Glossary

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Tab Order(also: Focus Order, Navigation Order, Tabbing Order)

The sequence in which interactive elements receive keyboard focus when a user presses the Tab key to navigate through a web page or application. A logical tab order follows the visual layout and task workflow, allowing keyboard-only users to interact with content efficiently.…

Table Linearization(also: Table Serialization)

Table linearization is the process of converting a two-dimensional HTML table into a one-dimensional sequence of text for non-visual presentation. When a screen reader linearizes a table, it reads the content cell by cell, row by row, from top-left to bottom-right, stripping…

Table Navigation Mode(also: Table Navigation)

A screen reader feature that allows users to navigate within data tables by moving a virtual cursor cell-by-cell in two dimensions — by row and by column — rather than reading content linearly. Introduced by Ogane and Asakawa in 1998 and subsequently adopted by virtually all…

Table Reading Style(also: Table Reading Strategy, Table Browsing Style)

The particular way in which a reader accesses and processes the content of a data table, determined by the interaction between the table's structure, content, and the reader's intent. Common table reading styles include: by cell (random access to individual cells), by row…

Table accessibility(also: Accessible tables, Data table accessibility)

The practice of structuring data tables so they can be understood by assistive technology users. Accessible tables require proper markup that distinguishes header cells from data cells, establishes relationships between headers and the data they describe, provides captions or…

Table navigation(also: Table browsing, Grid navigation)

A set of screen reader commands that allow users to move between cells, rows, and columns within HTML tables, hearing row and column headers announced for context at each position. Effective table navigation enables non-visual users to understand spatial relationships in…

Table-to-Prose(also: Table-to-Prose Transformation, Tabular Data Narration)

The process of converting structured tabular data into natural language prose descriptions that can be easily understood when read aloud or presented through speech synthesis. Table-to-prose transformation goes beyond simple cell-by-cell linearization by constructing coherent…

Tag Order(also: Source Order, DOM Order, Reading Order)

The sequential order in which HTML elements appear in the source code of a web page, which determines the order in which screen readers and other assistive technologies present content to users. When web pages use CSS or layout tables to position content visually, the tag order…

Tagged PDF(also: Structured PDF, Accessible PDF)

A PDF document that contains semantic structure tags defining the logical reading order, headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, and figures — enabling screen readers and other assistive technologies to navigate and interpret the content meaningfully. Without tags, a PDF is…

Talking Browser(also: Talking Web Browser, Speaking Browser)

A historical term for a specialised web browser that converts on-screen content into synthesised speech, enabling blind and low-vision users to browse the web through audio rather than through a separate screen reader layered over a visual browser. Talking browsers such as IBM…

Target Size(also: Touch Target Size, Click Target Size, Hit Area)

The physical dimensions of an interactive element on screen — such as a link, button, or checkbox — that a user must point to and activate. Adequate target size is critical for users with motor impairments, tremor, or limited dexterity, as small targets require greater precision…

Task Automation(also: Web Task Automation, Browser Automation)

The use of software agents or scripts to automatically perform web-based tasks on behalf of users, such as filling forms, making purchases, or extracting information. Task automation in accessibility contexts promises to reduce the effort required for screen reader users to…

Task-Specific Navigation(also: Task-Based Browsing, Goal-Directed Navigation)

A web interaction paradigm where the interface adapts to surface content relevant to a user's specific task or goal, filtering or de-emphasizing irrelevant elements. Task-specific navigation contrasts with general-purpose browsing by using knowledge of the user's intent to…

Text Alternative(also: Alt Text, Alternative Text, Text Equivalent)

A textual replacement for non-text content, primarily images, that conveys the same purpose or information as the visual element. Text alternatives are essential for users who cannot perceive images, including people who are blind or have low vision and rely on screen readers.…

Text Alternatives(also: Text Alternative, Text Equivalent)

WCAG 2.1 Guideline 1.1 and success criterion 1.1.1 require that all non-text content (images, charts, audio, video, form controls, etc.) have a text alternative serving the equivalent purpose. Text alternatives can be presented as alt text on an image, an aria-label on a…

Text Justification(also: Text Alignment, Justified Text)

The alignment of text along the left and/or right margins of a text block. Left-aligned (ragged right) text has even spacing between words and an uneven right edge, while fully justified (left-right) text has even margins on both sides but variable word spacing. Some…

Text Reflow(also: Content Reflow, Responsive Text)

The ability of text content to rearrange and wrap within its container when the viewport is resized or text is zoomed, so that users can read without horizontal scrolling. Text reflow is essential for users with low vision who magnify content, as well as for mobile users on…

Text-Mode Browser(also: Text Browser, Terminal Browser, Console Browser)

A web browser that renders web pages as text only, without displaying images or graphical layout, typically running in a command-line terminal or console environment. The most well-known text-mode browser is Lynx, developed at the University of Kansas in the early 1990s.…

Text-Only Browser(also: Text Browser, Text-Based Browser)

A web browser that renders pages as plain text without images, styling, or complex layouts, displaying only the textual content and link structure. Examples include WebbIE, Lynx, and Links. Text-only browsers are used by some people with visual impairments as an alternative to…

Time-Based Media(also: Multimedia Content, Synchronized Media)

Content that unfolds over time, including audio, video, audio-video combinations, and interactive multimedia presentations. WCAG Guideline 1.2 requires that time-based media be made accessible through alternatives such as captions for the deaf and hard of hearing, audio…

Topic Segmentation(also: Text Segmentation, Topicalisation)

A natural language processing technique that automatically divides a document into coherent sections based on changes in topic or subject matter. Topic segmentation algorithms detect boundaries where the semantic content of adjacent sentences or paragraphs shifts significantly,…

Touch target(also: Tap target, Touch target size, Target size)

The interactive area on a touchscreen or pen-based display that responds to user input when tapped or pressed. Touch target size is a critical accessibility consideration because targets that are too small or too closely spaced cause selection errors, particularly for older…

Transcoding(also: Content transcoding, Web transcoding)

The process of converting or transforming web content from one format or structural representation to another to improve accessibility. In the context of screen reader access, transcoding can involve detecting visual layout semantics like grid structures and converting them into…

Transformation Proxy(also: Transcoding Proxy, Web Accessibility Proxy)

A transformation proxy is an intermediary server that sits between a user and the web, intercepting web pages and modifying their content before delivering them to the user's browser. In accessibility contexts, transformation proxies are used to improve the accessibility of web…

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