Glossary

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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…

Landmark Navigation(also: Navigate by Landmarks, ARIA Landmark Navigation)

A screen reader navigation strategy that allows users to jump between major structural regions of a webpage defined by ARIA landmark roles (banner, navigation, main, complementary, contentinfo, search, form) or their equivalent HTML5 semantic elements. Landmark navigation…

Landmark-Based Navigation(also: Landmark Navigation, Landmark-Based Wayfinding)

A wayfinding strategy that uses recognisable environmental features such as buildings, signs, or other prominent objects as reference points for giving directions, rather than relying solely on street names or turn-by-turn instructions. Research has shown that landmark-based…

Language Localization(also: L10N, Localization)

The process of adapting a product, application, or content for a specific language, culture, and region, including translation, cultural adaptation of imagery and symbols, currency and date formats, and text-to-speech voice support. Language localization is a critical barrier…

Language Model(also: Statistical Language Model, LM)

A computational model that assigns probabilities to sequences of words, enabling prediction of likely next words or sentences in text. In assistive technology, language models power word and sentence prediction systems by learning patterns from training corpora. Modern AAC…

Language Remediation(also: Language Therapy, Language Intervention)

Language remediation is the process of treating language disorders through structured intervention designed to improve a person's ability to understand and produce language. In the context of accessibility and assistive technology, language remediation often involves…

Large Print(also: Large Type, Enlarged Print, Giant Print)

Text or graphic material produced in a larger-than-standard font size to improve readability for people with low vision. Large print typically uses font sizes of 16 to 18 points or larger, though individual needs vary significantly depending on the type and degree of vision…

Large multimodal model(also: LMM, Multimodal AI, Vision-language model)

An artificial intelligence model capable of processing and generating content across multiple modalities, such as text, images, and audio. Examples include GPT-4V and Gemini. In accessibility applications, large multimodal models enable powerful new capabilities like generating…

Last Meter Problem(also: Last Mile Problem, Final Approach Problem)

In assistive technology for blind users, the challenge of bridging the gap between knowing an object exists and physically reaching or interacting with it. While object detection apps can identify what objects are present and approximately where they are, they typically cannot…

Last-Few-Metres Problem(also: Last Few Meters Problem)

The difficulty that blind and low-vision pedestrians face in the final short distance (roughly the last several metres) of a trip, where GPS accuracy degrades, building entrances are ambiguous, and digital navigation apps leave users in the general vicinity of a destination…

Latency(also: Delay, Lag, Response Time)

The time delay between when an event occurs and when its accessible representation is delivered to the user. In real-time captioning, latency is the gap between spoken words and their appearance as text, typically measured in seconds. In screen readers and other assistive…

Leap Motion(also: Leap Motion Controller)

A compact infrared hand-tracking sensor that uses binocular cameras to detect and track finger and hand positions in three-dimensional space without physical contact. In accessibility research, Leap Motion controllers have been used to create touchless interfaces for people with…

Leapfrog Technology(also: Leapfrogging)

The adoption of advanced or cutting-edge technology in contexts that skipped intermediate technological stages, bypassing legacy infrastructure to achieve modern capabilities directly. In assistive technology, leapfrogging refers to the potential for Global South countries to…

Learning by Doing(also: Incidental Learning, Learning-While-Doing)

Learning by doing is a pedagogical and interface design principle in which skills are acquired through the process of performing tasks rather than through separate, explicit instruction. In human-computer interaction, interfaces designed around this principle enable users to…

Lecture Capture(also: Lecture Recording, Classroom Recording)

The process of recording classroom lectures, presentations, or educational sessions using video, audio, and screen capture technology for later review by students. Lecture capture systems range from simple single-camera recordings to multi-camera setups that capture the…

Legion:Scribe(also: Scribe, Legion Scribe)

A crowd captioning system developed at the University of Rochester that enables multiple non-expert typists to collectively produce real-time captions by simultaneously typing partial transcriptions of speech, which are then automatically aligned and merged into a single…

LiDAR(also: Light detection and ranging, Laser scanning)

A remote sensing technology that measures distances by emitting laser pulses and analysing the reflected light, producing precise three-dimensional point clouds of the surrounding environment. In accessibility, LiDAR has multiple applications: it is used to assess pedestrian…

Lifelogging(also: Life Logging, Digital Lifelogging)

Lifelogging is the practice of automatically and continuously capturing data about a person's daily life using sensors, cameras, GPS, and other digital tools, typically worn or carried by the individual. In the context of accessibility, lifelogging data can be used to build…

Lime Lighter

A specialized hardware and software system developed by Dancing Dots, a company led by a blind musician, for reading and navigating music scores accessibly. The Lime Lighter includes features like Bluetooth pedal control for hands-free page turning, Optical Music Recognition,…

Liminality(also: Liminal State, Liminal Period)

A transitional state of being "betwixt and between" established social positions, originally described by anthropologist Victor Turner. In accessibility contexts, liminality refers to the uncertain, in-between period people experience when acquiring a disability, adopting…

Line Tracing

A reading technique in which a user physically follows lines of text with their finger or a pointing device, typically while receiving feedback to maintain accurate positioning. In assistive technology contexts, line tracing is fundamental to finger-based reading systems for…

Linear Discriminant Analysis(also: Fisher Discriminant Analysis, Fisherfaces)

A statistical method used in pattern recognition and machine learning that finds a linear combination of features to best separate two or more classes of objects. In the context of face recognition, LDA (also known as the Fisherfaces method) projects face images into a…

Lingraphica

A commercially available computerized visual communication system designed to help people with aphasia communicate through icon-based sentence construction. Lingraphica provides a vocabulary of purpose-designed icons that users can arrange to form phrases and sentences, with the…

Live Captioning(also: Real-Time Captioning, Live Captions)

The process of converting spoken language into text displayed in real time, enabling Deaf and hard of hearing individuals to follow live audio content such as meetings, lectures, broadcasts, and events. Live captioning may be performed by human stenographers (CART providers),…

Live Captions(also: Google Live Caption, Automatic Captions)

An Android accessibility feature that automatically generates real-time captions for any audio playing on the device, including videos, podcasts, phone calls, and video meetings. Unlike Live Transcribe which captures ambient speech, Live Captions processes audio output from the…

Live Transcribe(also: Google Live Transcribe)

An Android accessibility feature developed by Google that provides real-time speech-to-text transcription, displaying spoken words as text on the smartphone screen. Live Transcribe supports over 80 languages and is designed primarily for deaf and hard of hearing users to follow…

Localization(also: Position Estimation, Indoor Localization, User Localization)

Localization is the process of determining a user's position within an environment, typically using a combination of sensors such as GPS, inertial measurement units, BLE beacons, Wi-Fi signals, or computer vision. Accurate localization is the foundational challenge for all…

Location Awareness(also: Location-Aware Computing, Location Sensing)

The ability of a computing system to determine and respond to the physical location of a user or device, typically using GPS, Wi-Fi positioning, cellular triangulation, or other sensing technologies. In assistive technology, location awareness enables context-sensitive support…

Logical Control(also: Indirect Control)

An interaction paradigm where the user accesses specific functions supported by an application indirectly, typically by selecting from a presented set of options rather than performing the action directly. Examples include scanning through a menu of commands, using keyboard…

Logical Metaphor(also: Spatial Metaphor)

A design technique for haptic feedback where the physical location of a vibration on the body is mapped to correspond with a spatial or conceptual dimension of the information being conveyed. For example, vibrations on the left, middle, and right positions of an armband can…

Lombard Effect(also: Lombard Reflex, Lombard Response)

The involuntary tendency of speakers to increase the intensity, duration, and fundamental frequency of their speech when communicating in noisy environments. Named after French otolaryngologist Étienne Lombard who first described the phenomenon in 1911, the effect involves…

Look to Speak

A free Android application developed by Google Creative Lab that enables people with speech and motor impairments to communicate by selecting images or pre-written phrases using eye movements detected by the smartphone's front-facing camera. Users navigate by looking left,…

Lookout(also: Google Lookout)

An Android accessibility application developed by Google that uses the smartphone camera and machine learning to identify objects, read text, scan documents, and describe surroundings for blind and partially sighted users. Lookout can identify currency, read food labels,…

Low Bandwidth Input(also: Limited Input, Reduced Bandwidth Input)

A category of human-computer interaction where the user can only produce a very small number of distinct signals — typically one to four — when communicating with a computer. Low bandwidth input characterizes users with severe motor and speech impairments, such as those with…

Low-Barrier Access(also: Low-Barrier Technology)

Technology or services designed to minimize obstacles to initial use, including cost, setup complexity, training requirements, and technical prerequisites. Low-barrier access is particularly important for people with temporary or newly acquired disabilities who may need…

Low-Resource Setting(also: Resource-Limited Setting, Resource-Constrained Environment)

A context characterized by limited financial resources, infrastructure, trained professionals, and technological capacity that affects the availability and sustainability of services including healthcare and assistive technology. Low-resource settings present unique challenges…

Low-Tech AAC(also: No-Tech AAC, Unaided AAC)

Augmentative and alternative communication methods that require no or minimal technology, including communication boards, picture cards, letter boards, eye-pointing frames, sign language, and gestures. Low-tech AAC is often more immediately accessible, sustainable, and…

Low-Tech Accessibility(also: Low-Tech Accommodations, Low-Tech Solutions)

Accessibility solutions that use simple, inexpensive materials and methods rather than advanced technology to support people with disabilities in completing tasks. Examples include tactile guides made from tape or magnets on equipment, raised markings for orientation, notches…

Lynx

A text-only web browser that runs in terminal or command-line environments, displaying web content as plain text without images, JavaScript, or visual formatting. Developed in 1992 at the University of Kansas, Lynx was historically significant for web accessibility because its…

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