Glossary

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Information Rate(also: Throughput, Bandwidth)

The amount of information successfully communicated per unit of time through a communication channel or interface, measured in bits per second. In HCI and assistive technology evaluation, information rate quantifies how efficiently a user can convey commands or intentions…

Information Representation(also: information artifact, knowledge representation)

An information representation is any structured artifact that encodes data or knowledge and allows people to interact with that content — examples include documents, spreadsheets, slideshows, diagrams, databases, and videos. Representations are fundamental to knowledge work…

Information Retrieval(also: IR)

The science of searching for and extracting relevant information from large collections of documents or data. In accessibility, information retrieval techniques such as keyword extraction, text summarisation, and relevance ranking are used to help blind and visually impaired…

Information Scent(also: Information Smell)

A concept from information foraging theory that describes the strength of cues in a user interface that indicate whether a particular path (link, button, menu item) will lead to desired information or functionality. Strong information scent means users can easily predict what…

Information Seeking(also: Information Retrieval Behavior, Information Search)

The process of actively looking for specific information to answer a question, complete a task, or satisfy an information need. Information seeking on the web involves formulating queries, navigating search results, scanning pages for relevant content, and synthesizing…

Information Theory(also: Shannon Theory, Mathematical Theory of Communication)

A mathematical framework developed by Claude Shannon in 1948 for quantifying the transmission, processing, and storage of information. Central concepts include entropy (the measure of uncertainty or unpredictability in a message source), information rate (the reduction of…

Information Transfer Rate(also: ITR, Data Transfer Rate)

A measure of the speed and accuracy with which a user can communicate information to a computer through an input device, typically expressed in bits per second. Information transfer rate accounts for both the size of the input vocabulary (how many possible commands exist) and…

Information Verification(also: AI Output Verification, Fact-Checking AI)

The process of assessing the accuracy, reliability, and trustworthiness of information generated by AI systems before acting on it. For blind users of generative AI, information verification is uniquely challenging because visual cross-referencing is unavailable, switching…

Information and Communication Technology(also: ICT)

A broad term encompassing all technologies used to handle information and facilitate communication, including computers, mobile devices, software, networks, and digital media. In the context of accessibility, ICT refers to the full range of digital products and services that…

Information asymmetry(also: Information gap, Information lag)

In accessibility contexts, the unequal access to timely, relevant information experienced by disabled people compared to non-disabled peers, caused by inaccessible formats, platforms, and communication channels. Information asymmetry goes beyond the inability to access specific…

Information chunking(also: Chunking)

The practice of organizing information into smaller, manageable groups or segments to reduce cognitive load and improve comprehension and retention. Rooted in cognitive psychology research on working memory limitations, chunking is essential for accessible content design —…

Information wayfinding(also: Digital wayfinding, Information navigation)

The process of orienting oneself within and navigating through digital information spaces such as websites, applications, or documents, analogous to physical wayfinding through buildings or cities. For screen reader users, information wayfinding relies on structural cues like…

Informational Privacy(also: Information Privacy, Data Privacy)

The ability of individuals to control information about themselves—determining what personal data is collected, who can access it, and how it is used. In assistive technology contexts, informational privacy concerns arise when systems monitor health behaviors, location, or…

Informed Consent

The process by which individuals are provided with clear, understandable information about how their data will be collected, used, and shared, enabling them to make voluntary decisions about participation or data sharing. In accessibility contexts, informed consent presents…

Informed Consent Accessibility(also: Accessible Informed Consent, Accessible Consent Process)

The practice of making informed consent documents and processes fully accessible to people with disabilities, ensuring they can understand the information being presented and make genuinely informed decisions about participation. For Deaf and Hard of Hearing individuals who…

Infrared(also: IR, Infrared Communication)

A wireless communication technology that uses infrared light to transmit data over short distances, commonly used in assistive technology for line-of-sight data exchange between devices. In accessibility applications, infrared transmission has been used in systems like Talking…

Infrared Beacon(also: IR Beacon, IR Tag)

A device that transmits identification signals using infrared light, used in indoor navigation and wayfinding systems to help locate users within buildings. When a user's receiver detects the beacon's signal, the system can determine the user's position relative to known…

Infrared Emitting Diode(also: IRED, IR LED, Infrared LED)

A light-emitting diode that produces infrared radiation, used in assistive technology for motion tracking and position sensing. IREDs are commonly used in head-tracking systems, eye-tracking devices, and other assistive input methods where a camera detects the infrared light…

Infrastructural Inversion

A methodological move, articulated by Geoffrey Bowker and Susan Leigh Star, that foregrounds the usually invisible infrastructure underpinning everyday action — categories, standards, procedures, silent stabilising work — treating it as the primary object of analysis rather than…

Infrastructural precarity(also: Digital infrastructure barriers)

The condition of unreliable, inconsistent, or inadequate technological infrastructure that shapes and constrains how people — particularly disabled people and those in the Global South — can access and use digital technologies. Infrastructural precarity encompasses unreliable…

Infrastructuring

A theoretical lens from HCI, CSCW, and participatory design (developed from the work of Susan Leigh Star, Karen Ruhleder, Volkmar Pipek, and Volker Wulf) that treats infrastructure not as a finished artifact but as an ongoing, situated accomplishment. Infrastructuring highlights…

Infrastructuring for Access

A design approach introduced by Wang and Marie (CHI 2026) that combines HCI's infrastructuring theory with Disability Studies and Repair Studies. Rather than focusing on removing barriers or accommodating individual users, Infrastructuring for Access treats disabled…

InftyReader(also: Infty Reader)

A specialised optical character recognition (OCR) system designed to recognise mathematical expressions in scanned documents, developed by the Infty Project (Suzuki et al.). Unlike general-purpose OCR, InftyReader can accurately parse complex mathematical notation (fractions,…

Inhibitory Control(also: Response Inhibition, Impulse Control)

The executive function that enables a person to suppress automatic or impulsive responses in favor of more appropriate, goal-directed behavior. Inhibitory control is essential for tasks requiring sustained focus, turn-taking, and resisting distractions. It is commonly affected…

Inline Audio Description(also: Standard Audio Description, Inline AD)

The standard form of audio description where narrated descriptions of visual content are inserted into natural pauses in dialogue and sound during video playback, without pausing the media. Inline AD must fit within available gaps, which limits the amount of detail that can be…

Input Adaptation(also: Input Device Adaptation, Input Modality Adaptation)

The process of automatically or manually modifying an application's user interface to work with input devices or methods it was not originally designed for. Input adaptation addresses the fact that most graphical user interfaces are designed for keyboard and mouse, yet many…

Input Exertion(also: Input Effort, Interaction Cost)

The physical and cognitive effort required to provide input to a digital system, including keystrokes, mouse movements, taps, and voice commands. For people with motor impairments, input exertion is a critical accessibility concern because even small inefficiencies — such as…

Input Logging(also: Keystroke Logging, Input Event Logging)

The practice of recording detailed timestamped data about keyboard and mouse events — including key presses, releases, mouse movements, clicks, and button states — for analysis of user interaction patterns. In accessibility research, input logging is used to study the…

Input Method Editor(also: IME, Input Method)

A software component that allows users to enter characters and symbols not directly available on their physical keyboard, particularly for languages with large character sets or complex scripts. IMEs are essential for typing in languages like Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and…

Input Modality(also: Interaction Modality, Input Method)

A distinct channel or method through which a user provides input to a computing system, such as touch, voice, gesture, gaze, or keyboard interaction. In accessibility contexts, supporting multiple input modalities is critical because users with different disabilities may need…

Input Rate(also: Keystroke Rate)

The speed at which a user can produce individual keystrokes or character inputs, typically measured in seconds per keystroke. Input rate varies dramatically across access methods: touch typists may achieve 0.1-0.2 seconds per keystroke, while users of switch scanning systems or…

Input Redundancy

A design principle that provides multiple alternative ways to accomplish the same input action, ensuring that users can interact with a system regardless of their specific abilities. In VR accessibility, input redundancy means offering controller input alongside hand tracking,…

Insertion Error(also: Missing Text Error)

A type of text error where content that should be present is missing, requiring the user to navigate to the correct position and add the missing characters, words, or phrases. Insertion errors are challenging for blind users because determining the exact cursor position for…

Inspiration Porn

The portrayal of people with disabilities as inspirational solely or primarily because of their disability, objectifying them for the benefit of non-disabled audiences. Coined by disability activist Stella Young, inspiration porn reduces disabled people to motivational props and…

Instance Segmentation

A computer vision technique that identifies and delineates individual objects within an image at the pixel level, distinguishing separate instances even when they belong to the same category. In accessibility contexts, instance segmentation enables assistive tools to provide…

Instance-Level Recognition(also: Instance Recognition, Fine-Grained Recognition)

A computer vision task that involves distinguishing between specific individual objects within the same general category, rather than just identifying broad categories. For example, while category-level recognition might identify something as "a bag of chips," instance-level…

Institutional Ableism(also: Systemic Ableism, Structural Ableism)

Prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities that is embedded in the policies, practices, norms, and culture of organizations and institutions, rather than manifesting solely through individual attitudes. In higher education, institutional ableism appears in…

Institutional Barriers(also: Organizational Barriers, Systemic Barriers)

Obstacles to accessibility, technology adoption, or inclusion that arise from organizational policies, practices, norms, and cultures rather than from individual limitations or technology design. In schools for the blind, institutional barriers include management resistance to…

Institutional Gatekeeping(also: Systemic Gatekeeping)

The practices through which institutions such as insurance companies, healthcare providers, school districts, and government agencies control access to assistive technology and disability services by defining eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, and funding boundaries.…

Institutionalization

The historical and ongoing practice of placing disabled people in segregated residential facilities such as asylums, nursing homes, and other care institutions, often without their consent. Institutionalization became the default approach to disability in the United States in…

Instructional Technology(also: Educational Technology, EdTech)

Digital technologies intentionally designed and used for teaching and learning purposes, including learning management systems (Google Classroom, Canvas), educational software (Khan Academy, MyMathLab), student response systems (Kahoot), digital textbooks, and assessment…

Instructional design(also: Learning design)

The systematic process of creating educational or instructional materials and experiences that facilitate effective learning and task completion. In accessibility, instructional design principles ensure that tutorials, product manuals, help documentation, and learning materials…

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(also: IADLs)

Complex everyday tasks that require higher-level cognitive and physical skills than basic self-care activities. IADLs include managing finances, shopping, meal preparation, housekeeping, laundry, using transportation, managing medications, and using communication technologies…

Instrumental Activities of Daily Living(also: IADL, IADLs)

Complex daily tasks that require higher-order cognitive and organizational skills beyond basic self-care. IADLs include managing finances, shopping, preparing meals, housekeeping, using transportation, managing medications, and using communication devices. The Lawton IADL Scale…

Integrated Control System(also: Integrated Control)

An assistive technology approach where a single input device serves multiple control functions, such as wheelchair navigation, mouse cursor control, and text entry. Integrated control systems reduce the number of separate devices a person with a disability must manage, lowering…

Integrated Development Environment(also: IDE)

A software application that provides comprehensive facilities for programming, typically combining a source code editor, build automation tools, a debugger, and often version control integration in a single interface. IDEs like Visual Studio Code, Eclipse, and IntelliJ IDEA are…

Intellectual Disability(also: ID, Intellectual Development Disorder)

A disability characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior (everyday social and practical skills), originating during the developmental period. Intellectual disability exists along a continuum…

Intellectual Disability(also: ID, Cognitive Disability, Learning Disability (UK))

A disability characterized by significant limitations in intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills) that originates before age 22. Intellectual disabilities exist on a spectrum from mild to…

Intellectual Disability(also: ID, Learning Disability (UK), Cognitive Disability)

A condition characterized by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behavior (conceptual, social, and practical skills) that originates before age 22. The DSM-5 and ICD-11 classify severity levels based on…

Intellectual and Developmental Disability(also: IDD, Intellectual Disability, Developmental Disability)

A group of conditions characterised by significant limitations in both intellectual functioning (reasoning, learning, problem-solving) and adaptive behaviour (everyday social and practical skills), with onset during the developmental period. IDD encompasses a wide range of…