Glossary

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Reasonable accommodation(also: Reasonable adjustment, Workplace accommodation)

A modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or workplace process that enables an employee with a disability to perform essential job functions and enjoy equal employment opportunities. Reasonable accommodations can include flexible work hours, quiet workspaces,…

Recreational Accessibility(also: Leisure Accessibility)

The design and provision of recreational activities, spaces, and experiences that are inclusive of people with disabilities. Recreational accessibility extends beyond basic physical access to encompass independent participation in leisure pursuits such as shopping, tourism,…

Right to Repair

A movement advocating for consumers' ability to repair, modify, and maintain their own devices and equipment, including access to diagnostic information, repair manuals, and replacement parts. For people with disabilities, right to repair is especially significant because…

Section 504(also: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a US federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. It requires educational institutions, government agencies, and other…

Self-Advocacy

The ability and practice of speaking up for one's own needs, rights, and interests, particularly in contexts where those needs may be overlooked, dismissed, or actively opposed. In disability contexts, self-advocacy is both a personal skill and a political movement, encompassing…

Self-Advocate

A person with a disability who speaks up for themselves and their rights, makes their own decisions, and works to ensure their voice is heard in matters affecting their life. In the disability rights movement, self-advocates are individuals who participate in advocacy…

Self-Determination(also: Autonomy, Self-Determination Theory)

The right and ability of individuals to make choices and decisions about their own lives, bodies, and futures without external coercion or control. In disability rights, self-determination is a core principle affirming that disabled people should have agency over their own care,…

Sexual Violence(also: Nonconsensual Sex)

Any sexual act, attempt, or coercion that occurs without the freely given consent of the person involved. In accessibility research, sexual violence is a significant concern because disabled and neurodivergent populations - including autistic adults and people with ADHD -…

Sheltered Employment(also: Sheltered Workshop, Sheltered Work)

A form of employment in which people with disabilities work in a segregated setting, separate from the general labour market, typically under supervised conditions and often for below-minimum wage. Sheltered workshops were historically the primary employment model for people…

Social Agency

Social agency is the capacity to shape, initiate, and sustain one's social interactions - to contribute meaningfully to a group, express preferences, and influence shared activity. For people with cognitive disabilities, dementia, or communication differences, social agency is…

Social Model of Disability(also: Social Construction of Disability)

A framework that locates disability not in an individual's body or mind but in the barriers created by society — including physical environments, attitudes, policies, and systems that exclude people with impairments from full participation. Developed in contrast to the medical…

Social Model of Disability(also: social model, barriers model)

A framework that distinguishes between impairment (a physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the social barriers and exclusion that result from society not accommodating that difference). Under this model, people are disabled by inaccessible environments,…

Supplemental Security Income(also: SSI)

A U.S. federal program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides cash benefits to people with disabilities, blindness, or age-related needs who have limited income and resources. SSI enforces strict asset and income limits — historically $2,000 in…

Supported Decision-Making(also: SDM)

A legal and practical alternative to guardianship in which a person with a cognitive or developmental disability retains decision-making authority over their own life while receiving support from trusted people — family, friends, advocates — who help them understand options,…

Surveillance

The systematic, focused, and often routine observation of people, their activities, or their data for purposes of influence, management, entitlement, or control. In accessibility and HCI research, surveillance is an analytical frame used to examine how monitoring technologies —…

Sustainable Development Goals(also: SDGs, Global Goals)

A collection of 17 interlinked global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by 2030. Several SDGs are directly relevant to disability inclusion: SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth, promoting…

Technology Empowerment(also: User Empowerment, Disability Technology Empowerment)

An approach to accessibility that goes beyond user-centered design to actively train and support people with disabilities to become technology creators, developers, and researchers rather than solely consumers of assistive technology. Coined by Richard Ladner, technology…

Transformative Access

A concept from disability justice that redefines accessibility beyond structural adjustments or compliance with standards. Introduced by the disability justice group Sins Invalid, transformative access advocates not only for removing barriers but for shifting societal norms to…

Transinstitutionalization

The transition of disabled people from one type of institutional setting to another rather than to genuine community-based living. For example, the movement of disabled individuals from clinical institutions such as psychiatric hospitals to criminal institutional settings such…

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities(also: UN CRPD, CRPD, Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities)

An international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations in 2006 and entered into force in 2008, establishing the rights of people with disabilities to full participation in society. The CRPD is particularly significant for digital accessibility through Article 9…

UNCRPD(also: United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, CRPD)

An international human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2006 that articulates the rights of people with disabilities across all areas of life, including employment, education, health, and participation in society. The UNCRPD represents a paradigm…

Universal Credit(also: UC)

A UK means-tested social security payment that consolidates six legacy benefits (including Income Support, Housing Benefit, and Employment Support Allowance) into a single monthly digital claim. Universal Credit is operated by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) and is…

User Participation(also: User Involvement, Participatory Research, Co-production)

The active involvement of end users in the design, development, and evaluation of products, services, or systems that affect them. In accessibility contexts, user participation means including people with disabilities not just as test subjects but as collaborators who contribute…

Vocational Inclusion(also: Employment Inclusion, Labor Market Inclusion)

The meaningful participation of people with disabilities in the labor market, encompassing not just job placement but access to professional development, training, career advancement, and equitable working conditions. Despite international policy frameworks like the UNCRPD and…

Workplace Accommodation(also: Reasonable Accommodation, Job Accommodation)

Modifications or adjustments to a job, work environment, or work processes that enable a person with a disability to perform their job duties and participate equally in the workplace. Accommodations can include physical modifications (accessible workstations, ergonomic…