Glossary

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ADHD(also: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Attention Deficit Disorder, ADD)

A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by persistent patterns of inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity that affect executive function, including working memory, task initiation, sustained attention, and self-regulation. ADHD affects an estimated 3-6% of adults…

Access Conflict(also: Accessibility Conflict, Competing Access Needs)

A situation in which the accessibility requirements of one person conflict with or undermine the accessibility requirements of another person. For example, a student prone to migraines may need low lighting in a classroom, while a student with low vision requires bright, direct…

Acquired Brain Injury(also: ABI)

Brain damage occurring after birth that is not hereditary, congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. ABI encompasses both traumatic brain injury (TBI) from external forces like falls or accidents, and non-traumatic causes such as stroke, anoxia, infection, or tumors.…

Acquired Disability(also: Adventitious Disability, Late-onset Disability)

A disability that develops after birth, typically due to illness, injury, or aging, as opposed to congenital disabilities present from birth. Common causes include stroke, traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, progressive diseases (such as multiple sclerosis or macular…

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis(also: ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease, Motor Neurone Disease)

A progressive neurodegenerative disease affecting motor neurons in the brain and spinal cord, leading to muscle weakness, paralysis, and eventually respiratory failure. ALS typically progresses over 2-5 years, though some individuals live longer. For accessibility, ALS presents…

Ataxia(also: Cerebellar Ataxia)

A neurological condition characterized by impaired coordination and control of voluntary movements, typically caused by damage to the cerebellum or its connections. People with ataxia may experience unsteady gait, tremors, slurred speech, and difficulty with fine motor tasks…

Augmented Communicator(also: AC, AAC User, Aided Communicator)

A person who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology to express themselves, typically because a disability affects their ability to produce speech. Augmented communicators use devices ranging from simple picture boards to sophisticated speech-generating…

Autism(also: Autism Spectrum Disorder, ASD, Autism Spectrum Condition)

A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, sensory processing, and patterns of behavior and interests. Autism exists on a spectrum with wide variation in how it presents and the level of support individuals may need. Accessibility for…

Autism spectrum disorder(also: ASD, Autism, Autism spectrum)

A neurodevelopmental condition characterized by differences in social communication, interaction patterns, and restricted or repetitive behaviors, with wide variation in how it manifests across individuals. The spectrum nature of ASD means that people have highly diverse support…

Blind and Low Vision(also: BLV, Vision Impairment, Visual Impairment)

A broad term encompassing the spectrum of vision loss from partial sight (low vision) to complete blindness. People who are blind or have low vision experience varying degrees of visual function, and their technology needs differ accordingly. Low vision users may benefit from…

Blind and Visually Impaired(also: BVI, Blind and low vision, BLV)

An umbrella term used in accessibility research and practice to encompass people whose vision is significantly reduced, from partial low vision (for example, reduced acuity, contrast sensitivity, or field of view) through total blindness. The term includes people who are…

Blindness(also: Total Blindness, Visual Blindness)

A condition of having no functional vision or light perception, requiring entirely non-visual means of accessing information and navigating the environment. Blind users typically rely on screen readers, braille displays, audio descriptions, and tactile materials to access…

Brain Injury(also: Acquired Brain Injury, ABI)

Damage to the brain that occurs after birth, resulting from trauma, stroke, infection, tumour, or other causes. Brain injuries can affect physical, cognitive, emotional, and social functioning, potentially causing difficulties with movement, memory, attention, communication, and…

Caregiver Interdependence(also: Care Dependency, Caregiver Reliance)

The mutual reliance between a disabled person and their caregivers, encompassing physical assistance, emotional support, and technological mediation. In accessibility contexts, caregiver interdependence highlights that many disabled people rely on caregivers not just for…

Caregiving(also: Carer, Caregiver, Care Partner)

The unpaid or paid work of supporting another person with daily living, health management, social participation, or emotional needs, often in the context of disability, chronic illness, or ageing. In accessibility research, caregiving is usually treated as an interdependent…

Central Vision Loss(also: Central Scotoma, Macular Vision Loss)

Loss of vision in the central part of the visual field, typically caused by conditions affecting the macula such as macular degeneration or Stargardt disease. Central vision is responsible for detailed tasks like reading, recognizing faces, and seeing fine detail. Musicians with…

Cerebral Palsy(also: CP)

A group of permanent movement disorders that appear in early childhood, caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. Cerebral palsy affects approximately 1 million people in the United States, with symptoms…

Cerebral Palsy(also: CP)

A group of permanent movement disorders caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. Cerebral palsy affects approximately 1 in 345 children and can range from mild to severe, potentially affecting fine motor…

Cerebral Visual Impairment(also: CVI, Cortical Visual Impairment, Brain-Based Visual Impairment)

A form of visual impairment caused by damage to or dysfunction in the brain's visual processing centres, rather than problems with the eyes themselves. CVI is the leading cause of childhood vision impairment in developed countries and is projected to become a leading cause of…

Chronic Condition(also: Chronic Health Condition, Long-Term Condition)

A health condition that persists over time, typically lasting a year or more and requiring ongoing medical attention or limiting activities of daily living. Chronic conditions include both chronic illnesses (such as diabetes or multiple sclerosis) and other lasting health states…

Chronic Disease(also: Chronic Condition, Long-term Condition)

A chronic disease is a health condition that persists for a year or more, requires ongoing medical attention, and limits daily activities. Examples include diabetes, heart disease, asthma, hypertension, arthritis, and dementia. Chronic diseases affect approximately 60% of adults…

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease(also: COPD, Emphysema, Chronic Bronchitis)

A group of progressive lung diseases — including emphysema, chronic bronchitis, and non-reversible asthma — characterized by increasing breathlessness, cough, and reduced exercise tolerance. COPD affects approximately 10% of adults worldwide and is a leading cause of physical…

Chronic Pain

Persistent pain lasting longer than three months that may arise from an initial injury, ongoing illness, or without a clear physical cause. Chronic pain is a common experience among people with disabilities including Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, fibromyalgia, and neuropathies. It can…

Color Blindness(also: Color Vision Deficiency, CVD, Colour Blindness)

A condition in which the ability to distinguish certain colors is reduced or absent, most commonly affecting the perception of red and green. Color blindness affects approximately 8% of males and 0.5% of females of Northern European descent. In music education, color-coded…

Community-Driven Research(also: Community-Based Research, Community-Led Research)

A research approach where the community being studied plays a central role in defining research questions, designing methodologies, collecting data, and interpreting results. In accessibility, community-driven research ensures that disabled communities — particularly those in…

Complex Communication Needs(also: CCN)

A term describing the communication challenges faced by individuals who cannot rely on speech alone to meet all their communication needs in daily life. People with complex communication needs may use a combination of speech, gestures, sign language, communication boards, and…

Complex Needs(also: Complex Access Needs, Complex Support Needs)

Complex needs refers to the situation where an individual requires support across multiple areas of functioning due to a combination of physical, sensory, cognitive, communication, or behavioral factors that interact in ways that make standard single-impairment approaches…

Cross-syndrome comparison(also: Cross-disability comparison)

A research methodology that evaluates a technology or intervention with participants from multiple disability groups to determine whether findings and design principles generalize across conditions. Cross-syndrome comparisons are important because assistive technologies designed…

DHH(also: D/HH, Deaf and Hard of Hearing)

An abbreviation for "Deaf and Hard of Hearing," encompassing the full spectrum of hearing differences from culturally Deaf individuals who use sign language as a primary language to people with varying degrees of hearing loss who may use hearing aids, cochlear implants, or rely…

Daily Living Skills(also: Activities of Daily Living, ADLs, Self-Care Skills)

The fundamental self-care tasks that individuals perform routinely, including personal hygiene (tooth-brushing, hand-washing, bathing), dressing, eating, toileting, and basic household tasks. For individuals with disabilities, particularly autism and intellectual disabilities,…

Deafblind(also: Deaf-Blind, Deafblindness, Dual Sensory Loss)

A condition involving combined hearing and vision loss that significantly affects communication, access to information, and mobility. Deafblindness is not simply the sum of deafness and blindness — it creates unique challenges that require distinct support strategies, including…

Deafblindness(also: Deaf-Blindness, Dual Sensory Impairment, Combined Vision and Hearing Loss)

Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing impairment that creates unique challenges beyond those associated with either sensory loss alone. It is not simply the sum of deafness and blindness — the combination creates distinct communication, information access, and mobility…

Depression(also: Major Depressive Disorder, Clinical Depression)

A mental health condition characterized by persistent feelings of sadness, hopelessness, and loss of interest in activities. Depression can significantly impact cognitive function, including concentration, memory, and decision-making, which affects how individuals interact with…

Depth Perception(also: Stereopsis)

The visual ability to perceive the relative distance of objects in three-dimensional space. Depth perception relies on binocular vision and other visual cues. Reduced depth perception can affect a persons ability to navigate physical environments safely, judge distances, and…

Developmental disability(also: Developmental disorder)

A group of conditions resulting from impairments in physical, learning, language, or behavioural areas that begin during the developmental period, are usually lifelong, and affect day-to-day functioning. Developmental disabilities include intellectual disability, autism spectrum…

Dexterity Impairment(also: Dexterity Difference, Reduced Dexterity, Fine Motor Impairment)

A reduction in the ability to perform precise, coordinated movements with the hands and fingers, which can range from mild to severe and may be permanent, intermittent, or transient. Dexterity impairments can result from a wide range of conditions including arthritis, carpal…

Diplegia(also: Spastic Diplegia)

A form of paralysis or weakness affecting corresponding parts on both sides of the body, most commonly both legs. Spastic diplegia is one of the most common forms of cerebral palsy, where muscle stiffness primarily affects the lower extremities while upper body function may be…

Disability

A complex, multidimensional concept encompassing physical, sensory, cognitive, and psychosocial differences that interact with societal barriers to limit full participation. The social model of disability distinguishes between impairment (a bodily difference) and disability (the…

Disability Disclosure(also: Disclosure)

The act of revealing information about one's disability to others, whether voluntarily or through necessity. Disclosure decisions are complex, involving considerations of privacy, safety, accommodation needs, social acceptance, and legal protections. People with invisible…

Dysautonomia

A group of conditions caused by dysfunction of the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary functions like heart rate, blood pressure, digestion, and temperature regulation. Dysautonomia can cause fatigue, dizziness, fainting, and cognitive difficulties that impact…

Dyslexia

A specific learning disability that primarily affects reading, writing, and spelling skills. Dyslexia is neurological in origin and is characterized by difficulties with accurate or fluent word recognition, poor spelling, and decoding abilities. It is not related to…

Dyspnea(also: Breathlessness, Shortness of Breath)

A subjective experience of breathing discomfort consisting of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity, as defined by the American Thoracic Society. People who experience dyspnea commonly describe sensations of respiratory effort, chest tightness, and air hunger.…

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome(also: EDS)

A group of heritable connective tissue disorders characterized by joint hypermobility, skin hyperelasticity, and tissue fragility. EDS often leads to frequent joint dislocations, chronic pain, and difficulty with physical tasks like gripping objects, holding books, or opening…

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…

Financial Literacy

The knowledge and skills needed to make informed decisions about money — including understanding income, expenses, saving, debt, interest, credit, taxes, insurance, and benefits programs. For accessibility, financial literacy intersects with numeracy, reading accessibility, and…

Friedreich's Ataxia(also: FA, FRDA)

A progressive neuromuscular disease causing increasing ataxia (loss of voluntary coordination of muscle movements), dysarthria (slurred speech), muscle weakness, and in many cases pathological nystagmus (involuntary eye movements). Friedreich's Ataxia typically presents in…

Friedrich's Ataxia(also: Friedreich Ataxia, FRDA)

A rare inherited neurological disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system, resulting in impaired muscle coordination (ataxia), speech difficulties, and loss of sensation in the limbs. Symptoms typically begin in childhood or adolescence and progressively…

Global South Accessibility(also: Accessibility in Low-Resource Settings, Developing World Accessibility)

The study and practice of making technology, environments, and services accessible to people with disabilities in low- and middle-income countries. Over 80% of the world's one billion people with disabilities live in the Global South, yet most accessibility research and…

Hate Speech

Hate speech refers to expression that attacks, demeans, or calls for violence or discrimination against individuals or groups based on protected characteristics such as race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or disability status. On digital…

Hearing Loss(also: Hearing Impairment, Hard of Hearing, Deafness)

A partial or total inability to hear sounds, ranging from mild hearing loss to profound deafness. Hearing loss can be congenital or acquired, and becomes increasingly common with age, affecting approximately one-third of people over 65. Digital accessibility for people with…