Glossary

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Region of Interest(also: ROI, Area of Interest, AOI)

A specific area within an image, video frame, or user interface that has been identified as particularly relevant or important for analysis or user attention. In eye-tracking research, regions of interest are predefined areas on a stimulus where fixation data is collected to…

Rehabilitation Engineering(also: Rehab Engineering)

An engineering discipline focused on quantifying, measuring, and modeling human performance to provide better-fitting assistive technology adaptations. Rehabilitation engineering emerged partly as a response to trial-and-error approaches in assistive technology, bringing…

Rehabilitation Gaming(also: Rehab Gaming, Therapeutic Gaming)

The use of digital games that incorporate physical rehabilitation exercises into gameplay, transforming repetitive therapeutic movements into engaging interactive experiences. Rehabilitation games map exercises such as cycling, reaching, balancing, or arm movements to in-game…

Relational Sovereignty

A framework proposed by Jang, Carrington and Begel (2026) as a new goal (telos) for socially assistive technology, defined as the recognised authority of a disabled person to choose their relational mode — acting independently or interdependently — and to set the terms on which…

Relief Chart(also: 3D Chart, Haptic Chart, Relief Graph)

A tactile data visualization that uses height (the third dimension) to encode data values, making charts accessible to people with visual impairments through touch. Unlike flat tactile graphics that use only texture or raised lines, relief charts represent data magnitude through…

Reminiscence Therapy(also: Reminiscence-Based Therapy, Life Review Therapy)

A non-pharmacological therapeutic approach for people with dementia that uses artifacts, photographs, music, and other personally meaningful materials to stimulate recall of past experiences and prompt conversation about life events. Reminiscence therapy aims to maintain the…

Remnant book(also: remnant scrapbook, memory book)

An AAC strategy that uses collected physical artifacts—such as ticket stubs, photos, business cards, and other tangible items—organized in a book or album to support communication for people with aphasia or other cognitive-communication disorders. Remnant books leverage…

Remote Accessibility Assessment(also: Virtual Accessibility Assessment, Pre-Visit Accessibility Check)

The practice of evaluating the physical accessibility of an unfamiliar environment without being physically present. Wheelchair users and others with mobility disabilities routinely assess spaces in advance to avoid dangerous, inaccessible, or frustrating situations. Current…

Remote Assistance(also: Remote Sighted Assistance, Visual Interpreting)

A service model where people who are blind or have low vision connect with sighted volunteers or trained agents via a live video call to receive real-time visual descriptions and guidance. Services like Be My Eyes and Aira use smartphone cameras to share the user's environment…

Remote Captioning(also: Remote CART, Remote Real-Time Captioning)

A live captioning service delivered at a distance, in which a human captioner (CART provider) or automatic speech recognition system receives an audio feed from a meeting, classroom, or event over the internet or a phone line and transmits transcribed text back to the user in…

Remote Desktop Software(also: Remote Access Software, Remote Control Software)

Software that allows a user to access and control one computer from another device over a network, displaying the remote computer's screen and relaying input commands. In accessibility contexts, remote desktop software serves as an unexpected but powerful assistive technology…

Remote Monitoring(also: Remote Patient Monitoring, RPM, Remote Care Monitoring)

Remote monitoring is the collection of health, activity, or environmental data from a person in their own home or community setting and its transmission to carers, clinicians, or family members at a distance. In a disability and ageing context, remote monitoring overlaps…

Remote Sighted Assistance(also: Remote Visual Assistance, Visual Interpreting, Remote Sighted Guide)

A service model in which a sighted person provides real-time visual information to a blind or visually impaired person remotely, typically through a smartphone video call. The blind user points their phone camera at what they need help with, and the sighted helper describes what…

Remote interpreting(also: Video remote interpreting, VRI, Remote sign language interpreting)

The provision of sign language interpretation or other communication access services through video technology, where the interpreter is located in a different physical space from the deaf or hard of hearing person. Remote interpreting uses networked video connections to link…

Remote sighted assistance(also: RSA, Visual interpreting service)

A service connecting blind or visually impaired individuals with sighted helpers through live video calls, enabling real-time visual guidance for everyday tasks. Services like Be My Eyes (volunteer-based), Aira (professional agents), and similar platforms allow BVI users to…

Remote therapy(also: Teletherapy, Telepractice, Telerehabilitation)

The delivery of therapeutic interventions — including speech therapy, occupational therapy, and rehabilitation — through technology-mediated communication rather than exclusively in-person sessions. Remote therapy systems typically combine a client-facing application (often…

Repeat Keys(also: Key Repeat Delay)

An operating system accessibility feature that controls how long a key must be held down before it begins to repeat, and how quickly it repeats once started. For users with motor disabilities who unintentionally hold keys down longer than intended, Repeat Keys allows the delay…

Residual vision(also: Functional vision, Usable vision)

The remaining visual ability of a person with a visual impairment, which may include partial acuity, limited visual field, or light perception. The vast majority of people classified as legally blind have some residual vision rather than total blindness. Assistive technology and…

Retrieval-Augmented Generation(also: RAG)

An AI technique that enhances the responses of large language models (LLMs) by first retrieving relevant information from an external knowledge base or document collection, then providing that information as context for the model to generate its response. In accessibility…

Reverse Dictionary(also: Sign-to-English Dictionary, ASL-to-English Dictionary)

A dictionary tool that allows users to search for the meaning of a sign language sign by inputting its visual or linguistic properties — such as handshape, location, movement, and orientation — rather than searching from a known English word. Reverse dictionaries address the…

Right to Repair

A movement advocating for consumers' ability to repair, modify, and maintain their own devices and equipment, including access to diagnostic information, repair manuals, and replacement parts. For people with disabilities, right to repair is especially significant because…

Risk-Free Exploration(also: Safe Exploration)

Risk-free exploration is a design principle for making touchscreen interfaces accessible to blind users by enabling them to explore the screen surface without accidentally triggering interface actions. On standard capacitive touchscreens, any finger contact can activate buttons,…

Robot-Assisted Feeding(also: Assistive Feeding Robot, Robotic Feeding System, RAF)

A robotic system designed to help people with upper-limb motor impairments eat independently by automating the process of acquiring food from a plate and transferring it to the user's mouth. Robot-assisted feeding systems range from simple table-mounted devices with spoons (like…

Robotic Arm(also: Robot Arm, Assistive Robotic Arm, Manipulator Arm)

A programmable mechanical device with jointed segments that can grasp, move, and manipulate objects, controlled through various input methods. In assistive technology contexts, robotic arms are used to extend the physical capabilities of people with motor impairments, enabling…

Robotic Guide Dog(also: Robot Guide Dog, Quadruped Guide Robot)

A mobile robot — typically a quadruped platform — designed to provide navigation and obstacle-avoidance support for blind and low-vision users, filling a role analogous to that of a trained guide dog. Research prototypes have explored handler interaction, leash-based coupling,…

Rollator(also: Wheeled Walker, Rolling Walker)

A walking frame equipped with wheels, handbrakes, and typically a built-in seat, designed to provide stability and support for people with mobility difficulties. Unlike standard walkers that must be lifted with each step, rollators roll forward continuously, reducing the…

Route Learning(also: Route Familiarization)

The process by which a traveler — particularly a blind or low-vision person — acquires a mental representation of a specific path through an environment, including its turns, landmarks, distances, surface changes, and points of interest. Route learning is a core component of…

Row-Column Scanning(also: RCS, Grid Scanning, Two-Switch Scanning)

The most widely used single-switch selection method for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices and on-screen keyboards. Options are arranged in a two-dimensional grid, and the interface sequentially highlights each row. When the user clicks their switch, the…

Runtime Accessibility(also: dynamic accessibility, on-demand accessibility adaptation)

Runtime accessibility refers to the ability to modify, adapt, or enhance the accessibility of a software application or digital environment while it is actively running, rather than through static design-time configurations or developer-authored presets. Traditional…

SAPI(also: Speech Application Programming Interface, Microsoft SAPI)

The Speech Application Programming Interface (SAPI) is a Microsoft Windows API that enables applications to use speech recognition and text-to-speech synthesis. SAPI provides a standardized interface between speech engines and applications, meaning that a synthetic voice built…

SLPAT(also: Speech and Language Processing for Assistive Technologies)

A special interest group jointly supported by the Association for Computational Linguistics (ACL) and the International Speech Communication Association (ISCA), focused on speech and language technology for assistive applications. SLPAT brings together researchers from…

SMART Matrix(also: Systems-Market Framework)

A framework for understanding assistive technology ecosystems developed by MacLachlan et al. that analyzes AT provision at three levels: micro (individual user — matching products to needs), meso (service provider — availability of assessment, training, maintenance services),…

Safe Walking Technology(also: Safe Walking Aids, Walking Safety Devices)

Assistive technologies designed to help people with cognitive impairments, particularly dementia, walk safely outdoors. These devices typically combine GPS tracking, navigation assistance, fall detection, and emergency communication features. Safe walking technology aims to…

Scaffolded Learning(also: Scaffolding, Graduated Support)

An instructional approach that provides structured, temporary support to help learners progressively build skills, with support gradually reduced as competence increases. In assistive technology training, scaffolded learning involves starting with simplified configurations…

Scanning(also: Switch Scanning, Sequential Scanning)

An input method used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) that allows users with severe motor impairments to make selections using one or more switches. The system sequentially highlights items in a vocabulary set, and the user activates a switch when the desired…

Scanning(also: Switch Scanning, Automatic Scanning)

An indirect selection method used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and assistive technology where items (letters, words, or commands) are highlighted sequentially by the system, and the user activates a switch to select the currently highlighted item. In…

Scanning Delay(also: Tscan, Scan Rate, Dwell Time)

The time interval a scanning system waits before automatically advancing to highlight the next item. Setting scanning delay appropriately is critical for switch access users: too short causes selection errors because the user cannot respond quickly enough; too long dramatically…

Scanning Rate(also: Scan Rate, Scan Speed, Dwell Time)

The speed at which options in a scanning interface are sequentially highlighted, typically measured in seconds per item. The scanning rate is a critical configuration parameter in switch-access systems — too fast and the user cannot react in time to make a selection, too slow…

Scanning System(also: Automatic Scanning, Group Scanning, Row-Column Scanning)

An assistive technology input method in which selectable items are sequentially highlighted on screen, and the user activates a switch (or other simple input) when the desired item is highlighted. Scanning systems are designed for people with severe motor disabilities who can…

Scanning interface(also: Switch scanning, Single-switch access)

An interaction method in which items on a screen are sequentially highlighted one at a time (or in groups), and the user activates a switch to select the currently highlighted item. Scanning interfaces provide computer access for individuals with severe motor impairments who can…

Scatter Plot Accessibility

The set of techniques and design considerations for making scatter plot data visualizations accessible to people with disabilities, particularly blind and low-vision users. Scatter plots present unique accessibility challenges compared to line or bar charts because their data…

Scene Classification(also: Scene Recognition, Scene Understanding)

Scene classification is a computer vision task that categorizes images or video frames into predefined scene types such as indoor/outdoor, kitchen, office, or street. For accessibility, scene classification helps automated systems provide context about environments in image…

Scene Reading(also: Scene Reader, 3-D Screen Reading)

An interaction paradigm that extends touch-based screen reading concepts from 2-D interfaces to 3-D virtual environments, enabling blind and low vision users to explore virtual scenes nonvisually. Scene reading provides semantic information about virtual objects and their…

Scene Text Recognition(also: Scene Text Detection, Text in the Wild, Environmental Text Detection)

The computer vision task of detecting and reading text that appears naturally in real-world environments, such as street signs, product labels, shop names, and building numbers. Unlike optical character recognition (OCR) for scanned documents where text layout is predictable,…

Scene simplification(also: Visual decluttering, Complexity reduction)

An assistive technology approach that reduces visual complexity in real-world or digital scenes by highlighting relevant objects, suppressing background clutter, and isolating key information. Scene simplification is particularly important for people with cerebral visual…

Screen Curtain(also: Display Curtain)

Screen Curtain is an accessibility feature available on iOS and some other platforms that turns off the device's display while keeping the device fully functional and responsive to touch input and screen reader output. Originally designed to save battery power for blind users…

Screen Magnification(also: Screen Magnifier, Zoom)

Software or built-in operating system features that enlarge a portion of the screen display to make content more readable for people with low vision. Screen magnification tools are available on all major platforms, including the Zoom function on macOS and iOS, Magnifier on…

Screen Magnification(also: Screen Magnifier, Display Magnification)

Software or operating system features that enlarge a portion of the screen content to make it readable for people with low vision. Common modalities include full-screen magnification (which expands the entire display around a movable center point) and lens magnification (which…

Screen Magnifier(also: Screen Magnification Software, Magnification Software)

An assistive technology application that enlarges a portion of the screen display to make content more readable for people with low vision. Screen magnifiers work by rendering a zoomed-in view of the area around the cursor or focus point, often providing additional features such…

Screen Reader(also: Screen Reading Software)

Assistive technology software that converts on-screen text, interface elements, and structured content into synthesized speech or Braille output, enabling blind and low vision users to navigate and interact with computers, smartphones, and the web. Major screen readers include…