Glossary

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Mobility Assessment(also: Mobility Evaluation, Gait Assessment)

A clinical evaluation that quantifies a person's movement capabilities, including walking pattern, balance, and motor performance. Mobility assessments are used to diagnose conditions like Parkinson's Disease, monitor disease progression, and plan treatment. Traditional…

Mobility and Orientation Trainer(also: MOT, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, O&M Specialist)

A qualified professional who teaches orientation and mobility (O&M) skills to blind and partially sighted people, enabling safe and independent travel. MOTs assess individual needs and deliver personalized training that progresses from indoor navigation to outdoor route…

Motor Recovery(also: Motor Rehabilitation, Motor Function Recovery)

The process of regaining voluntary movement control and physical function after neurological injury such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, or spinal cord damage. Motor recovery involves reorganization of neural pathways through cortical plasticity, where undamaged areas of the…

Motor Skill(also: Motor Skills, Gross Motor Skill, Fine Motor Skill)

A motor skill is a learned ability to produce a coordinated movement of muscles to achieve an outcome, ranging from gross-motor actions like walking, jumping, and balancing to fine-motor actions like handwriting, buttoning a shirt, or manipulating a stylus. Motor skills strongly…

Multimodal Cueing

Multimodal cueing is the simultaneous or selectable use of two or more sensory channels - typically visual, auditory, and somatosensory (vibrotactile) - to guide motor behaviour during rehabilitation or assistive interaction. The rationale is that different modalities engage…

Myoelectric Control

The use of electromyographic (EMG) signals from voluntary muscle contractions as control inputs for external devices, most commonly powered upper-limb prostheses but also exoskeletons, wheelchairs, and general computer input. Traditional myoelectric control uses direct mappings…

Naming Practice(also: Confrontation Naming, Naming Therapy, Picture Naming)

A speech-language therapy technique in which individuals with aphasia are shown pictures of familiar objects and asked to produce the corresponding word. Naming practice is one of the most common and well-evidenced interventions for word finding difficulties (anomia) in people…

Neck Range of Motion(also: Cervical Range of Motion, Neck ROM)

The extent to which a person can move their head and neck through three planes of rotation: flexion and extension (nodding forward and backward), axial rotation (turning left and right), and lateral bending (tilting ear toward shoulder). Normal active neck range of motion varies…

Neural Prosthetics(also: Neuroprosthetics, Neural Prostheses)

Devices that interface directly with the nervous system to restore or supplement lost sensory, motor, or cognitive functions. Neural prosthetics can be input devices (reading neural signals to control external equipment, as in brain-computer interfaces) or output devices…

Neurofeedback(also: EEG Biofeedback, Neurotherapy)

Neurofeedback is a type of biofeedback that uses real-time monitoring of brain electrical activity (typically via EEG) to teach individuals to self-regulate their brain function. Users receive feedback — often through visual, audio, or game-based interfaces — about their current…

Neuropsychological Assessment(also: Neuropsychological Testing, Cognitive Assessment)

A systematic evaluation of cognitive, behavioural, and emotional functioning through standardised tests designed to measure specific brain-behaviour relationships. In the context of accessibility and rehabilitation, neuropsychological assessments are used to identify and…

Occupational Therapist(also: OT, Occupational Therapy)

An occupational therapist is a licensed healthcare professional who helps people participate in the 'occupations' of daily life — self-care, work, school, leisure, and community roles — through therapeutic activity, environmental modification, and assistive technology. In…

Occupational Therapy Assessment(also: OT Assessment, OT Evaluation, Client Evaluation)

Occupational therapy assessment is the systematic process by which an occupational therapist evaluates a client's physical capabilities, cognitive function, emotional state, and ability to perform daily living activities in order to develop an appropriate treatment plan.…

Occupational therapy(also: OT)

A healthcare profession focused on enabling people to participate in meaningful daily activities (occupations) by addressing physical, cognitive, sensory, and environmental barriers. Occupational therapists assess individual abilities, recommend and customize assistive…

Orientation and Mobility(also: O&M)

A professional field and set of skills that enable blind and visually impaired people to travel safely and independently in their environments. Orientation refers to understanding one's position in space relative to landmarks and destinations, while mobility refers to the…

Orthosis(also: Orthotic, Orthotic Device, Brace)

An externally applied medical device used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system. Orthoses support, align, prevent, or correct deformities and improve the function of movable parts of the body. Common types include ankle…

Orthotics(also: Orthosis, Orthoses, Orthotic Device)

Externally applied devices used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems — including braces, splints, and supports for the spine, limbs, hands, feet, and neck. Orthoses stabilize joints, correct alignment, redistribute…

Pediatric Rehabilitation(also: Children's Rehabilitation, Paediatric Rehabilitation)

A specialized area of rehabilitation medicine focused on children and adolescents with disabilities, developmental delays, or injuries. Unlike adult rehabilitation which typically aims to restore lost function, pediatric rehabilitation focuses on developing new skills, fostering…

Peripersonal Space(also: Near space, Reaching space)

The area immediately surrounding the body that is within arm's reach, typically extending about 60-70 cm from the body. Peripersonal space is significant in accessibility because blind and visually impaired children often have delayed development of spatial awareness within this…

Physical Therapy(also: Physiotherapy, PT)

A healthcare profession focused on evaluating and treating physical impairments, functional limitations, and disabilities through movement, exercise, manual therapy, and assistive devices. Physical therapists work with people recovering from injuries, surgeries, strokes, and…

Preferred Retinal Locus(also: PRL, Preferred Retinal Location)

A specific area of the retina outside the damaged macula that a person with central vision loss adopts as their primary fixation point for viewing. When the central fovea is damaged (as in macular degeneration), individuals naturally or through training develop one or more PRLs…

Prosthetics(also: Prostheses, Prosthetic Devices, Artificial Limbs)

Artificial devices designed to replace missing body parts, most commonly limbs lost through amputation, congenital absence, or trauma. Modern prosthetics range from basic cosmetic devices to highly functional myoelectric arms controlled by muscle signals and…

Pursed-lip Breathing(also: PLB)

A breathing technique in which the person inhales gently through the nose and exhales slowly through lightly pursed lips, with the exhalation lasting at least twice as long as the inhalation. The prolonged exhalation against pursed lips creates positive back-pressure in the…

Pusher Syndrome(also: Contraversive Pushing, Lateropulsion)

A clinical disorder occurring in some stroke survivors in which the patient actively pushes their body weight away from the non-paralyzed (non-hemiparetic) side, leading to a severe loss of postural balance. Typically caused by damage to the left or right brain, pusher syndrome…

Range of Motion(also: ROM, Joint Mobility)

The full movement potential of a joint, measured in degrees of a circle, from the starting position to maximum extension or flexion. Range of motion exercises are fundamental to physical rehabilitation, helping maintain joint flexibility and prevent contractures. In…

Remote therapy(also: Teletherapy, Telepractice, Telerehabilitation)

The delivery of therapeutic interventions — including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation — through technology-mediated communication rather than exclusively in-person sessions. Remote therapy systems typically combine a client-facing application (often…

Residual Vision(also: Remaining Vision, Useful Vision)

The vision that remains after an eye condition has caused partial vision loss. Most people classified as having low vision retain some useful residual vision and prefer to use it for observing and interacting with their environment. Low-vision rehabilitation adopts an…

Saccade(also: Saccadic Eye Movement)

A rapid, ballistic eye movement that shifts the point of fixation from one location to another. Saccades are essential for visual search, reading, and scanning the environment. In low-vision rehabilitation, training saccadic eye movements helps individuals develop efficient…

Self-Efficacy

A person's belief in their own ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish particular tasks. In workplace inclusion contexts, self-efficacy is an important outcome measure for assistive technology interventions — technologies should not only help workers complete…

Serious Games for Health(also: SG4H, Health Games, Therapeutic Games)

Serious Games for Health (SG4H) are video games designed primarily for clinical, rehabilitative, or health-education outcomes rather than entertainment, while still using game mechanics, narrative, and reward systems to motivate engagement. They are used in physical therapy,…

Shared Augmented Reality(also: S-AR, Co-Located AR, Collaborative AR)

An augmented reality setup in which multiple users share a spatially aligned view of virtual content anchored in the same physical environment. Each user wears a head-mounted display and can see and interact with the same virtual objects in real-time. In low-vision…

Single-Subject Case Study(also: Single-Case Design, N-of-1 Study, Single-Subject Research Design)

A single-subject case study is a research methodology that focuses on detailed observation and analysis of one individual (or a small number of individuals) over time, rather than comparing group averages. Widely used in brain injury rehabilitation and clinical practice, this…

Social Connectedness

The subjective experience of feeling close to and in touch with others, characterized by a sense of belonging, being cared for, and maintaining meaningful relationships. Social connectedness is distinct from social contact — a person can have frequent interactions yet feel…

Speech and Language Therapy(also: SLT, Speech-Language Pathology, SLP)

A healthcare discipline focused on assessing and treating communication difficulties including speech, language, voice, fluency, and swallowing disorders. Speech and language therapists work with people who stammer, those with dysarthria, aphasia, and other conditions affecting…

Speech-Language Pathology(also: SLP, Speech Therapy, Speech-Language Therapy)

A healthcare profession focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of communication disorders, speech disorders, language disorders, cognitive-communication disorders, and swallowing difficulties. Speech-language pathologists (SLPs) work with individuals across the…

Speech-Language Therapy(also: Speech Therapy, SLT, Speech-Language Pathology)

A clinical practice focused on assessing and treating communication disorders including speech, language, voice, fluency, and swallowing difficulties. Speech-language therapists (or speech-language pathologists) work with people who have aphasia, dysarthria, stuttering, voice…

Speech-language pathology(also: SLP, Speech therapy, Speech-language therapy)

Speech-language pathology is the clinical discipline concerned with the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of communication and swallowing disorders, including speech sound production, language comprehension and expression, voice, fluency, and cognitive-communication skills.…

Stance-Control Orthosis(also: Stance-control KAFO, SCO, Stance-control knee-ankle-foot orthosis)

A class of knee-ankle-foot orthoses that lock the knee during the stance (weight-bearing) phase of gait to prevent buckling, but unlock it during the swing phase to allow natural knee flexion. Stance-control devices detect gait phase through joint-angle sensors,…

Stroke Recovery(also: Stroke Rehabilitation, Post-Stroke Rehabilitation)

The process of regaining physical, cognitive, and communicative abilities lost or impaired following a stroke (cerebrovascular accident). Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability, with survivors often experiencing hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body), loss of…

Stroke Rehabilitation(also: Stroke Rehab, Post-Stroke Therapy)

A program of therapies designed to help stroke survivors regain lost abilities, relearn skills, and adapt to limitations caused by stroke. Rehabilitation typically includes physical therapy for motor function, occupational therapy for daily activities, and speech therapy for…

Tactile Marker(also: Tactile Anchor, Physical Anchor)

Physical objects such as coasters, placemats, or textured stickers placed in the environment to provide tactile reference points that help bridge virtual and physical interactions. In AR-based low-vision training, tactile markers attached to virtual objects can ground digital…

Telerehabilitation(also: Telerehab, Remote Rehabilitation, Virtual Rehabilitation)

The delivery of rehabilitation services remotely through telecommunications technology, enabling patients to receive therapy at home rather than traveling to clinical settings. Telerehabilitation encompasses video consultations with therapists, remote monitoring of exercises,…

Therapeutic Play(also: Play Therapy, Therapeutic Gaming)

The use of play activities, games, toys, or interactive technology as a medium for achieving therapeutic or rehabilitative goals in children. Unlike recreational play, therapeutic play is structured or guided by a therapist to target specific objectives such as exercising…

Therapeutic VR(also: VR Therapy, Virtual Reality Therapy, VR-Based Intervention)

The use of virtual reality technology for therapeutic purposes, including rehabilitation, mental health treatment, skills training, and cognitive development. Therapeutic VR leverages immersive environments to create controlled, repeatable scenarios that support goals such as…

Tracheoesophageal puncture(also: TEP, tracheoesophageal voice prosthesis, TE puncture)

A surgical procedure that creates a small opening (fistula) between the trachea and esophagus to restore voice production after total laryngectomy. A one-way valve is inserted that allows exhaled air to pass into the esophagus, where vibrations in the pharyngoesophageal segment…

Typhlology(also: Typhlopedagogy)

The study and science of blindness and visual impairment, encompassing education, rehabilitation, and support methods for people who are blind or have low vision. Typhlology draws on knowledge from education, psychology, medicine, and assistive technology to develop teaching…

Village Health Volunteer(also: VHV, Health Volunteer, Mor Prom)

A locally-recruited lay community health worker who serves as a trusted bridge between formal healthcare services and households in rural or underserved areas. In Thailand, VHVs are trained and coordinated by the Ministry of Public Health (typically with around 70 hours of…

Virtual Patient(also: Virtual Client, Simulated Patient, Virtual Standardized Patient)

A virtual patient is a computer-generated simulation of a person with specific health conditions or disabilities, used in clinical education to allow healthcare students to practise assessment, diagnosis, and interaction skills in a safe, repeatable environment. Virtual patients…

Virtual Reality(also: VR, Immersive Virtual Environment)

A computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that users can interact with using specialized hardware such as headsets, motion controllers, or body tracking sensors. In accessibility contexts, virtual reality offers potential benefits for training and…

Vision Rehabilitation(also: Visual Rehabilitation)

See Low-Vision Rehabilitation. A comprehensive set of services and interventions designed to help people with vision loss maximize their remaining vision and develop adaptive strategies for independent living. Vision rehabilitation encompasses assessment, training, assistive…