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Glossary

Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.

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Ear-EEG(also: Around-the-Ear EEG, cEEGrid)
Ear-EEG refers to electroencephalography (EEG) recorded using electrodes placed in and around the ear canal rather than on the scalp. Consumer-grade ear-EEG devices such as cEEGrid sensors are unobtrusive, easy to wear without hair preparation, and suitable for everyday…
Early-Onset Dementia(also: Young-Onset Dementia, Working-Age Dementia)
Dementia diagnosed before the age of 65, affecting individuals who are often still in the workforce and digitally active. Early-onset dementia presents unique accessibility challenges because affected individuals typically have established digital literacy and strong…
Earmarking(also: Money Earmarking)
A financial-management practice, studied by sociologist Viviana Zelizer, in which people mentally or materially separate money into distinct categories tied to specific purposes (rent, groceries, savings goal, treats). Earmarking can take physical form — separate envelopes,…
Easy Language(also: Easy-to-Read, Leichte Sprache, Easy Read)
A simplified form of written language designed to make information accessible to people with reading difficulties, including those with intellectual disabilities, prelingual hearing impairments, learning disabilities, low literacy, or limited proficiency in the language. Easy…
Easy Read(also: Easy-to-Read, Easy Language, Plain Language for Cognitive Accessibility)
A method of presenting written information in a way that is accessible to people with intellectual disabilities, learning difficulties, or low literacy. Easy Read uses short sentences, common everyday vocabulary, active voice, and clear structure, often accompanied by images or…
Email Anxiety(also: Inbox Anxiety)
Intense anxiety, dread, or avoidance behavior around checking, opening, and responding to emails, commonly experienced by people with ADHD. Email anxiety can involve physical symptoms like racing heart and nausea, fear of receiving negative feedback or reminders of missed…
Emotional Dysregulation(also: Emotion Dysregulation, Emotional Impulsivity, Affective Dysregulation)
Difficulty managing emotional responses, characterized by rapid, intense, and often disproportionate reactions to stimuli with limited reflection or regulation. Emotional dysregulation is a core yet frequently overlooked feature of adult ADHD, not included in DSM-5 diagnostic…
Emotional Regulation(also: Emotion Regulation, Affect Regulation)
The ability to manage, modify, and respond to emotional experiences in ways that are situationally appropriate and aligned with one's goals. Emotional regulation is a significant challenge for people with ADHD, who may experience heightened emotional reactivity, difficulty…
Energy Conservation(also: Energy management)
Energy conservation refers to a set of self-management strategies designed to help people with chronic conditions, fatigue-related disabilities, or fluctuating energy levels maintain function and independence by using their available energy efficiently. Core techniques include…
Entity Density(also: Entity-Density Features)
A discourse-level readability feature measuring how many distinct entities — named entities (people, places, organisations) and general nouns — a text introduces per sentence or document. High entity density increases working-memory load on readers because each new entity must…
Epilepsy(also: Seizure Disorder)
A chronic neurological condition characterized by recurrent, unprovoked seizures caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Epilepsy affects roughly 1% of the population globally and spans a wide range of seizure types and severities, with some people experiencing…
Episodic Memory(also: Autobiographical Memory, Personal Experience Memory)
The memory of specific personal experiences and events, including details about what happened, where and when it occurred, and the emotions associated with it. Episodic memory allows people to mentally "travel back in time" to re-experience past events from a first-person…
Episodic Productivity(also: Nonlinear Productivity, Burst Productivity)
A work pattern characterized by fluctuating cycles of high and low engagement rather than consistent, steady output. Common among people with ADHD and other neurodivergent conditions, episodic productivity involves periods of intense focus and high output alternating with…
Error Tolerance(also: Error Prevention, Forgiveness)
A design principle requiring that systems anticipate, prevent, and gracefully handle user errors. In accessible design, error tolerance means providing clear validation messages, allowing users to undo actions, confirming destructive operations, and ensuring that mistakes do not…
Errorless Learning(also: Errorless Teaching, Error-Free Learning)
Errorless learning is a teaching methodology that structures tasks so that learners are guided toward correct responses and prevented from making mistakes during the learning process. In accessible technology design, this translates to systems that do not allow incorrect actions…
Evocation(also: Word Association Strength, Semantic Evocation)
A measure of how strongly one word brings another word to mind, reflecting the associative connections between concepts in human semantic memory. Unlike formal semantic relationships such as synonymy or hyponymy, evocation captures the informal, often idiosyncratic associations…
Executive Dysfunction(also: Executive Function Deficit, EF Impairment)
A disruption in the efficiency of executive functions that affects a person's ability to plan, organize, initiate tasks, manage time, make decisions, and regulate behavior. Executive dysfunction is a core feature of ADHD and is also associated with autism, depression, traumatic…
Executive Function(also: EF, Executive Functioning)
A set of higher-order cognitive processes that enable planning, organizing, initiating tasks, sustaining attention, managing time, regulating emotions, and adapting to new situations. Executive functions are critical for goal-directed behavior and are commonly impaired in…
Executive Function(also: Executive Functioning, Cognitive Control, Executive Control)
A set of cognitive processes that enable goal-directed behavior, including planning, working memory, attention, inhibitory control, and cognitive flexibility. Executive functions allow individuals to organize, initiate, and monitor tasks in daily living. In accessibility…
Executive function(also: Executive functioning, Cognitive control)
A set of higher-order cognitive processes that enable goal-directed behaviour, including planning, working memory, attention control, task switching, inhibition of inappropriate responses, and flexible thinking. Executive function difficulties are common in TBI, ADHD, autism,…
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…
Extraneous Cognitive Load(also: Extraneous Load)
One of three types of cognitive load identified by cognitive load theory, referring to the unnecessary mental effort caused by poor instructional design or interface presentation rather than the learning material itself. Extraneous load arises from confusing layouts, irrelevant…
Eye-Hand Coordination(also: Hand-Eye Coordination, Visuomotor Coordination, Oculomotor Coordination)
The ability to coordinate visual input with hand movements to perform tasks requiring precision, such as reaching for objects, writing, typing, or using tools. Eye-hand coordination involves the integration of visual perception, spatial awareness, and motor control. Deficits in…

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