Glossary

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Voice user interface(also: VUI, Conversational interface, Voice interface)

A human-computer interaction paradigm that uses speech as the primary input and audio output as the primary feedback channel. Voice user interfaces range from simple command-and-response systems to conversational agents with natural language understanding. VUIs offer significant…

Voice-Activated Personal Assistant(also: VAPA, Voice Assistant, Virtual Assistant)

AI-powered software that responds to spoken commands to perform tasks such as scheduling, setting reminders, searching information, and controlling devices. Examples include Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana. For blind and low vision users, VAPAs offer hands-free…

Voice-Assisted Technology(also: VAT, Voice-Activated Technology)

Technology that uses voice recognition and natural language processing to enable users to interact with devices, applications, and services through spoken commands. Voice-assisted technology encompasses smart speakers, virtual assistants on phones, and voice-enabled appliances.…

Voice-First Design(also: Voice-First Interface, Audio-First Design)

A design approach for applications and interfaces where voice is the primary input and output modality, with visual elements being secondary or absent. Voice-first design is particularly relevant for accessibility tools serving visually impaired users, where the entire user…

Voice-activated personal assistant(also: VAPA, Smart assistant, Virtual assistant)

An AI-powered software agent that responds to voice commands to perform tasks such as answering questions, controlling smart home devices, managing schedules, and reading content aloud. For people with visual impairments, VAPAs like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri…

Voice-to-Text(also: Voice Typing, Dictation, Voice Input)

Technology that converts spoken language into written text, enabling users to compose text by speaking rather than typing. Voice-to-text is an important accessibility tool for people with motor disabilities affecting manual dexterity, repetitive strain injuries, or temporary…

VoiceOver

The built-in screen reader provided by Apple across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. VoiceOver is notable for being deeply integrated into the operating system rather than being a separate application, which gives it direct access to the accessibility APIs of native…

VoiceXML(also: Voice Extensible Markup Language, VXML)

VoiceXML (Voice Extensible Markup Language) is a W3C standard markup language for creating voice-based user interfaces, particularly interactive voice response (IVR) systems and voice browsers. VoiceXML allows developers to define dialogs between a user and a system using…

Voicemail(also: Voice Mail, Voice Messaging)

Voicemail is a telecommunications service that records an audio message from a caller when the called party is unavailable, for later retrieval by the recipient. Accessibility considerations include: reliance on hearing to listen to messages (a barrier for Deaf and…

Voicemark(also: Voice Bookmark, Audio Bookmark)

A navigable audio marker or bookmark that allows users to quickly locate and access specific sections of web content or documents through speech or keyboard interaction. Voicemarks are created by analyzing and labeling content segments, then storing these labeled references in a…

Voicemarking(also: Voice Bookmark, Speech-Based Bookmark)

A speech-based technique for creating and retrieving semantic bookmarks in assistive web browsers. Users create voicemarks by speaking the name of a concept (e.g., "Major Headlines") and optionally a keyword, allowing them to later jump directly to that content on any website…

Volumetric Symbol(also: 3D Symbol, Volumetric Icon)

A small three-dimensional object used on a tactile or audio-tactile map to represent a category of place or facility — for example, a distinct shape for a restroom, elevator, information desk, or exhibition entrance. Research on tactile cartography has shown that blind map users…

Volunteer-Driven Accessibility(also: Community-Driven Accessibility)

Accessibility solutions that depend on the unpaid labor of volunteers rather than being built into platforms or services by design. Examples include volunteer-created accessible e-newspapers for blind readers, crowd-sourced image descriptions, and human-powered visual assistance…

Volunteered Geographic Information(also: VGI, Citizen-Generated Geospatial Data)

Geographic information voluntarily created and shared by citizens, often using GPS-enabled smartphones, mapping tools, and online platforms. VGI enables large-scale collection of spatial data at low cost through citizen participation. In accessibility contexts, VGI includes…

Vote Verification(also: Cast-as-Intended Verification, Recorded-as-Cast Verification)

The ability for a voter to confirm that their vote was correctly cast, recorded, and counted — a core requirement for trustworthy electronic and online elections. Traditional code-based verification schemes (Helios, Belenios) ask the voter to compare random strings between their…

VoxLens

An open-source JavaScript plug-in developed at the University of Washington that improves the accessibility of online data visualizations for screen-reader users through a multimodal approach. VoxLens provides three interaction modes: a Question-and-Answer mode where users can…

Vulnerable population research(also: Research with vulnerable groups)

Research involving participants who may have diminished capacity to provide fully informed consent or who are at elevated risk of harm, including older adults with cognitive decline, people with dementia, children with disabilities, and individuals with intellectual…