Glossary

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Exergame(also: Exercise game, Active video game, Fitness game)

A video game that requires physical movement or exercise as the primary interaction mechanism, combining gameplay elements like scoring, levels, and achievements with physical activity. Accessible exergames for people with disabilities use alternative feedback modalities — such…

Exergame(also: Exercise Game, Active Video Game, Exergaming)

A video game that requires physical movement or exercise as the primary input mechanism, combining gameplay with physical activity. Exergames have been developed for consoles, virtual reality systems, and mobile devices, with applications in rehabilitation, fitness, and physical…

Exergaming(also: Exercise Gaming, Active Gaming, Exergames)

A category of digital games that require physical movement or exercise as the primary means of interaction, combining gameplay with physical activity. Exergames use motion sensors, pressure pads, cameras, cycling devices, or other physical interfaces to translate body movements…

Exoskeleton(also: Robotic Exoskeleton, Wearable Exoskeleton)

A wearable mechanical or robotic device that fits around a part of the body — typically the hand, arm, or leg — and provides powered movement assistance, resistance, or guided motion. In rehabilitation contexts, exoskeletons are used to support intensive, repetitive motor…

Explainable AI(also: XAI, Interpretable AI)

A set of methods and design approaches that make the outputs and decision-making processes of artificial intelligence systems understandable to human users. Explainable AI aims to provide transparency about why an AI produced a particular result, typically through confidence…

Explore by Touch(also: Touch Exploration)

A screen reader interaction mode on touchscreen devices in which users drag their finger across the screen to discover and hear descriptions of interface elements beneath their fingertip. When Explore by Touch is active, a single tap does not activate a control — instead, the…

Extended Reality(also: XR, Cross Reality)

An umbrella term encompassing all immersive technologies that blend physical and virtual environments, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). In accessibility, extended reality technologies offer promising assistive applications — smart…

External Memory

Information held outside the brain — in notes, calendars, photographs, voice recordings, alarms, labelled objects, or digital systems — that a person draws on to remember names, dates, tasks, procedures, or autobiographical content. External memory is a core accessibility…

External Metadata(also: Accessibility Metadata Overlay, Third-Party Metadata)

External metadata in the context of web accessibility refers to supplementary information stored separately from a web page that can be applied to improve the page's accessibility without modifying the original source code. This approach allows volunteers, developers, or…

Extractive Summarization(also: Extractive Text Summarization)

Extractive summarization is a natural language processing technique that creates summaries by selecting and preserving key words, phrases, or sentences directly from the original text, rather than generating new text (which is called abstractive summarization). In accessibility…

Eye Cursor(also: Gaze Cursor)

A visual indicator displayed on screen that shows where an eye tracking system has determined the user is currently looking. The eye cursor serves the same function as a mouse cursor but is controlled by eye gaze rather than hand movement. Because eye gaze is inherently less…

Eye Gaze Technology(also: Eye Control Technology, Gaze Control)

Technology that tracks and responds to eye movements, enabling users to control electronic devices using only their eyes. Eye gaze technology typically uses infrared cameras to track pupil position and gaze direction, allowing users to move cursors, make selections, type text,…

Eye Tracking(also: Gaze Tracking)

Technology that detects and follows the movement of a user's eyes, enabling gaze-based interaction, attention monitoring, and foveated rendering. In accessibility contexts, eye tracking serves as an alternative input method for users who cannot use traditional controllers,…

Eye Tracking(also: Gaze Tracking, Eye-Tracking)

A research methodology and assistive technology that measures where a person looks (fixation points), how their gaze moves across a display (saccades), and how long they focus on specific areas (dwell time). In accessibility research, eye tracking reveals how users visually…

Eye tracking(also: Gaze tracking, Eye-gaze tracking, Eye Tracker)

A technology that measures where a person is looking on a screen or in an environment by detecting eye position and movement, typically using infrared light and cameras. In accessibility, eye tracking serves dual roles: as an assistive input method allowing people with severe…

Eye-Gaze Control(also: Gaze Control, Eye-Controlled Interface, Gaze-Based Input)

An input method that uses eye-tracking technology to detect where a user is looking and translates gaze direction into control commands for computers, wheelchairs, communication devices, and other systems. Eye-gaze control is essential for people with severe motor disabilities —…

EyeDraw(also: Eye Draw)

A software application developed at the University of Oregon that enables people with severe motor impairments, particularly children, to create freehand drawings using eye movements tracked by an eye tracker. EyeDraw uses a two-state interaction model where users alternate…

EyeMusic

A visual-to-auditory sensory substitution device that converts images into sound, enabling people who are blind to perceive visual information including shape, location, and color. EyeMusic uses a left-to-right sweep algorithm where horizontal position maps to time, vertical…

Eyelid Gesture(also: Eyelid Interaction, Eyelid-Based Input)

An eyelid gesture is a deliberate eye movement used as an input method for controlling digital devices, involving intentional opening and closing of one or both eyelids in specific patterns, sequences, and durations. Unlike simple blink detection, eyelid gestures exploit the…

Eyes-Free Interaction(also: Eyes-Free, Eyes-Free Gaming, Eyes-Free Interface)

Eyes-free interaction refers to the use of digital systems and interfaces without relying on visual output, using alternative modalities such as audio, haptic feedback, or speech. In gaming contexts, eyes-free games use 3D spatial audio, sound cues, and non-visual feedback to…

Eyes-free interaction(also: Eyes-free interface, Non-visual interaction)

An interaction paradigm in which users operate technology without relying on visual feedback, instead receiving information through auditory, haptic, or other non-visual channels. Eyes-free interfaces are essential for people who are blind or have low vision, but also benefit…