Glossary

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Abacus(also: Cranmer Abacus, Counting Frame)

A manual calculating tool consisting of a frame with rods and movable beads used for arithmetic operations. For visually impaired users, adapted versions like the Cranmer abacus feature beads that stay in place when moved and a backing to prevent displacement. The abacus enables…

Beep Baseball(also: Beepball)

An adapted version of baseball designed for players who are blind or visually impaired. The game uses an oversized softball containing electronic beepers that emit sound, and bases that buzz when activated to indicate the target. Batters attempt to hit the beeping ball and run…

Blind Hockey(also: Visually Impaired Hockey, VI Hockey)

An adapted form of ice hockey designed for players who are blind or have low vision. The sport uses a larger, oversized puck containing ball bearings that rattle when the puck moves, allowing players to track it by sound. Players are classified by vision level, with some wearing…

Blind Navigation(also: Non-visual navigation, Navigation for blind people)

The subfield of navigation research and assistive technology that addresses how people who are blind or have low vision find their way through indoor and outdoor environments without relying on sight. Solutions range from the white cane and guide dog to smartphone apps, BLE…

Blind Photography(also: Photography by Blind People)

The practice of photography by individuals who are blind or have low vision, challenging assumptions that photography is an exclusively visual medium. Blind photographers use a range of strategies including spatial memory, sound cues, tactile markers, AI-powered camera…

Braille(also: Braille System, Braille Code)

A tactile writing system used by people who are blind or have low vision, consisting of patterns of raised dots arranged in cells of up to six dots in a 3x2 configuration. Each cell represents a letter, number, punctuation mark, or other symbol. Developed by Louis Braille in…

Braille Music(also: Braille Music Notation, Music Braille)

A tactile system for encoding Western music notation using the same six-dot cells as literary Braille. Braille Music is read through touch rather than sight, making it particularly useful for blind musicians. However, it has a steep learning curve, requires prior knowledge of…

Code Navigation(also: Code Browsing, Codebase Navigation)

Code navigation refers to the process of moving through, understanding, and locating specific elements within a software codebase. For sighted developers, this is supported by visual cues such as syntax highlighting, indentation, code folding, and spatial layout. For blind…

Early Blind(also: Congenitally Blind, Early Onset Blindness)

A person who was born blind or lost their vision before approximately age 5-7, before visual memories and spatial concepts based on vision were fully established. Early blind individuals develop spatial understanding entirely through non-visual senses—touch, hearing,…

Goalball

A Paralympic team sport specifically designed for athletes with visual impairments. Two teams of three players attempt to roll a ball containing internal bells into the opposing team's goal while defenders listen for the ball to block it. All players wear blackout eyeshades to…

Incidental Learning(also: Observational Learning, Informal Learning)

Knowledge and skills acquired without deliberate instruction, typically through casual observation of the environment and other people. An estimated 80% of early childhood learning occurs incidentally through vision — watching how others make sandwiches, navigate social…

Late Blind(also: Adventitiously Blind, Acquired Blindness)

A person who lost their vision later in life, typically after age 5-7 when visual memories and concepts have been established. Late blind individuals often retain visual memories and may use these to construct mental representations of spaces and routes. Research suggests late…

National Library Service(also: NLS, National Library Service for the Blind and Print Disabled)

A program of the Library of Congress in the United States that provides Braille and audio materials to eligible borrowers who are blind, have low vision, or have physical disabilities that prevent them from reading standard print. The NLS operates through a network of regional…

Obstacle Avoidance(also: Obstacle Detection)

The ability to detect and navigate around physical barriers in one's path, a critical mobility skill for blind and visually impaired people. Traditional obstacle avoidance relies on long cane techniques (sweeping the cane side to side to detect ground-level hazards) and guide…

RNIB(also: Royal National Institute of Blind People, Royal National Institute for the Blind)

The largest charity supporting blind and partially sighted people in the United Kingdom, providing services including accessible format transcription, assistive technology advice, employment support, and advocacy. The RNIB operates one of the world's leading music transcription…

Refreshable Braille Display(also: Braille Display, Braille Terminal, Refreshable Tactile Display)

An electromechanical device that renders Braille characters by raising and lowering small pins through a flat surface, allowing blind users to read digital text output by touch. These devices connect to computers or mobile devices and work alongside screen readers to provide…

Shorelining(also: Trailing)

An orientation and mobility technique in which a person with a visual impairment follows a consistent surface edge — such as a wall, curb, edge of a sidewalk, or other contrasting surface — to maintain a specific orientation and navigate through an environment. The technique…

Sighted People Interference(also: Sighted Interference)

A social barrier experienced by blind and visually impaired people when sighted individuals's reactions, interventions, or presence impede their independent activities in public spaces. This can include unsolicited help, judgmental reactions from store staff or other shoppers,…

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…

Social Attention(also: Social Orienting)

The set of behaviours, motivations, and perceptual processes involved in directing and coordinating attention toward other people during social interaction. Social attention includes orienting toward others, maintaining awareness of their position and gaze direction, and using…

Spatial Representation(also: Spatial Mental Model)

A cognitive structure that encodes information about the layout, distances, and relationships between locations in an environment. For blind and partially sighted people, spatial representations are built from non-visual sensory information including tactile exploration,…

Tactile Acuity(also: Touch Acuity, Tactile Resolution)

The ability to perceive and discriminate fine spatial details through the sense of touch, analogous to visual acuity for sight. Tactile acuity varies across body regions, with fingertips having the highest resolution at approximately 1-2mm spacing. In the context of…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Images, Tactile Diagrams, Raised-Line Graphics)

Visual information represented in a form that can be perceived through touch, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access images, diagrams, maps, charts, and spatial layouts. Tactile graphics can be created through embossing, thermoforming, 3D printing, or swell…

Taylor Frame(also: Taylor Mathematical Slate, Taylor Slate, Math Frame)

A tactile tool used by visually impaired students to perform arithmetic calculations. The device consists of a rectangular board with rows of holes into which small lead or plastic bars are inserted. Each bar has notched ends representing digits 0-9, which users identify by…

Vibro-audio Interface(also: VAI)

An assistive technology that combines vibration patterns and audio feedback to convey spatial and graphical information through touchscreen devices. Originally developed to make maps and diagrams accessible to people who are blind, VAIs can render shapes, routes, and directional…

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