Glossary

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Section 504(also: Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act)

Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a US federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistance. It requires educational institutions, government agencies, and other…

Self-Advocacy

The ability and practice of speaking up for one's own needs, rights, and interests, particularly in contexts where those needs may be overlooked, dismissed, or actively opposed. In disability contexts, self-advocacy is both a personal skill and a political movement, encompassing…

Self-Advocate

A person with a disability who speaks up for themselves and their rights, makes their own decisions, and works to ensure their voice is heard in matters affecting their life. In the disability rights movement, self-advocates are individuals who participate in advocacy…

Self-Determination(also: Autonomy, Self-Determination Theory)

The right and ability of individuals to make choices and decisions about their own lives, bodies, and futures without external coercion or control. In disability rights, self-determination is a core principle affirming that disabled people should have agency over their own care,…

Sexual Violence(also: Nonconsensual Sex)

Any sexual act, attempt, or coercion that occurs without the freely given consent of the person involved. In accessibility research, sexual violence is a significant concern because disabled and neurodivergent populations - including autistic adults and people with ADHD -…

Sheltered Employment(also: Sheltered Workshop, Sheltered Work)

A form of employment in which people with disabilities work in a segregated setting, separate from the general labour market, typically under supervised conditions and often for below-minimum wage. Sheltered workshops were historically the primary employment model for people…

Social Agency

Social agency is the capacity to shape, initiate, and sustain one's social interactions - to contribute meaningfully to a group, express preferences, and influence shared activity. For people with cognitive disabilities, dementia, or communication differences, social agency is…

Social Model of Disability(also: Social Construction of Disability)

A framework that locates disability not in an individual's body or mind but in the barriers created by society — including physical environments, attitudes, policies, and systems that exclude people with impairments from full participation. Developed in contrast to the medical…

Social Model of Disability(also: social model, barriers model)

A framework that distinguishes between impairment (a physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the social barriers and exclusion that result from society not accommodating that difference). Under this model, people are disabled by inaccessible environments,…

Supplemental Security Income(also: SSI)

A U.S. federal program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides cash benefits to people with disabilities, blindness, or age-related needs who have limited income and resources. SSI enforces strict asset and income limits — historically $2,000 in…

Supported Decision-Making(also: SDM)

A legal and practical alternative to guardianship in which a person with a cognitive or developmental disability retains decision-making authority over their own life while receiving support from trusted people — family, friends, advocates — who help them understand options,…

Surveillance

The systematic, focused, and often routine observation of people, their activities, or their data for purposes of influence, management, entitlement, or control. In accessibility and HCI research, surveillance is an analytical frame used to examine how monitoring technologies —…

Sustainable Development Goals(also: SDGs, Global Goals)

A collection of 17 interlinked global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by 2030. Several SDGs are directly relevant to disability inclusion: SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 8 (decent work and economic growth, promoting…

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