Glossary

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Accessible Music Education(also: Inclusive Music Teaching)

Educational approaches and technologies that enable people with disabilities to learn music effectively. This includes alternative notation systems like Braille music, audio-based instruction, tactile learning materials, and adaptive instruments. Accessible music education…

Accessible Photography(also: Blind Photography, Inclusive Photography)

The practice and technology of enabling people with visual impairments to take, manage, browse, and share photographs. People who are blind or have low vision face challenges at every stage of photography: aiming the camera at a target, composing the frame, reviewing the result,…

Accessible Programming(also: Accessible Software Development, Inclusive Coding)

Accessible programming encompasses the tools, practices, and accommodations that enable people with disabilities to write, test, debug, and maintain software code. Challenges for disabled developers include inaccessible development environments, difficulty navigating code…

Accessible Role(also: ARIA Role, Role)

An accessible role is a property that defines the type and expected behavior of a user interface element as exposed to assistive technologies through the accessibility tree. Roles communicate what an element is (e.g., button, link, heading, list, table, dialog) so that assistive…

Accessible data capture(also: Inclusive data collection methods)

Research data collection methods and tools that can be independently operated by researchers with disabilities. Current standard data capture methods in HCI research — video cameras, GoPros, visual note-taking, screen-based recording software — present significant barriers to…

Accessmonkey

Accessmonkey was a 2007 client-side scripting framework, built on Greasemonkey for Mozilla Firefox, that let users and developers run site-specific JavaScript to repair inaccessible web pages on the fly. Scripts could add alternative text, restructure pages, or inject…

Acoustic Activity Recognition(also: Sound Activity Recognition, Audio Activity Recognition, Environmental Sound Recognition)

The use of microphones and machine learning to automatically identify and classify sounds occurring in an environment, such as doorbells, alarms, appliances, speech, and other everyday acoustic events. Acoustic activity recognition is particularly relevant to accessibility for…

Acoustic Model(also: AM)

An acoustic model is the component of an automatic speech recognition (ASR) system that maps short segments of audio (typically 10–25 ms frames of spectral features) to the linguistic units that produced them — most commonly phonemes or sub-phonetic states. Classical acoustic…

Active Noise Cancellation(also: ANC, Active Noise Control)

A technique that reduces unwanted ambient sound by using microphones to capture incoming noise and electronically generating an inverted (anti-phase) audio signal that destructively interferes with it, lowering the perceived noise reaching the listener's ear. ANC is the core…

Active Perception(also: Active Sensing, Sensorimotor Exploration)

A view of perception in which the perceiver is not a passive receiver of stimuli but an active agent who moves, orients, and manipulates the environment to gather the sensory information needed for a task. In accessibility and sensory substitution research, active perception is…

Activities of daily living(also: ADLs, Daily living activities)

The fundamental self-care tasks that a person performs routinely each day, including feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, and mobility. Originally proposed by Sidney Katz in the 1950s, ADLs are used in healthcare and occupational therapy as a measure of functional…

Activity Monitoring(also: Activity Recognition, Activity Tracking)

The use of sensors, algorithms, and computational models to automatically detect and track a person's actions and behaviours within an environment. In assistive technology contexts, activity monitoring enables smart home systems and cognitive orthoses to understand what a person…

Activity Prompting(also: Skill Prompting)

A structured approach to encouraging skill development through customized, playful prompts that guide individuals through specific activities. In the context of disability and education, activity prompting involves designing short, engaging tasks tailored to a person's current…

Activity Tracker(also: Fitness Tracker, Step Counter, Fitness Band)

An activity tracker is a wearable device or smartphone application that monitors and records physical activity data such as steps taken, distance traveled, calories burned, heart rate, and sleep patterns. In accessibility contexts, activity trackers raise important design…

Activity schedule(also: Visual schedule, Picture schedule)

A visual support tool that breaks down tasks or routines into sequential steps represented by photographs, pictograms, or text, enabling individuals with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or cognitive impairments to independently follow procedures without…

Acts of Assistance

A framework for designing human-machine interactions in cognitive assistive systems, drawing on speech acts theory from linguistics. Each act of assistance is a structured communication from the system to the user, defined by its message type (such as recall, indicate, or…

Adaptive Assistive Technology(also: AAT, Adaptive AT)

Assistive technology that monitors a user's current and past performance and automatically adjusts its functionality to match their changing needs. Unlike static assistive technologies with fixed settings, adaptive systems continuously observe user behavior — such as typing…

Adaptive Cursor(also: Adaptive Navigation Cursor)

A cursor or navigation pointer whose speed, sensitivity, or behavior dynamically adjusts based on context such as the amount of content, the current navigation granularity, or user preferences. In text editing for blind users, an adaptive cursor might move more slowly through…

Adaptive Environment(also: Adaptive System, Responsive Environment)

A physical or digital space that automatically adjusts its properties and behaviours in response to the people within it. Adaptive environments use sensors, machine learning, and actuators to modify lighting, sound, temperature, display content, or interaction modes based on…

Adaptive Gameplay(also: Adaptive Difficulty, Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment)

A game design approach in which the system automatically adjusts difficulty, pacing, or content based on the player's real-time performance and behaviour. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, adaptive gameplay is used to create personalized experiences for users with…

Adaptive Instrument(also: Adapted Musical Instrument, Accessible Musical Instrument)

A musical instrument that has been specifically designed or modified to be playable by people with disabilities. Adaptive instruments may use alternative input methods such as touch sensors, breath control, eye tracking, or simplified physical interfaces to enable music creation…

Adaptive Interface(also: Adaptive User Interface, Self-Adapting Interface)

A user interface that automatically modifies its presentation, behaviour, or content based on detected user characteristics, capabilities, preferences, or environmental conditions. In accessibility, adaptive interfaces can respond to changes in a user's sensory, motor, or…

Adaptive Musical Instrument(also: Accessible Musical Instrument, Adapted Instrument)

A musical instrument that has been modified or purpose-built to enable people with disabilities to play music. Adaptive musical instruments may use alternative input methods such as head movement, breath control, eye tracking, or switch access to replace or supplement…

Adaptive Optics(also: AO)

A technology that measures and corrects optical distortions in real time, originally developed for astronomical telescopes and now applied in ophthalmology and vision science. Adaptive optics systems use a wavefront sensor to detect aberrations and a deformable mirror or other…

Adaptive Rendering(also: Content Adaptation, Dynamic Rendering)

The process of automatically modifying how web content is presented based on a user's needs, preferences, or device capabilities. Adaptive rendering can involve transformations such as adjusting layout, reformatting text, replacing images with alternative representations,…

Adaptive Seating(also: Specialized Seating, Custom Seating)

Wheelchair seating systems and positioning devices customized to meet an individual's specific postural needs, providing support for the trunk, head, and limbs to enable optimal function and comfort. Adaptive seating is often essential for people with cerebral palsy or other…

Adaptive Technology

Technology that has been modified or adapted from its original design to be accessible to people with disabilities, as distinct from assistive technology which is purpose-built for disability access. Examples include modified keyboards, adapted game controllers, or software with…

Adaptive User Interface(also: Adaptive UI, Self-Adapting Interface, Intelligent User Interface)

A user interface that automatically modifies its behavior, presentation, or content based on observed user characteristics, interaction patterns, or context of use. In accessibility, adaptive interfaces can detect when a user is experiencing difficulty — through patterns like…

Adaptive User Interface(also: AUI, Adaptive Interface, Self-Adapting Interface)

A user interface that automatically detects changes in user behavior or ability and adjusts its presentation or functionality accordingly, without requiring the user to manually configure settings. In accessibility, adaptive user interfaces can monitor pointing performance…

Adaptive interface(also: Adaptive UI, Self-adapting interface)

A user interface that automatically adjusts its parameters — such as target sizes, input methods, timing, layout, or interaction modalities — in response to detected changes in the user's abilities, context, or preferences. Adaptive interfaces are a key implementation strategy…

Advanced Driver Assistance Systems(also: ADAS)

A family of in-vehicle technologies that partially automate driving tasks — adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, automatic emergency braking, parking assistance, blind-spot monitoring — while a human driver retains overall control. ADAS are relevant to accessibility as steps…

Affordable Assistive Technology(also: Low-Cost AT, Frugal Assistive Technology)

Assistive devices and technologies designed to be financially accessible to people with disabilities in low-resource settings, where the cost of commercially available assistive technology from the Global North is often prohibitive. Affordable AT leverages local fabrication…

AgeTech(also: Age tech, Technology for older adults)

A broad category of technology designed to support older adults in aging well, living independently, and managing age-related health conditions. AgeTech spans smart-home monitoring, voice assistants, medication reminders, fall-detection wearables, social companion robots,…

Agentic AI(also: AI agents, autonomous AI agents)

Agentic AI refers to artificial intelligence systems that can plan, make decisions, and execute multi-step actions autonomously to achieve high-level goals, typically by interacting with software, tools, or environments on behalf of a user. Unlike single-turn AI assistants that…

Agentive Amplifier

A framing of technical artefacts, proposed by Oosterlaken and Van Den Hoven, as things that create possibilities a person would not otherwise have — extending, not replacing, the user's own agency. Under this view the ethical significance of a technology is judged by how it…

Aging in Place(also: Ageing in Place, Aging-in-Place)

The ability to live safely and independently in one's own home and community as one ages, regardless of age, income, or ability level. Assistive technology, including voice assistants, smart home devices, and remote health monitoring, plays an increasingly important role in…

Aging in Place

The ability of older adults to live independently and safely in their own home and community as they age, supported by appropriate services and technology. In the context of accessibility, aging in place involves designing digital tools, smart home systems, and mobile…

Aging in Place(also: Aging at Home)

The ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably regardless of age, income, or ability level. Aging in place is a preference for most older adults and involves adapting living environments, accessing supportive services, and using…

Aging in place(also: Ageing in place)

The ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably regardless of age, income, or ability level. AI-assisted aging-in-place technologies include monitoring systems, fall detection, and health tracking, but raise complex accessibility and…

Aided AAC(also: Aided Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

The branch of Augmentative and Alternative Communication that relies on an external tool to produce or carry the message — ranging from low-tech paper communication boards and picture-exchange cards to high-tech tablet apps and dedicated speech-generating devices accessed via…

Aira

A visual assistance service that connects blind and low vision users with trained human agents who provide real-time visual information through a smartphone camera or smart glasses. Unlike AI-only solutions, Aira agents can answer complex questions, provide nuanced descriptions,…

Alliance for Technology Access(also: ATA)

The Alliance for Technology Access (ATA) was a U.S. national network of community-based, consumer-driven technology resource centers founded to make assistive technology accessible to people with disabilities. Headquartered in San Rafael, California, the network grew to include…

Alphabet Board(also: Letter Board, Spelling Board, Communication Board)

A low-technology communication tool displaying letters of the alphabet that enables people who cannot speak to spell out words and messages by pointing to, gazing at, or otherwise indicating individual letters. Alphabet boards are among the simplest and most widely used AAC…

Alternative Input Device(also: Alternative Input, Adapted Input, Alternative Access)

Any computer input device used in place of a standard keyboard and mouse by people who cannot operate conventional input hardware due to physical, motor, or other disabilities. Alternative input devices include head controls, eye-gaze systems, sip-and-puff switches, single…

Alternative Input Method(also: Alternative Input, Non-Standard Input)

Any method of providing input to a computer or device that differs from the conventional keyboard, mouse, and touchscreen interfaces. Alternative input methods are essential for people with motor, sensory, or cognitive disabilities who cannot use standard input devices…

Alternative input device(also: Alternative access method, Switch access)

Any input method that replaces or supplements standard keyboard, mouse, or joystick interfaces to enable people with motor impairments to operate computers, wheelchairs, and other technology. Examples include sip-and-puff controllers, eye-tracking systems, head switches, voice…

Amazon Alexa(also: Alexa, Echo)

A cloud-based voice assistant developed by Amazon, available on Echo smart speakers, Echo Show smart displays, and third-party devices. Users interact with Alexa through wake-word-activated voice commands to perform tasks such as setting reminders, playing music, controlling…

Ambient Audio(also: Ambient Sound, Environmental Audio, Background Audio)

The background sound of an environment — voices, traffic, water, wind, music, birdsong — captured incidentally rather than as the main focus of a recording. In accessible photography and audiophotography tools, ambient audio is often recorded automatically in the seconds leading…

Ambient Display(also: Ambient Interface, Peripheral Display)

A display or interface that communicates information through subtle environmental changes — such as colour shifts, lighting changes, or gentle sounds — that can be perceived at the periphery of a user's attention without demanding direct focus. In accessibility contexts, ambient…

Ambient Intelligence(also: AmI)

An environment enriched with networked, sensor-equipped devices that are sensitive and responsive to the presence and needs of people within it. Ambient intelligence systems anticipate user requirements by learning preferences and behaviours over time, and adapt their responses…