Glossary

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Algebra Earcon(also: Mathematical Earcon, Math Sound)

A non-speech auditory cue designed to represent the structural components of mathematical expressions, allowing blind users to perceive the overall shape and nesting of an expression without relying solely on sequential speech output. Algebra earcons use variations in rhythm,…

Aural Rendering(also: Auralization, Audio Rendering)

The process of converting visual or textual information into a spoken or auditory representation. In programming accessibility, aural rendering transforms source code into speech output that conveys not just the text content but also structural and syntactic information — such…

Blocks-Based Programming(also: Block Programming, Visual Block Programming, BBPE)

A programming paradigm designed to introduce coding concepts to beginners — particularly children — by representing code as visual, interlocking blocks that are dragged and dropped to construct programs, rather than requiring typed syntax. Popular environments include Scratch,…

Braille Mathematics(also: Math Braille, Braille Math Notation)

The various systems of Braille codes designed specifically to represent mathematical expressions, formulas, and notation in a tactile format readable by blind individuals. Because standard literary Braille does not have enough symbols to represent the full range of mathematical…

Chemical Markup Language(also: CML)

An XML-based markup language for representing chemical information including molecular structures, reactions, spectra, and other chemical data in a machine-readable format. CML encodes atoms, bonds, and molecular properties in a structured text format that can be processed by…

ClearSpeak

A set of rules for generating natural-sounding spoken descriptions of mathematical expressions, developed by ETS (Educational Testing Service). ClearSpeak uses conversational phrasing like "the fraction with numerator... and denominator..." rather than the more explicit…

Code Accessibility(also: Programming Accessibility, Accessible Coding)

The practice of making programming environments, source code, and software development tools usable by people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. Code accessibility encompasses accessible IDEs and text editors, aural or tactile representations of code…

Code Literacy(also: Coding Literacy, Programming Literacy)

The ability to read, write, and understand computer code, increasingly recognized as a fundamental skill for education and employment in the digital economy. In accessibility contexts, code literacy education faces significant barriers for people who are blind or have low vision…

Computer-Aided Design(also: CAD)

The use of software to create, modify, analyse, and optimise designs for physical objects or systems. In accessibility contexts, CAD tools are critical for designing assistive technology, tactile graphics, and 3D printable models, but most commercial CAD applications rely…

Content Dictionary(also: CD, OpenMath Content Dictionary)

A formal specification in the OpenMath standard that provides the definition, description, and properties of a collection of related mathematical symbols. Each Content Dictionary defines symbols used in a particular mathematical domain (such as arithmetic, linear algebra, or…

Diagram Accessibility(also: Accessible Diagrams, Scientific Diagram Accessibility)

The practice of making visual diagrams — including scientific figures, flowcharts, organizational charts, and technical schematics — accessible to people with visual impairments, learning disabilities, or other conditions that affect visual processing. Diagram accessibility goes…

Force Feedback(also: Haptic Force Feedback, Kinesthetic Feedback)

A type of haptic technology that applies physical forces to the user through a device such as a stylus, joystick, or glove, simulating the sensation of touching or interacting with virtual objects. Unlike vibrotactile feedback which only provides vibrations, force feedback can…

Graph(also: Node-Edge Diagram, Network Diagram)

A data structure and visual representation consisting of nodes (vertices) connected by edges (links) that represent relationships between entities. In computer science and mathematics, graphs are used to model networks, hierarchies, flowcharts, and many other relational…

Graph Literacy(also: Graphical Literacy, Graphicacy)

The ability to read, interpret, and construct graphs and other visual data representations. Graph literacy is a critical component of STEM education and is often tested as part of mathematics and science standards. For students with visual impairments, developing graph literacy…

Haptic User Interface(also: Haptic UI, Haptic Interface)

A user interface that communicates information through the sense of touch, enabling users to interact with virtual or digital objects by feeling their physical properties such as shape, texture, weight, temperature, and vibration. Haptic user interfaces typically employ…

Height-Field Surface(also: Surface plot, Heightfield plot, 2.5D surface)

A type of 3D data visualisation in which a scalar value (for example, elevation, intensity, pressure, or probability) is plotted over a two-dimensional domain, producing a continuous surface that can be rendered as a mesh, contour map, or draped cloth. Height-field surfaces are…

Image sonification(also: Visual-to-audio mapping, Auditory image display)

The process of converting visual information from images — such as shapes, charts, diagrams, or spatial layouts — into audio representations that can be perceived without vision. Image sonification maps visual properties like position, size, colour, and shape to audio parameters…

LaTeX(also: TeX)

A document typesetting language widely used in academia and STEM fields for producing scientific documents containing complex mathematical formulae. LaTeX encodes mathematical content as plain text markup commands (e.g., \frac{a}{b} for a fraction), which makes it inherently…

Line Graph(also: Line Chart, Line Plot)

A type of data visualization that displays information as a series of data points connected by straight line segments, commonly used to show trends over time or relationships between variables. Line graphs are a fundamental tool in mathematics education and data analysis, but…

Linear Notation(also: Linear Mathematical Notation)

A system for representing mathematical expressions in a single line of text, as opposed to the conventional two-dimensional spatial layout used in print mathematics. In standard mathematical notation, spatial arrangement carries meaning — fractions stack numerators above…

Marburg Notation(also: Marburg Mathematical Notation, Marburg Braille)

A Braille-based mathematical notation system developed at the Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt (German Institute for the Blind) in Marburg, Germany, and widely used in German-speaking countries for reading and writing mathematics. Marburg notation is a 6-dot Braille code optimized…

Math Accessibility(also: Mathematical Accessibility, STEM Accessibility)

The practice of making mathematical content — including formulae, equations, graphs, and geometric representations — accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those with visual impairments. Mathematical notation poses unique accessibility challenges because it is…

Math OCR(also: Mathematical OCR, Scientific Document Recognition)

Optical character recognition technology specifically designed to recognize and convert mathematical expressions, formulas, and scientific notation from printed or PDF documents into accessible digital formats such as LaTeX, MathML, or Microsoft Word. Standard OCR software…

MathJax

An open-source JavaScript display engine that renders mathematical notation written in LaTeX, MathML, or AsciiMath in web browsers. MathJax is significant for accessibility because it produces output that can be read by screen readers, supports keyboard navigation of…

MathML(also: Mathematical Markup Language)

A W3C standard XML-based markup language for describing mathematical notation and its structure, enabling mathematical content to be rendered visually in web browsers and read aloud by screen readers. MathML is essential for STEM accessibility because it encodes both the visual…

MathML(also: Mathematical Markup Language)

An XML-based markup language standardized by the W3C for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content. MathML enables screen readers and other assistive technologies to interpret and convey mathematical expressions to users with visual…

MathML(also: Mathematical Markup Language)

A W3C standard XML-based markup language for describing mathematical notation and capturing both its structure and content. MathML comes in two forms: presentation MathML, which describes how a formula looks (layout and visual appearance), and content MathML, which describes…

MathSpeak(also: MathSpeak Rules)

A set of rules and conventions for verbally describing mathematical notation in a standardized, unambiguous way that can be understood by people who cannot see the visual representation of formulas. MathSpeak provides consistent patterns for reading mathematical expressions…

Mathematical Accessibility(also: Math Accessibility, STEM Content Accessibility)

The practice of making mathematical content — including equations, formulas, graphs, and notation — perceivable, operable, and understandable by people with disabilities. Mathematical content poses unique accessibility challenges because it is inherently spatial and symbolic,…

Mathematical Accessibility(also: Math Accessibility, STEM Accessibility)

The practice of making mathematical notation, formulas, equations, and quantitative content accessible to people with disabilities, particularly blind and low-vision users. Mathematical notation poses unique accessibility challenges because it is inherently visual and…

Mathematical Braille(also: Braille Mathematics, Math Braille)

Specialised braille notation systems used to represent mathematical symbols, expressions, and equations. Because standard literary braille has only 64 possible characters (from 6-dot cells), mathematical braille codes use various strategies to extend the symbol set: multi-cell…

Mathematical Notation Accessibility(also: Math Accessibility, Accessible Mathematics)

The practice of making mathematical expressions, equations, and formulae perceivable and understandable by people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or have low vision. Mathematical notation is inherently two-dimensional and spatial — using superscripts,…

Nemeth Braille(also: Nemeth Code, Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics)

A specialized Braille code designed for representing mathematical and scientific notation, developed by Abraham Nemeth and adopted by the Library of Congress. Unlike literary Braille, Nemeth Braille has unique symbols for numbers, operators, fractions, radicals, Greek letters,…

Nemeth Braille Code(also: Nemeth Code, Nemeth Mathematics Braille)

A system of Braille encoding developed by Abraham Nemeth in 1946 for representing mathematical and scientific notation, widely used in the United States and some other English-speaking countries. The Nemeth Code uses combinations of standard six-dot Braille cells with…

Nemeth Code(also: Nemeth Braille Code for Mathematics and Science)

A specialized braille code developed by Abraham Nemeth for representing mathematics, science notation, and technical symbols. Nemeth Code provides a comprehensive system for expressing equations, fractions, subscripts, superscripts, and other mathematical constructs in braille.…

OpenMath

An XML-based standard for representing mathematical objects and their semantics in a machine-readable format. Unlike MathML, which has both presentation (visual layout) and content (semantic structure) modes, OpenMath focuses purely on semantic meaning, defining mathematical…

R(also: R Programming Language, R Project, R Statistical Computing)

A free, open-source programming language and software environment widely used for statistical computing, data analysis, and graphical representation. R is the standard tool for statisticians in both academia and industry, offering extensive libraries for creating data…

SMILES(also: Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System)

A text-based notation system that represents chemical molecular structures as short character strings, making them both machine-readable and human-readable. For accessibility, SMILES is significant because it provides a linear, non-visual way to represent chemical structural…

Semantic Enrichment(also: Semantic Annotation, Semantic Markup Enhancement)

Semantic enrichment is the process of adding meaningful structural and contextual information to content that may lack it in its original representation. In the context of web accessibility, this often involves augmenting presentation-oriented markup with data attributes or…

Speech Rule Engine(also: SRE)

An open-source JavaScript library that generates speech and Braille output for mathematical expressions given in presentation MathML. The Speech Rule Engine performs semantic interpretation of mathematical formulas — analyzing symbols, determining operator scope, and building…

Structural Abstraction(also: Formula Abstraction, Expression Collapsing)

Structural abstraction is an accessibility technique that simplifies complex visual structures — particularly mathematical formulas — by initially collapsing sub-expressions into symbolic summaries and allowing users to progressively expand and explore them at their own pace.…

Syntactic Structure(also: Program Structure, Code Structure)

The hierarchical arrangement of elements in a programming language according to the language's grammar rules, including how statements, expressions, and blocks are nested and related to one another. In accessibility contexts, syntactic structure is significant because sighted…

Tactile Graphics Assistant(also: TGA)

A software tool developed at the University of Washington that automates parts of the tactile graphics translation process to help specialists more efficiently convert printed images into tactile form for blind users. The TGA pipeline includes image classification (identifying…

Tactile Literacy(also: Tactile Reading Skills)

The ability to interpret, understand, and create information conveyed through the sense of touch, including the skills needed to read tactile graphics, maps, diagrams, braille, and other raised representations. Like visual literacy, tactile literacy must be developed…

Tactile Manipulatives(also: Tactile Learning Objects, Tactile Teaching Aids)

Physical objects designed to be explored through touch for educational purposes, particularly valuable for students who are blind or have low vision. In STEM accessibility, tactile manipulatives include embossed diagrams, 3D-printed models, textured game pieces, and…

Vibro-Audio(also: Vibrotactile Audio, Vibro-Tactile)

Vibro-audio is a multimodal interaction technique that combines vibration feedback from a device's built-in motor with auditory cues to convey information non-visually. On touchscreen devices, vibro-audio enables users to explore graphical content through touch — the device…

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