Glossary

Search results

Cognitively Assistive Robot(also: CAR)

A category of socially assistive robot designed specifically to support people with cognitive impairments — most commonly mild cognitive impairment (MCI), dementia, traumatic brain injury, or learning disabilities — in everyday cognitive tasks such as remembering appointments,…

Coh-Metrix

A web-based tool developed at the University of Memphis that analyses text on more than a hundred measures of language, cohesion, and readability, including referential and semantic cohesion, lexical diversity, syntactic complexity, and latent semantic analysis. Coh-Metrix moves…

Coloured Overlay(also: Colored Overlay, Tinted Overlay, Reading Overlay)

A transparent coloured sheet placed over text or a digital colour filter applied to a screen to reduce visual stress and improve reading comfort for some people with dyslexia, Meares-Irlen syndrome, or other visual processing difficulties. Coloured overlays work by altering the…

Community Navigation(also: Community Travel, Community Mobility)

The ability to plan, initiate, and complete trips within one's community, including getting to transit points on time, using public transportation, and accessing services at destinations. For people with cognitive disabilities such as traumatic brain injury, community navigation…

Compassion Fatigue(also: secondary traumatic stress, empathy fatigue)

A state of emotional and physical exhaustion that results from the prolonged exposure to others' suffering, particularly in caregiving contexts. Unlike burnout, which develops gradually from chronic workplace stress, compassion fatigue can emerge rapidly and is characterized by…

Competency-Based Design(also: Competency-Based Approach)

An accessible design methodology that extends ability-based design by focusing on "competencies"—the representative practical skills people develop through participation in everyday activities, particularly mainstream technologies like social media. Unlike ability-based design,…

Complementary Cognition

A theory proposed by Taylor, Fernandes, and Wraight suggesting that the human species has adapted and evolved cognitively to complement each other through cognitive specializations and effective collaboration. Under this framework, different neurological profiles (including…

Computer Anxiety(also: Technophobia, Computer Phobia, Technology Anxiety)

Negative emotions and cognition processes — including fear, intimidation, apprehension, and hostility — evoked during actual or imagined interaction with computer-based technology. Computer Anxiety is a significant accessibility barrier particularly prevalent among older adults…

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

A person's belief in their own ability to successfully perform tasks using a computer. Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE) is a strong predictor of technology adoption and is inversely correlated with Computer Anxiety — people with low CSE are more likely to experience anxiety, avoid…

Conceptual Model(also: Mental Model)

A user's internal understanding of how a system works, including what actions are possible, what the current state is, and what the consequences of actions will be. Conceptual models are critical in accessibility because users who cannot build an accurate mental representation…

Concurrent Exploration(also: Concurrent Slide Access, Simultaneous Exploration)

The ability for screen reader users to independently browse and interact with visual content (such as presentation slides) at the same time as a presenter is speaking, mirroring the way sighted audience members can freely scan visual materials while listening. Concurrent…

Confabulation (Clinical)(also: Clinical Confabulation)

Confabulation in a clinical sense is the unconscious production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories without the intent to deceive - the person genuinely believes what they are recounting. It is associated with dementia (particularly Alzheimer's and Korsakoff's…

Confirmation Message(also: Positive Feedback, On-track Feedback, Progress Confirmation)

A system message that reassures users they are performing a task correctly or are on the right path, as opposed to only providing error messages or corrective instructions. In assistive technology and cognitive accessibility, confirmation messages have been shown to be…

Constrained Creativity(also: Constrained Design, Creative Constraints)

Constrained creativity is a design approach that supports creative expression by deliberately limiting the choices available to users, providing structure and boundaries within which they can create. In accessibility, constrained creativity has proven especially valuable for…

Constructivism(also: Constructivist Learning Theory)

An educational theory that holds that learners actively construct their own understanding and knowledge through experience, exploration, and reflection rather than passively receiving information. In accessibility and assistive technology contexts, constructivism informs the…

Content Simplification(also: Content-Level Simplification)

Simplification approaches that modify the actual informational content of text, including summarization, removal of non-essential details, and restructuring of information presentation. Content simplification goes beyond lexical and syntactic simplification (which preserve all…

Context-Aware Interface(also: Context-Sensitive Interface, Adaptive Interface)

A user interface that dynamically adapts its content, features, or behavior based on the user's current context, such as their location, current task, time of day, or the website they are visiting. In cognitive accessibility, context-aware interfaces are particularly valuable…

Contextual Learning(also: Context-Dependent Learning)

The tendency of both humans and AI systems to learn patterns and behaviours from the surrounding context rather than from abstract rules. In web development, contextual learning means that developers working on accessible codebases are more likely to produce accessible code…

Conversational Programming(also: natural language programming, LLM-driven scene modification)

Conversational programming is a paradigm in which users modify software behaviour or digital environments through natural language dialogue with an AI system, rather than through traditional developer-defined controls, menus, or code. In accessibility contexts, conversational…

Conversational Scaffolding(also: Scaffolded Interaction)

Human or technology-provided support, prompts, or guidance that helps individuals accomplish communication tasks they might struggle with independently. In voice assistant contexts, scaffolding includes features like setting up calendars, providing reminders, and offering…

Coreference(also: Coreference Resolution, Anaphora Resolution)

The linguistic phenomenon of two or more expressions in a text referring to the same real-world entity — for example, "Sam", "she", and "the scientist" all referring to the same person. Coreference resolution is the NLP task of automatically linking these expressions into…

Crip time(also: Crip temporality)

A disability studies concept, developed by scholar Alison Kafer, that recognizes how disabled and chronically ill people experience and navigate time differently due to bodily, cognitive, or systemic factors. Rather than forcing conformity to linear, clock-based productivity…

Critical Listening(also: Analytical Listening, Active Listening)

Critical listening is the skill of analytically evaluating audio content to identify specific qualities such as tonal balance, clarity, spatial positioning, dynamic range, and technical flaws like distortion or noise. In audio production, critical listening is a core…

Cross-Referencing(also: Verification by Comparison)

A strategy used by blind people to verify AI output by comparing information from multiple sources or against prior personal knowledge. In the context of privacy tools, participants suggested that assessment descriptors describing multiple objects in a familiar space would…

Cross-modal Congruency

The temporal, spatial, and semantic alignment of sensory cues during an interaction — for example, a visual event and its accompanying sound occurring at the same moment and in the same location, with matching emotional tone. Congruency differs from correspondence:…

Crystallized Intelligence(also: Gc)

Crystallized intelligence refers to the accumulated knowledge, skills, vocabulary, and general information a person acquires through experience and education over their lifetime. Unlike fluid intelligence, which declines with age, crystallized intelligence tends to remain stable…

Customization Paradox(also: Paradox of Choice in Customization)

The phenomenon where providing more customization options to reduce barriers paradoxically creates new barriers through increased cognitive load, decision fatigue, and distraction from the customization interface itself. The customization paradox is particularly acute for ADHD…

Dale-Chall Readability Formula(also: Dale-Chall, New Dale-Chall)

A readability formula first published by Edgar Dale and Jeanne Chall in 1948 and revised in 1995. Unlike formulas that rely only on surface counts, Dale-Chall compares every word in a text against a manually curated list of "easy" words familiar to fourth-grade readers; the raw…

Dark Patterns(also: Deceptive Design Patterns, Deceptive Patterns, Manipulative Design)

User interface designs that trick or manipulate users into taking actions they did not intend, such as subscribing to services, sharing personal data, or accepting unfavorable terms. In the context of privacy, dark patterns in cookie notices might include pre-selected consent…

Decimal System(also: Base-10 System, Decimal Number System)

The standard numeral system using ten digits (0-9) where the value of each digit depends on its position, with each position representing a power of ten. Understanding the decimal system requires grasping place value — that the digit 4 represents different quantities in 400, 40,…

Decision Delay(also: Cognitive Delay, Selection Delay)

The time a user spends deciding whether to accept or reject a suggestion from a predictive system, such as a word prediction list on an assistive technology device or keyboard. Decision delay is a cognitive cost that can offset the motor efficiency gains of word prediction:…

Decision Fatigue(also: Choice Overload, Decision Exhaustion)

The deteriorating quality of decisions made by an individual after a long session of decision-making, or when confronted with too many choices simultaneously. Decision fatigue disproportionately affects people with executive dysfunction, ADHD, and other cognitive disabilities,…

Deficit Narrative(also: Deficit-Based Framing, Deficit Model)

A framing approach that characterizes disability or neurodivergence primarily in terms of what individuals lack, cannot do, or do poorly compared to a non-disabled norm. Deficit narratives are embedded in many clinical assessment tools through language that pathologizes natural…

Deictic Gesture(also: Pointing Gesture)

A deictic gesture is a pointing or indicating motion (typically with a finger, but also with gaze, head, or tool) that directs another person's attention to a specific referent in the shared environment. In face-to-face tutoring, deictic gestures are central to effective…

Demand Avoidance(also: Pathological Demand Avoidance, PDA, Persistent Drive for Autonomy)

An inner resistance to perceived demands — even self-imposed ones — that can lead to inability to start, change, or complete tasks. Demand avoidance is associated with an autism profile sometimes called Pathological Demand Avoidance (PDA) in the UK, and more recently reframed by…

Dementia

A group of progressive neurological conditions that affect memory, thinking, orientation, comprehension, language, and judgment. Alzheimer's disease is the most common form. Dementia significantly impacts how people interact with digital technology, often requiring simplified…

Dementia Advocacy(also: Dementia self-advocacy)

Dementia advocacy encompasses efforts by people living with dementia, caregivers, and allies to promote more inclusive, dignified, and rights-based understandings of dementia in public discourse, policy, and service design. Self-advocacy—where individuals with dementia share…

Depression(also: Major Depressive Disorder, Clinical Depression)

A mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. Depression can significantly impact cognitive function, including concentration, memory, and decision-making, which affects how individuals interact with…

Developmental Learning Disorder(also: DLD, Specific Learning Disorder, Learning Disability)

A group of neurodevelopmental conditions that affect the acquisition and use of specific academic skills such as reading, writing, or mathematics. Developmental Learning Disorders include dyslexia (affecting reading), dysgraphia (affecting writing), and dyscalculia (affecting…

Developmental disability(also: Developmental disorder)

A group of conditions resulting from impairments in physical, learning, language, or behavioural areas that begin during the developmental period, are usually lifelong, and affect day-to-day functioning. Developmental disabilities include intellectual disability, autism spectrum…

Diagnostic Overshadowing

A clinical phenomenon in which the symptoms or behaviours of a person with a disability are incorrectly attributed to their existing disability rather than being recognised as signs of a separate condition. In the context of intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD),…

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 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 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 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 Well-Being(also: Digital wellbeing, Digital wellness)

A field of research, design, and consumer technology focused on supporting healthy, intentional relationships between people and their devices. Digital well-being spans screen-time tracking, attention management, notification control, distraction blockers, intentional-use…

Disability Disclosure(also: Self-Disclosure, Disability Identity Disclosure)

The act of revealing one's disability status to others, including employers, educators, peers, or service providers. Disability disclosure is a complex, strategic decision influenced by stigma, fear of negative perception, institutional culture, and the nature of the disability…

Disabling by Design(also: Designed Disability, Systemic Disablement)

A critical framework describing how systems, policies, and processes create disability through their design rather than through malicious intent. When a system requires cognitive, physical, or sensory capabilities that it simultaneously undermines or fails to accommodate, it is…

Discrete Trial Training(also: DTT, Discrete Trial Teaching, Discrete Trial Instruction)

A structured teaching method used primarily with autistic children in which skills are broken down into small, distinct components and taught through repeated, controlled trials. Each trial follows a sequence: a clear instruction or stimulus is presented, the learner responds,…

Distractibility(also: Attentional Distractibility, Susceptibility to Distraction)

A cognitive characteristic in which a person has difficulty maintaining focus on a task due to sensitivity to irrelevant stimuli in their environment. Distractibility is a feature of many conditions including ADHD, autism, dyslexia, and traumatic brain injury, and can also be…