Glossary

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Digital Assistive Technology(also: Digital AT, Software-Based AT)

Assistive technologies delivered through software, applications, and digital platforms rather than dedicated physical devices. Digital AT includes screen readers, speech-to-text tools, magnification software, communication apps, and AI-powered features embedded in smartphones,…

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 Barrier(also: Digital Accessibility Barrier, ICT Barrier)

Any aspect of a digital system, tool, or environment that prevents or hinders use by people with disabilities or older users. Digital barriers can include poor colour contrast, missing alternative text, incompatibility with screen readers, lack of keyboard navigation, absence of…

Digital Biomarker(also: Digital Health Marker, Passive Biomarker)

A quantifiable physiological or behavioral measure collected through digital devices (such as smartphones, wearables, or sensors) that can serve as an indicator of health status, disease progression, or treatment response. In accessibility contexts, digital biomarkers derived…

Digital Campus(also: Virtual Campus, Online Campus)

The entirety of an educational institution's online presence, platforms, tools, and digital resources used to deliver learning experiences. The digital campus encompasses learning management systems, course content, assessment tools, library resources, and support services…

Digital Citizenship

Digital citizenship refers to the capacity to participate fully, safely and recognisably in online and digital public life - having roles, routines and voice in the platforms where shared culture and civic life are increasingly located. For disabled users, and particularly…

Digital Comics Accessibility(also: Comic Accessibility, Graphic Novel Accessibility)

The practice of making comics, graphic novels, manga, and webtoons accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. Digital comics present unique accessibility challenges because they convey narrative through a combination of sequential art,…

Digital Compass(also: Electronic Compass, Magnetometer)

An electronic sensor that detects the Earth's magnetic field to determine the direction a person or device is facing, providing heading information in degrees or cardinal directions. In assistive technology for blind and visually impaired users, digital compasses are integrated…

Digital Crown(also: Watch Crown, Rotary Input)

A physical rotary input control on the Apple Watch and some other smartwatches that can be turned to scroll, navigate, or adjust values. The digital crown provides tactile, proportional input that does not require looking at a screen, making it valuable for accessibility…

Digital Disability Divide

The gap between people with and without disabilities in both access to and effective use of information and communication technologies. The term extends the broader concept of the digital divide to emphasise that merely providing connectivity or devices is insufficient when…

Digital Divide(also: Digital Gap, Technology Divide)

The gap between those who have access to and can effectively use digital technologies and those who cannot, typically divided along lines of income, geography, disability, age, and education. The digital divide disproportionately affects people with disabilities in the Global…

Digital Divide(also: Digital Gap, Digital Inequality)

The gap between people who have effective access to digital technologies and those who do not, encompassing differences in internet connectivity, device ownership, digital skills, and the ability to meaningfully use technology. The digital divide disproportionately affects older…

Digital Divide(also: Digital Gap, Technology Gap)

The gap between individuals, households, or communities that have access to modern information and communication technologies and those that do not, or between those with the skills to use them effectively and those without. The digital divide encompasses not only access to…

Digital Ecosystem Accessibility(also: Accessible Digital Ecosystem)

The practice of ensuring accessibility across the entire interconnected set of digital systems, platforms, and tools that a person must interact with to complete their goals, rather than treating each system in isolation. In higher education, the digital ecosystem includes…

Digital Embroidery(also: Computerised Embroidery, Machine Embroidery)

Fabrication of stitched patterns on fabric using a computer-controlled embroidery machine that reads a digitised design file (e.g., DST, EXP) and drives a needle to produce precise, repeatable stitches. In accessibility work, digital embroidery is used to build tactile textile…

Digital Equity(also: Digital Equality)

The condition in which all individuals and communities have equal access to, use of, and ability to benefit from digital technologies, regardless of disability, socioeconomic status, geographic location, or other factors. In workplace contexts, digital equity means ensuring that…

Digital Ethnography(also: Virtual Ethnography, Netnography, Online Ethnography)

A qualitative research method that applies ethnographic principles to study online communities, digital cultures, and technology-mediated social interactions. Digital ethnography involves systematic observation and analysis of online behavior, content, and interactions in their…

Digital Exclusion(also: Digital Marginalization)

The condition in which individuals or groups are unable to access, use, or benefit from digital technologies due to barriers related to disability, socioeconomic status, age, geography, or digital literacy. For people with disabilities, digital exclusion often results from…

Digital Fabrication(also: Digital Manufacturing)

The process of creating physical objects from digital designs using computer-controlled manufacturing tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC mills. Digital fabrication has democratized the production of assistive technology by enabling non-specialists to create…

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 Fairness Act(also: DFA)

A proposed European Union act intended to extend the Digital Services Act by targeting deceptive patterns, manipulative personalisation, and other forms of online interface deception across the EU single market. The DFA aims to close ambiguities in existing DP legislation by…

Digital Family Portrait

Digital Family Portrait is a 2001 research prototype from Georgia Institute of Technology (Mynatt et al.) that uses an ambient, picture-frame-style display in an adult child's home to represent the daily activity of an older relative living remotely. The portrait's decorative…

Digital Financial Inclusion(also: Financial Technology Accessibility, Inclusive Fintech)

Ensuring that digital financial services — including mobile banking, mobile money (like M-Pesa), online payments, and digital wallets — are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. Digital financial inclusion is a critical accessibility issue because financial…

Digital Health(also: eHealth, Digital Health Intervention)

The use of digital technologies — including mobile apps, social media platforms, wearables, telemedicine, and AI tools — to deliver, coordinate, or support healthcare services and health information. Digital health spans clinical, public health, and community applications, and…

Digital Immigrant(also: Digital Non-Native)

A person who grew up before the widespread adoption of digital technology and has had to learn digital skills later in life, as opposed to a digital native who grew up immersed in technology. In accessibility research, older adults are often characterized as digital immigrants…

Digital Inclusion(also: Digital Equity, e-Inclusion)

The principle and practice of ensuring that all individuals and communities have access to and can effectively use information and communication technologies. Digital inclusion encompasses three key dimensions: affordable and reliable internet access, devices that meet user…

Digital Independence(also: Digital Autonomy, Technology Independence)

The ability to access and use digital technologies independently to find resources and information. Digital independence encompasses skills such as navigating websites, using search engines, evaluating online information, and completing digital tasks without requiring…

Digital Intervention(also: Digital Health Intervention, Technology-Based Intervention)

A health or behavioural support programme delivered through digital technology such as apps, games, or web platforms. Digital interventions for accessibility include cognitive training tools for people with ADHD, speech therapy apps, mental health chatbots, and gamified…

Digital Labor(also: Digital Labour, Online Labor)

Work performed through digital platforms and online systems, including microtask crowdwork, gig economy jobs, and remote freelancing. Digital labor raises important accessibility considerations because it can offer people with disabilities flexible employment opportunities that…

Digital Layer Accessibility

The dimension of VR accessibility concerned with user representation through avatars and the design of virtual worlds and environments. On the avatar side, this includes whether users can create avatars that represent their disabilities, assistive devices, and physical…

Digital Literacy(also: Digital Skills, Computer Literacy)

The ability to effectively and critically use digital technologies for information access, communication, content creation, and problem-solving. Digital literacy for people with vision impairments encompasses proficiency with screen readers, keyboard navigation, accessible…

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 Living Media(also: Living Media Interface, Biotic Design)

Systems that combine living organisms with electronic components as part of a digital interface. In accessibility contexts, digital living media have been explored as motivational tools for children with disabilities, where the growth of a living organism (such as a mushroom…

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 Native

A person who grew up using digital technologies such as computers, the Internet, and mobile devices from an early age. Digital natives are presumed to have intuitive familiarity with digital interfaces and often learn new technologies through trial-and-error and exploration. The…

Digital News Accessibility(also: Accessible News Media)

The design and implementation of digital news platforms—including websites, mobile applications, news aggregators, and audio-based services—so that they can be effectively used by people with disabilities, particularly blind and visually impaired users who rely on screen…

Digital Nudge(also: Technology Nudge, Behavioral Nudge)

Design elements in digital interfaces that subtly guide users toward particular behaviors or decisions. In privacy contexts, nudges might suggest obfuscating detected sensitive content or prompt users to review their sharing settings. HCI scholarship has critiqued nudging as…

Digital Phenotyping(also: Active Digital Phenotyping, Passive Digital Phenotyping, Behavioral Phenotyping)

The use of data from digital devices (smartphones, computers, wearables) to quantify behavioral and physiological characteristics relevant to health or ability. Passive digital phenotyping collects data unobtrusively during natural device use (e.g., analyzing typing patterns or…

Digital Reading(also: Electronic Reading, Online Reading)

The act of reading text on digital devices including computers, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers. Digital reading differs from print reading in that it enables dynamic text modification, multimodal augmentation, and assistive technology integration that are not possible with…

Digital Resource Description(also: DRD, Resource Accessibility Description)

Digital Resource Description (DRD) is a component of the AccessForAll framework (standardized in ISO 24751 and IMS AccessForAll) that provides a structured way to describe the accessibility properties and available adaptations of digital learning resources. For each resource,…

Digital Ruler(also: Reading Ruler, Line Guide)

A digital tool that constrains the visible area of text to specific lines or paragraphs, reducing visual crowding and helping readers maintain focus on the current reading position. Digital rulers are analogous to physical reading rulers or overlays used by people with dyslexia.…

Digital Scaffolding(also: Inclusive Digital Scaffolding)

An educational framework that applies Vygotsky's scaffolding theory to the acquisition of digital skills by people with disabilities, particularly in low-and-middle-income countries. Digital scaffolding structures learning through four zones: the Out of Reach Zone (baseline…

Digital Self-Efficacy(also: Technology Self-Efficacy, Computer Self-Efficacy)

An individual's belief in their ability to effectively use digital technologies to accomplish tasks. Digital self-efficacy influences how people approach technology challenges, persist through difficulties, and recover from errors. For people with progressive cognitive…

Digital Services Act(also: DSA)

A European Union regulation (Regulation (EU) 2022/2065) that governs online intermediaries and platforms, including social networks, online marketplaces, and content-sharing services. Among many provisions, the DSA prohibits online platforms from designing, organising, or…

Digital Sheet Music(also: Electronic Sheet Music)

Musical scores displayed on electronic devices such as tablets, computers, or head-mounted displays rather than printed on paper. Digital sheet music offers accessibility advantages over print including the ability to magnify, adjust colors and contrast, invert colors for better…

Digital Signal Processor(also: DSP)

A specialised microprocessor designed to perform mathematical operations on digital signals in real time, such as filtering, compression, and pattern recognition. In assistive technology, DSPs are used in hearing aids to process and amplify sound, in speech recognition systems,…

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

Structured instruction in using digital technologies effectively, including basic device operation, internet navigation, application use, and accessibility feature configuration. For people with disabilities in low-resource settings, digital skills training is often as important…

Digital Stimming(also: Digital self-stimulation)

The deliberate, controlled engagement with digital content — typically apps, videos, or sites commonly labeled as 'distracting' — as a self-regulatory or soothing behavior, analogous to physical stimming (repetitive self-soothing actions recognized in neurodivergent…

Digital Storytelling(also: Multimedia Storytelling, Personal Digital Narrative)

The use of digital media — including photographs, video clips, audio recordings, and text — to create and share personal narratives. In the context of accessibility and AAC, digital storytelling offers an alternative to text-based and real-time spoken communication, allowing…

Digital Surveillance(also: Online Surveillance)

The monitoring, tracking, and collection of data about individuals through digital technologies, including by governments, corporations, and other institutions. For disabled people, digital surveillance creates specific accessibility concerns: assistive technology data may…