Glossary

Search results

Smart Cane(also: Electronic Cane, Intelligent Cane)

An enhanced version of the traditional white cane that incorporates electronic sensors — typically ultrasonic or infrared — to detect obstacles beyond the range of physical contact, providing haptic or auditory feedback to the user. Smart canes can detect obstacles at waist or…

Smart Display(also: Smart Screen, Voice Assistant Display)

A voice-controlled device that combines a smart speaker with a built-in touchscreen, enabling multimodal interaction through voice commands, visual output, and touch input. Examples include the Amazon Echo Show and Google Nest Hub. Smart displays offer accessibility advantages…

Smart Environment(also: Intelligent Environment, Smart Space)

A physical space equipped with sensors, computing devices, and networked systems that can monitor conditions, infer context, and respond to the activities and needs of occupants. Smart environments aim to improve quality of life by automating tasks and providing contextual…

Smart Glasses(also: AR Glasses, Assistive Smart Glasses)

Smart glasses are head-mounted wearable devices that incorporate cameras, microphones, speakers, and computing capabilities into an eyeglass form factor. For people who are blind or have low vision, smart glasses can use computer vision and AI to provide real-time information…

Smart Home(also: Home Automation, Connected Home)

A residence equipped with networked devices and systems that can be monitored and controlled remotely or automatically, including lighting, heating, security, and entertainment systems. Smart home technology has significant accessibility potential — enabling people with motor…

Smart Home Accessibility(also: Accessible Smart Home, Smart Home Automation)

The design and implementation of connected home technologies — such as voice-controlled lighting, automated door locks, smart thermostats, and appliance controls — in ways that are usable by people with disabilities. Smart home accessibility enables greater independence by…

Smart Home Technology(also: SHT, Smart Home Devices)

Connected devices and systems within a home that can be controlled remotely or automated, including smart speakers, thermostats, lighting, locks, cameras, sensors, and blinds. Smart home technology uses Internet of Things connectivity, voice control, and programmable rules to…

Smart Ring(also: Ring-Form Wearable)

A wearable computing device worn on a finger, typically combining sensors (motion, biometric, or camera) and/or actuators (vibration, kinesthetic feedback) in a ring form factor. In accessibility, smart rings have been proposed as discreet input devices, vibrotactile navigation…

Smart Speaker(also: Voice-Activated Speaker, Intelligent Speaker)

A wireless speaker with an integrated voice assistant that responds to spoken commands, such as Amazon Echo (Alexa), Google Home (Google Assistant), or Apple HomePod (Siri). Smart speakers serve as central hubs for smart home control, allowing users to operate connected devices,…

Smartglasses(also: Smart Glasses, AR Glasses, Connected Glasses)

Eyewear with integrated computing capabilities including sensors, displays, cameras, and connectivity that overlay digital information onto the wearer's field of view or provide hands-free access to computing functions. Smartglasses encompass several subcategories: passive…

Smartphone Accessibility(also: Mobile Phone Accessibility)

The design and adaptation of smartphone hardware, operating systems, and applications to be usable by people with disabilities. Smartphones have become increasingly important as assistive technology platforms due to their widespread availability, built-in accessibility features…

Smartphones as Assistive Technology(also: Mobile AT, Phone-Based AT)

The use of mainstream smartphones as assistive devices through built-in accessibility features (screen readers, magnification, live captions, sound amplification) and downloadable applications that support independence for people with disabilities. In low- and middle-income…

Smartwatch(also: Smart Watch, Wrist-Worn Device)

A wrist-worn computing device with a small touchscreen display that provides notifications, health tracking, and app functionality beyond timekeeping. Smartwatches present significant accessibility challenges for users with motor impairments due to their small touch targets,…

Social Acceptability(also: Social Acceptance, Technology Stigma)

The degree to which the use of an assistive technology or interaction technique is perceived as socially appropriate by both the user and those around them. Social acceptability is a critical but often underestimated factor in assistive technology adoption. Users may reject…

Social Acceptance(also: Public acceptance, Bystander acceptance)

In assistive technology research, the degree to which bystanders and the broader public accept the presence and use of a device in shared spaces — and the degree to which the user feels comfortable using it in public. Low social acceptance can drive device abandonment even when…

Social Marking(also: Stigma Marking, Social Visibility of Disability)

In accessibility contexts, social marking refers to the way assistive technologies or accommodations can draw unwanted attention to a person's disability, making their impairment visible in social situations where they might otherwise go unnoticed. Research has shown that users…

Social Playware(also: Interactive Playware, Technology-Mediated Play)

Intelligent hardware and software systems designed to create playful interactive experiences that encourage learning, social interaction, and communication between users. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, social playware is used to promote social skills development in…

Social Robot(also: Companion Robot, Assistive Social Robot)

A robot designed to interact with people in socially meaningful ways, using verbal communication, gestures, and responsive behaviors to engage users. In accessibility contexts, social robots like SoftBank's Pepper have shown potential as confidence-building mentors, health…

Social Wayfinding(also: Social Navigation Assistance)

Social wayfinding refers to the capacity to perceive and navigate the dynamics of a social scene, not just its physical layout. It covers identifying who is present, where they are oriented, whether they are available for interaction, what they are doing, and how they are…

Social robot(also: Socially assistive robot, Companion robot)

A robot designed to interact and communicate with people in socially meaningful ways, often through movement, sound, or simulated emotional expression. In accessibility contexts, social robots are used to support neurodivergent individuals, older adults, and people with…

Socially Assistive Robot(also: SAR, Social Robot)

A robot designed to assist people through social interaction rather than physical manipulation. Socially assistive robots use embodied presence, movement, and social behaviors such as gaze, gestures, and expressions to provide support in contexts including therapy, education,…

Socially Assistive Robotics(also: SAR)

Socially assistive robotics is a field of robotics focused on designing robots that assist people through social interaction rather than physical manipulation. SAR robots engage users through conversation, gesture, facial expression, and behaviour to support therapy,…

Socio-Technical Aspirations

Individual- or community-driven ambition and desire to own or use a specific technology for personal benefit or societal acceptance or both. This concept, introduced by Sharma et al. (2020) as an extension to frameworks for assistive technology design, captures how technology…

Sociotechnical Identity

The aspect of personal identity that is constructed and expressed through the technologies a person uses. In assistive technology research, sociotechnical identity refers to how AT serves as a vehicle conveying both functional ability and social identity. The concept recognizes…

Sociotechnical Systems(also: Sociotechnical Assemblage)

A framework for understanding technology as inseparable from the social practices, institutions, power structures, and cultural norms in which it is embedded. In accessibility research, a sociotechnical perspective reveals that assistive technologies are not neutral tools but…

Soft Keyboard(also: On-screen Keyboard, Virtual Keyboard, OSK)

A keyboard displayed on a screen that is operated by a pointing device (mouse, touch, head tracker, eye gaze, or switch) rather than physical key presses. Soft keyboards are essential assistive technology for people who cannot use a standard physical keyboard due to motor…

Software Localization(also: L10n, Product Localization)

The process of adapting software for use in a specific locale or market, encompassing not only translation of text but also adaptation of date formats, number systems, currency, cultural conventions, and user interface design patterns. In the context of assistive technology,…

Sonification(also: Auditory display, Data sonification)

The use of non-speech audio to represent information, data, or environmental characteristics. In accessibility, sonification provides an alternative or complement to visual displays, encoding spatial, quantitative, or categorical information as sound properties such as pitch,…

Sony Access Controller(also: PlayStation Access Controller, Project Leonardo)

A customisable game controller released by Sony in 2023 for the PlayStation 5, designed for players with limited motor control. The Access Controller is a circular unit with swappable button caps, long-throw levers, adjustable stick positioning, and four 3.5mm ports for external…

Sound Amplifier(also: Google Sound Amplifier)

An Android accessibility feature that uses the smartphone's microphone and headphones to amplify and filter ambient sounds in real-time, making it easier for hard of hearing users to hear conversations and environmental audio. Sound Amplifier can boost quiet sounds, reduce…

Sound Awareness(also: Sound Awareness Technology, Environmental Sound Awareness)

The ability to perceive, identify, and respond to sounds in one's environment, and the assistive technologies designed to support this ability for Deaf and hard of hearing individuals. Sound awareness encompasses both safety-critical sounds (fire alarms, sirens, approaching…

Sound Awareness Technology(also: Sound Recognition Technology, Sound Notification System)

Assistive technology systems that detect, classify, and communicate environmental sounds to deaf and hard of hearing users through visual, haptic, or text-based notifications. Examples include smartphone apps that identify doorbells, alarms, and speech, as well as…

Sound Communication Technology(also: SCT)

Technologies designed to communicate aspects of sound through non-auditory sensory modalities, enabling access to audio information for people who are d/Deaf or hard of hearing. Examples include closed captions (text-based), vibrating vests (haptic), spectrograms (visual…

Sound Event Detection(also: Audio Tagging, Automatic Sound Recognition)

A machine learning technique that automatically identifies and classifies sounds within an audio stream, such as music, applause, laughter, environmental noises, and other non-speech audio events. In accessibility contexts, sound event detection can complement automatic speech…

Sound Masking(also: Acoustic Masking, Noise Masking)

A technique that introduces ambient background sounds to reduce the perceptual prominence of unwanted or disruptive noises, rather than blocking them entirely. Originally used in architectural acoustics and tinnitus therapy, sound masking is being explored as an accessibility…

Sound Pressure Level(also: SPL, Decibel Level)

A logarithmic measure of sound intensity expressed in decibels (dB), representing the pressure of a sound wave relative to a reference level. In accessibility, SPL is critical for designing auditory feedback systems—sounds must be loud enough to be detected above ambient noise…

Sound Recognition(also: Sound Classification, Audio Event Detection, Environmental Sound Recognition)

Technology that automatically identifies and classifies sounds in a user's environment, typically using machine learning models trained on audio datasets. In accessibility contexts, sound recognition systems help deaf and hard of hearing people become aware of environmental…

Sound awareness(also: Sound recognition, Environmental sound detection)

Technology that detects and identifies sounds in the user's environment and conveys that information through alternative modalities such as visual notifications or haptic alerts. For deaf and hard-of-hearing users, sound awareness systems can identify doorbells, fire alarms,…

Soundbeam

A touchless digital musical instrument that uses ultrasonic sensors to detect movement in space and convert it into sound. Soundbeam allows users to create music through body movements, gestures, or the movement of any object, without requiring physical contact with the…

Soundscape(also: Auditory Soundscape, Audio Landscape)

An auditory environment where multiple spatialized sounds represent objects or landmarks in all directions around a listener, creating an acoustic representation of physical space. In accessibility applications, soundscapes use spatial audio technology to make virtual objects…

Space compaction(also: Horizontal compaction, White space reduction)

An accessibility technique used in screen magnification software and browser extensions that reduces excessive white space and adjusts column widths to minimize horizontal scrolling. For low-vision users who rely on high magnification levels (often 3x-16x), horizontal scrolling…

Spatial Assessment(also: Spatial Descriptor)

The use of spatial attributes such as distance, dimensions, and location to describe objects in a visual scene. Research with blind users has found that spatial assessment descriptors are problematic because they rely on sighted language and assumptions — distance is relative to…

Spatial Audio(also: 3D Audio, Binaural Audio)

Audio technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space, using techniques such as binaural recording, head-related transfer functions, and multi-channel speaker arrays. In accessibility research, spatial audio has been used…

Spatial Audio(also: 3D Audio, Spatialised Sound, Binaural Audio)

Audio technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space around the listener, using techniques such as head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), binaural rendering, and ambisonics. In accessibility, spatial audio can convey…

Spatial Mapping(also: Environment Mapping, 3D Environment Scanning)

A technology used in mixed reality and augmented reality headsets that scans and creates a digital representation of the physical environment in real time. Spatial mapping identifies surfaces such as floors, walls, tables, and ceilings, enabling virtual objects (holograms) to be…

Spatial Understanding(also: Spatial Cognition, Spatial Awareness)

The ability to comprehend and reason about the positions, sizes, shapes, and relationships of objects in three-dimensional space. Spatial understanding presents a significant accessibility challenge for blind and low-vision users, who must construct mental representations of…

Spatial audio beacon(also: Audio beacon, 3D audio waypoint)

A virtual sound source placed at a specific geographic location that a user can hear through headphones, providing directional guidance by leveraging spatial audio to indicate the direction and distance of a destination. As the user turns toward the beacon, the sound appears to…

Spatialised Audio(also: Spatial Audio, 3D Audio, Directional Audio)

Audio technology that places sounds in specific locations in three-dimensional space relative to the listener, creating the perception that sounds come from particular directions or distances. In accessibility applications for blind and low-vision users, spatialised audio can…

Spatialized Audio(also: 3D Audio, Spatial Sound, Immersive Audio)

Spatialized audio is a technology that creates the perception of sound coming from specific locations in three-dimensional space around the listener, using techniques such as head-related transfer functions (HRTFs) and binaural rendering. In accessibility, spatialized audio is…

Spatialized Sound(also: Spatial Audio, 3D Audio, Spatialized Audio)

Audio that is rendered with positional information so that it appears to originate from a specific location in three-dimensional space around the listener. Spatialized sound uses techniques like head-related transfer functions (HRTFs), interaural time differences, and interaural…