashboards require…

Descriptive Labels(also: Descriptive Naming, Semantic Labels)

Text labels for visual options (such as fonts, colors, and filters) that describe their perceptual or aesthetic qualities rather than simply providing a technical name. For example, labeling a font as "Comic Sans: casual and playful" or a color as "orange: warm and energetic"…

Form Label(also: Input Label, Form Field Label)

A text label programmatically associated with an interactive form control (such as a text input, button, checkbox, or dropdown) that identifies the purpose or function of that control to all users. In HTML, form labels are typically implemented using the <label> element linked…

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…

Heading Structure(also: Header Hierarchy, Heading Levels, Document Outline)

The hierarchical organization of headings (H1 through H6 in HTML) used to define the logical structure and sections of a document or web page. Proper heading structure is one of the most critical accessibility features for screen reader users, who rely on headings to skim…

Heading hierarchy(also: Heading structure, Heading levels)

The logical, nested structure of HTML heading elements (h1 through h6) that organizes web content into a navigable outline. A well-structured heading hierarchy uses heading levels sequentially without skipping levels, with a single h1 for the page title, h2 for major sections,…

Image Editing Accessibility(also: Accessible Image Editing, Accessible Photo Editing)

The design of image editing tools and workflows that are usable by people with disabilities, particularly blind and low vision users who rely on screen readers. Key challenges include making spatial editing operations (cropping, positioning overlays) accessible without visual…

Live Region(also: ARIA Live Region, aria-live)

A section of a web page that is dynamically updated and announced by assistive technologies without requiring the user to navigate to it. Live regions are defined using the WAI-ARIA aria-live attribute, which can be set to "polite" (announced when the screen reader is idle),…

MathML(also: Mathematical Markup Language)

A W3C standard XML-based markup language for describing mathematical notation and its structure, enabling mathematical content to be rendered visually in web browsers and read aloud by screen readers. MathML is essential for STEM accessibility because it encodes both the visual…

Non-Visual Interaction(also: Non-Visual Interface, Eyes-Free Interaction)

Interaction techniques and interface designs that do not require sight, enabling blind and low vision users to operate software and devices through alternative modalities such as speech, keyboard commands, haptic feedback, spatial audio, and gesture. In creative tools,…

Screen Reader(also: Screen Reading Software)

Assistive technology software that converts on-screen text, interface elements, and structured content into synthesized speech or Braille output, enabling blind and low vision users to navigate and interact with computers, smartphones, and the web. Major screen readers include…

Slide Accessibility(also: Presentation Accessibility, Accessible Presentations, Accessible Slides)

The practice of designing and delivering slide presentations so they can be fully accessed and understood by people with disabilities, particularly screen reader users. Key requirements include setting proper reading orders for slide elements, providing alt-text for images and…

Terminal Buffer(also: Accessible Terminal Buffer, Terminal Output Buffer)

A text-based area in a terminal or command-line interface that stores and displays the output of executed commands. In accessibility contexts, an accessible terminal buffer allows screen reader users to navigate terminal output line by line and character by character using…

Text Skimming(also: Content Skimming, Accessible Skimming)

A reading strategy where a person quickly reviews a document to get an overview of its content, identify key points, and locate specific information without reading every word. Sighted readers skim using visual cues like headings, bold text, paragraph breaks, and spatial layout.…

Touch-to-Explore(also: Touch Exploration, Explore by Touch)

An interaction mode used by touchscreen screen readers (such as VoiceOver on iOS and TalkBack on Android) where users drag their finger across the screen to discover and hear descriptions of interface elements beneath their fingertip. As the user's finger passes over buttons,…

Verbosity Settings(also: Screen Reader Verbosity, Announcement Settings)

Configuration options that control the amount of detail a screen reader or accessible application announces to the user. Verbosity settings allow users to adjust the balance between receiving comprehensive information and reducing auditory noise. In development environments,…

Video Conferencing Accessibility(also: Virtual Meeting Accessibility, Remote Meeting Accessibility)

The degree to which video conferencing platforms such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet can be used effectively by people with disabilities, including those who rely on screen readers, keyboard navigation, captions, or other assistive technologies. Key accessibility…

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