Glossary

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AD Timing(also: Audio Description Timing, AD Placement)

The process of determining when audio descriptions should be inserted into video content. Effective AD timing requires identifying natural pauses in dialogue and significant audio where descriptions can be placed without overlapping important sound. Automated AD timing systems…

AI Chatbot Accessibility(also: Accessible AI, LLM Accessibility)

The design and evaluation of AI-powered chatbots and large language model applications to ensure they are usable by and beneficial to people with disabilities. This encompasses both the technical accessibility of chatbot interfaces (screen reader compatibility, keyboard…

AI Code Generation(also: Code Generation Model, AI Coding Assistant, LLM Code Generation)

The use of large language models and machine learning to automatically generate, suggest, or complete source code based on natural language prompts or existing code context. Tools like GitHub Copilot, ChatGPT, and Amazon CodeWhisperer are integrated into developer workflows as…

ARKit(also: Apple ARKit)

ARKit is Apple's augmented reality development framework for iOS that enables developers to create AR experiences for iPhone and iPad. It uses the device's camera, motion sensors, and processor to detect surfaces, track movement, and place virtual 3D objects in the real world.…

ASCII(also: American Standard Code for Information Interchange)

A character encoding standard that uses numeric codes to represent letters, digits, punctuation, and control characters in computers and communication equipment. ASCII assigns values 0-127 to 128 characters, covering the basic Latin alphabet. In accessibility contexts, ASCII is…

Accessible Fintech(also: Accessible Financial Technology, accessFinTech)

The design and development of financial technology products and services — including online banking, mobile payments, digital wallets, and cryptocurrency platforms — that are usable by people with disabilities and across diverse user needs. Accessible fintech encompasses not…

Amazon Alexa(also: Alexa, Echo)

A cloud-based voice assistant developed by Amazon, available on Echo smart speakers, Echo Show smart displays, and third-party devices. Users interact with Alexa through wake-word-activated voice commands to perform tasks such as setting reminders, playing music, controlling…

Amazon Mechanical Turk(also: AMT, MTurk, Mechanical Turk)

A crowdsourcing marketplace operated by Amazon that enables individuals and businesses to distribute tasks (called Human Intelligence Tasks or HITs) to a distributed workforce who complete them remotely for small payments. AMT has been widely used in HCI and accessibility…

Artificial Intelligence(also: AI)

Computer systems designed to perform tasks that typically require human intelligence, including visual perception, speech recognition, decision-making, and language translation. In accessibility, AI powers many assistive technologies such as image recognition apps that describe…

Augmented Reality(also: AR, Mixed Reality)

A technology that overlays digital information—such as images, text, or 3D models—onto the user's view of the real world, typically through smartphones, tablets, smart glasses, or projection systems. Unlike virtual reality which replaces the real environment, augmented reality…

Augmented Reality (AR)(also: AR, Augmented Reality)

An interactive technology that overlays digital information — such as text, images, or video — onto the real-world environment in real time. In accessibility contexts, AR has significant potential for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing users by displaying captions or sign language…

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)(also: ASR, Speech-to-Text, Voice Recognition)

Technology that converts spoken language into written text using computational algorithms and machine learning models. ASR powers auto-captioning features in video conferencing, media players, and assistive devices. While ASR has improved significantly, its accuracy is affected…

Bluetooth Low Energy Beacon(also: BLE Beacon, iBeacon, Bluetooth Beacon)

A small, low-power wireless transmitter that broadcasts Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) signals at regular intervals. In accessibility contexts, BLE beacons are widely used for indoor navigation systems for people with visual impairments, as GPS does not work reliably indoors. By…

Bluetooth beacon(also: BLE beacon, iBeacon)

A small wireless transmitter that uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to broadcast signals to nearby devices, enabling indoor positioning and proximity detection. In accessibility applications, beacon networks deployed throughout buildings allow navigation apps to determine a user's…

Capacitive Touch(also: Capacitive Sensing, Capacitive Touch Sensing)

A touch detection technology that works by measuring changes in electrical capacitance when a conductive object, such as a human finger, comes near or contacts an electrode surface. The finger and electrode form a capacitor whose capacitance changes upon contact, and this change…

Capacitive Touchscreen(also: Capacitive Touch Display, Cap Touch)

A capacitive touchscreen is a type of display that detects touch input by sensing changes in the electrical field caused by the conductivity of a human finger or conductive stylus. Unlike resistive touchscreens that require physical pressure, capacitive screens respond to the…

Capacitive marker(also: Capacitive fiducial, Conductive marker)

A conductive structure embedded in a physical object that registers as a touch point on a capacitive touchscreen, enabling the device to detect the object's position and orientation without cameras or external sensors. In accessible tactile graphics, capacitive markers printed…

Central Bank Digital Currency(also: CBDC)

A digital form of a country's official currency issued and regulated by its central bank, designed to function as legal tender alongside physical cash. CBDCs raise significant accessibility and inclusion considerations, as their design determines whether people with…

Civic Technology(also: Civic Tech, Civic Hacking)

Technology developed by community members, advocacy groups, or volunteers to improve public services, increase government transparency, and address civic challenges. In accessibility, civic technology includes open-source tools and platforms built to monitor and improve the…

Color Gamut(also: Colour Gamut, Gamut)

The complete range of colours that can be represented or reproduced by a particular colour space, display device, or visual system. In the context of colour vision, a trichromat's gamut encompasses the full range of colours perceivable by typical human vision, while a…

Color Space(also: Colour Space, Color Model)

A mathematical model that describes the range of colours that can be represented as numerical values, typically using three or more coordinates. Common colour spaces include RGB (red, green, blue), used in digital displays; CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, key/black), used in…

Computational Thinking(also: Algorithmic Thinking)

A problem-solving approach that involves breaking complex problems into smaller steps, identifying patterns, abstracting details, and designing step-by-step solutions—similar to how a computer processes instructions. In the context of smart home accessibility, computational…

Computer Vision(also: CV, Machine Vision)

A field of artificial intelligence that enables computers to interpret, understand, and extract information from visual data including images and videos. Computer vision technologies—such as object detection, image segmentation, scene recognition, and optical character…

Constructive Solid Geometry(also: CSG)

A technique in 3-D modeling that creates complex shapes by combining simpler geometric primitives (cubes, spheres, cylinders) using boolean operations such as union, difference, and intersection. CSG is the foundational approach used by code-based modeling tools like OpenSCAD.…

Context Engineering(also: Context management)

The practice, in LLM-based systems, of deliberately selecting, structuring, and injecting the information an AI model sees on each call — beyond just the user's latest message — so that outputs are grounded, relevant, and aligned with the user's actual situation. Typical context…

Context-Aware Computing(also: Context Awareness, Situational Awareness Computing)

Computing systems that can sense and adapt their behavior based on the user's current context, including location, activity, environment, and task state. In accessibility, context-aware systems go beyond static information delivery to provide real-time, situation-appropriate…

Cross-Platform Development(also: Cross-Platform Framework, Multi-Platform Development)

A software development approach that allows a single codebase to run on multiple operating systems or device platforms, such as iOS and Android. Frameworks like React Native, Flutter, and Xamarin enable developers to write code once and deploy it across platforms, reducing…

Crowdsourcing(also: Crowd-Sourced Data, Community Reporting)

A method of collecting data, information, or contributions from a large number of people, typically via the internet, rather than relying on a single authoritative source. In accessibility contexts, crowdsourcing is used to gather information about the accessibility of physical…

Crowdsourcing

The practice of gathering information, data, or contributions from a large group of distributed participants, typically via the internet. In accessibility, crowdsourcing platforms like Wheelmap and AccessTogether allow users to rate and report the accessibility of physical…

DOM(also: Document Object Model)

A programming interface that represents an HTML or XML document as a tree structure of objects, where each node corresponds to a part of the document such as elements, attributes, and text content. The DOM is critical to accessibility because assistive technologies like screen…

De-identification(also: De-ID, Data De-identification)

The process of removing or obscuring personally identifiable information from data, images, or video to protect an individual's privacy. In video contexts, de-identification may involve blurring, pixelating, or replacing faces and other identifying features. For sign language…

Dead Reckoning(also: Inertial Navigation, Pedestrian Dead Reckoning, PDR)

Dead reckoning is a navigation technique that estimates a user's current position by tracking their movement from a known starting point, using data from inertial sensors such as accelerometers and gyroscopes. In accessible wayfinding applications for blind and low-vision users,…

Deep Learning(also: DL)

Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers to learn complex patterns from large amounts of data. In accessibility contexts, deep learning powers many assistive technologies including automatic image description for…

Digital Audio Workstation(also: DAW)

Software used for recording, editing, mixing, and producing audio content, such as Reaper, Logic Pro, Cubase, or Pro Tools. DAWs present significant accessibility challenges for blind and visually impaired users because their interfaces are heavily visual — featuring graphical…

Digital Fabrication(also: Digital Manufacturing, Rapid Prototyping)

Digital fabrication encompasses manufacturing processes that use computer-controlled tools to create physical objects from digital designs. Common tools include laser cutters, 3D printers, and CNC routers. In accessibility contexts, digital fabrication enables the creation of…

Digital Literacy(also: Digital Skills, Computer Literacy, ICT Literacy)

The ability to find, evaluate, create, and communicate information using digital technologies. Digital literacy extends beyond basic technical skills to include understanding how to use technology safely and effectively, critically evaluating online information, managing privacy…

Digital Musical Instrument(also: DMI, Electronic Musical Instrument)

A musical instrument that generates or controls sound through digital technology rather than purely acoustic means. Digital musical instruments separate the physical interface (how the player interacts) from the sound generation (what is heard), allowing for novel input methods…

Digital Television(also: DTV, Digital TV, iTV)

Television broadcasting and receiving technology that uses digital signals rather than analogue, enabling additional features such as interactive services, electronic programme guides, on-demand content, and multiple channel packages. Digital television accessibility is a…

Edge Computing(also: Edge AI, Edge Intelligence)

Edge computing is a computing paradigm where data processing occurs on devices physically close to the user rather than in centralized cloud servers. For accessibility applications, edge computing offers important advantages including reduced latency for real-time assistive…

Educational Technology(also: EdTech, Learning Technology, Instructional Technology)

The use of technological tools and resources to facilitate teaching and learning. In accessibility contexts, educational technology encompasses assistive tools designed to support students with disabilities, such as screen readers, refreshable Braille displays, auditory graphing…

Egocentric Camera(also: First-Person Camera, POV Camera)

A camera that captures video from the wearer's point of view, typically mounted on the head, glasses, or chest. Egocentric video captures what the user sees or interacts with, making it valuable for activity recognition, assistive technology, and accessibility research. For BLV…

Embedded System(also: Embedded Device, Embedded Computer)

A specialised computer system designed to perform a dedicated function within a larger device, typically operating with real-time constraints and limited resources. Unlike general-purpose computers, embedded systems are built into the products they control. In assistive…

Equaliser(also: EQ, Equalizer)

An audio processing tool used in music production and sound engineering that adjusts the frequency content of an audio signal by boosting or cutting specific frequency ranges. Equalisers are controlled through parameters including frequency centre (which frequency to adjust),…

Exif(also: Exchangeable Image File Format, EXIF)

A standard metadata format embedded within image files (JPEG, TIFF, and others) that stores information about how an image was created, including camera model, date, GPS coordinates, and orientation. Exif data travels with the image file through most sharing and editing…

Extended Reality(also: XR, Cross Reality)

An umbrella term encompassing all immersive technologies that blend physical and virtual environments, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). In accessibility, extended reality technologies offer promising assistive applications — smart…

FPGA(also: Field-Programmable Gate Array)

An integrated circuit that can be configured by the user after manufacturing to implement custom digital logic. FPGAs contain an array of programmable logic blocks and interconnects that can be reprogrammed to perform different functions. In assistive technology, FPGAs enable…

Face Swap(also: Face Transformation, Face Replacement)

A technology that replaces the face of a person in a video or image with a different face while attempting to preserve the original person's facial expressions, head movements, and lip synchronization. In the context of accessibility, face swap technology has potential…

Fiducial Marker(also: AR Marker, Visual Marker, Reference Marker)

An artificial visual landmark placed in a physical environment to serve as a reference point for image processing systems. Fiducial markers — such as QR codes, ArUco markers, and BCH matricial markers — are designed for robust detection by cameras under varying conditions of…

Fintech(also: Financial Technology)

An umbrella term for software and digital-service innovations in the financial sector, including online and mobile banking, payments (e.g., Apple Pay, PayPal), budgeting apps, investment platforms, digital wallets, cryptocurrency services, and Buy-Now-Pay-Later products. Fintech…

Flexible Media(also: Object-Based Media)

A method of producing audiovisual media in which different components of the content (such as audio tracks, video angles, and subtitle layers) are stored as separate elements and assembled at runtime based on viewer preferences and needs. Flexible media enables individual…