Glossary

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Accessibility Metadata(also: A11y Metadata, Accessibility Annotations)

Structured information that describes the accessibility features, hazards, or access modes of digital content. Accessibility metadata can be embedded within content (such as alt text in HTML) or stored externally in separate databases or annotation systems. External…

Accessible Documentation(also: Accessible Instructions)

Documentation - user manuals, help content, installation guides, release notes, API docs - produced in a form that can be read and acted on by people with disabilities, including blind and low-vision users, users with cognitive disabilities, and Deaf users. Accessible…

Accessible Graphics(also: Accessible Images, Non-Visual Graphics)

Visual information such as charts, diagrams, maps, and illustrations that has been made perceivable and understandable to people with visual impairments through alternative formats. These formats include tactile graphics (raised line drawings, swell paper, 3D-printed models),…

Accessible PDF(also: Tagged PDF, PDF/UA)

An accessible PDF is a Portable Document Format file that has been structured with tags, reading order, alternative text for images, and other metadata so that it can be navigated and read by assistive technologies such as screen readers. The PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility)…

Accessible Slides(also: Accessible Presentation Slides, Non-Visually Accessible Slides)

Presentation slides that have been structured and annotated to be usable by people with disabilities, particularly blind and visually impaired users who access content via screen readers. Accessible slides include proper read order for elements, alternative text for images and…

Alt Text Authoring(also: Alt Text Writing, Image Description Authoring)

The process of composing alternative text descriptions for digital images, undertaken by content authors, developers, or dedicated accessibility specialists. Research has identified several barriers to effective alt text authoring, including authors not knowing what to include,…

Alternative Text(also: Alt Text, Alt Attribute)

Text associated with an image that serves the same purpose and conveys the same essential information as the image. Alternative text is a fundamental web accessibility requirement specified in WCAG, enabling screen reader users to understand image content. Standards for writing…

Anchor Text(also: Link Text, Hyperlink Text)

The visible, clickable text within a hypertext link that is intended to describe the link's destination or purpose. Descriptive anchor text (e.g., "download the annual report") provides clear information about what the user will find when they follow the link, while vague anchor…

Anchoring Effect(also: Anchoring Bias, Cognitive Anchoring)

A cognitive bias in which people rely too heavily on an initial piece of information (the "anchor") when making subsequent decisions or judgements. In the context of digital accessibility, the anchoring effect has been documented in alt text authoring, where content authors who…

Aphasia-Friendly(also: Aphasia-Accessible, Aphasia-Friendly Design)

A set of design practices for making written, spoken, and audiovisual content more accessible to people with aphasia. Established principles (Rose, Worrall, Hickson, Hoffmann) include short sentences with one idea per line, familiar everyday vocabulary, large sans-serif fonts…

Automatic Alt Text(also: AI-generated Alt Text, Auto Alt Text, Machine-generated Alt Text)

Alternative text for images that is automatically generated by artificial intelligence systems using computer vision and natural language processing. Platforms like Microsoft PowerPoint, Facebook, and Twitter have incorporated automatic alt text features to increase image…

Automatic Image Captioning(also: AI-Generated Alt Text, Machine-Generated Description, Auto Alt Text)

The use of computer vision and machine learning algorithms to automatically generate textual descriptions of images without human intervention. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram deploy automatic image captioning to provide alternative text for user-uploaded…

12 results.