Glossary

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Disability-first Design(also: Disability-first Approach, Disability-centered Design)

A design and research methodology that positions disabled people as active contributors and decision-makers rather than passive subjects or end-users in technology development. In contrast to approaches where non-disabled researchers create solutions for disabled users,…

Disabled Joy(also: Disability Joy, Crip Joy)

Disabled joy refers to the positive experiences, pleasures, and sources of happiness that arise from or are connected to living as a disabled person. This includes pride in disability identity, the richness of disability community and culture, the creativity born of adapting to…

Disablism(also: Disability Discrimination)

Discriminatory, oppressive, or abusive behaviour directed at people because of their disability, encompassing both individual acts of prejudice and systemic societal barriers. Coined by the Union of Physically Impaired Against Segregation in 1975, the term draws a parallel with…

Diversity Equity and Inclusion(also: DEI, Equity Diversity and Inclusion, EDI)

An organizational framework and set of practices that recognizes, values, and actively supports the full participation of people from diverse backgrounds, including people with disabilities. Diversity refers to the presence of differences (disability, race, gender, culture,…

Emancipatory Research(also: Emancipatory Disability Research)

A research paradigm that positions people with disabilities not merely as research subjects but as active agents who lead and control research about their own lives and experiences. Emerging from the disability rights movement and the social model of disability, emancipatory…

Employment Accessibility(also: Workplace Accessibility, Job Accessibility, Accessible Employment)

The broad concept of ensuring that all aspects of finding, applying for, interviewing for, and performing a job are accessible to people with disabilities. Employment accessibility encompasses accessible job postings, application systems, interview accommodations, pre-employment…

Employment Discrimination(also: Workplace Discrimination, Hiring Discrimination)

Unjust or unequal treatment of workers or job seekers on the basis of protected characteristics including disability, age, race, gender, religion, national origin, or sexual orientation. In the United States, disability-based employment discrimination is covered by the Americans…

Empowerment

A process through which individuals with disabilities gain control over their own lives, make informed decisions, and develop the skills, knowledge, and confidence to advocate for themselves. In accessibility and disability contexts, empowerment involves shifting power dynamics…

Epistemic Violence(also: Epistemic Injustice)

The systematic marginalization, dismissal, or overriding of certain groups' knowledge, experiences, and ways of understanding the world. In disability contexts, epistemic violence occurs when non-disabled researchers, clinicians, or companies claim authority over disabled…

Financial Autonomy(also: Financial Independence, Financial Self-Determination)

The ability of a person to make and enact their own financial decisions — earning, saving, spending, and planning — consistent with their values and goals. For people with intellectual and developmental disabilities, financial autonomy is often constrained by guardianship,…

Forced Intimacy

Forced Intimacy is a concept coined by disability and transformative justice activist Mia Mingus that describes the experience of disabled people being expected to share very personal information with non-disabled people simply to access basic services, navigate public spaces,…

Gaokao(also: National College Entrance Examination)

The national college entrance examination in mainland China, taken annually by high school students to determine admission to Chinese universities. Since 2017, the Chinese Ministry of Education has formally permitted reasonable accommodations for disabled students on the gaokao,…

Gatekeeping(also: Access Gatekeeping)

Gatekeeping in accessibility contexts refers to practices, policies, or attitudes that create unnecessary barriers to disabled people receiving the accommodations or access they need. This can include requiring excessive documentation to prove disability, questioning whether…

Gig Economy(also: Platform Economy, On-Demand Economy)

An economic model characterized by short-term, flexible, and freelance work arrangements facilitated through digital platforms, rather than traditional permanent employment. For people with disabilities, the gig economy presents both opportunities and challenges: it can provide…

Guardianship(also: Legal Guardianship, Guardian, Caregiver Guardianship)

A legal arrangement in which a person (the guardian) is appointed to make decisions on behalf of another person who is deemed unable to make certain decisions independently, often due to intellectual disability, cognitive impairment, or age. In accessibility research,…

Higher Education Accessibility(also: University Accessibility, Postsecondary Accessibility)

The policies, practices, accommodations, and technologies that ensure students with disabilities can participate fully and equitably in college and university programs. Higher education accessibility encompasses physical campus access, digital content accessibility, classroom…

Human Rights Model of Disability(also: Rights-Based Model of Disability)

A framework for understanding disability that builds on and extends the social model by emphasising the inherent dignity and rights of people with disabilities. Grounded in the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), this model goes beyond identifying…

Inclusive Education(also: Inclusive Schooling, Mainstreaming)

An educational approach where students with disabilities learn alongside their non-disabled peers in mainstream classrooms, with appropriate supports, accommodations, and modifications to curriculum and instruction. Inclusive education contrasts with segregated schooling in…

Inclusive Employability(also: Inclusive Employment Practices, Disability-Inclusive Employment)

An approach to employment preparation, recruitment, and workplace practices that intentionally addresses the barriers faced by people from equity groups, including people with disabilities, in accessing and succeeding in employment. Inclusive employability goes beyond simply…

Inclusive Esports(also: Accessible Esports)

A framing of competitive gaming that enables players with and without disabilities to compete on common terms — through universal input modalities (e.g., EMG, motion sensing, eye tracking), accessible controllers, software-based player balancing, or game designs that avoid…

Inclusive Privacy(also: Accessible Privacy, Privacy and Accessibility)

An emerging field of research and practice focused on designing security and privacy mechanisms that are inclusive of people with diverse characteristics, abilities, needs, and values — particularly people with disabilities. Inclusive privacy recognizes that standard privacy…

Independent Living(also: Autonomous Living)

A philosophy and practical goal emphasizing that people with disabilities should have the same opportunities and control over their daily lives as people without disabilities, including making choices about where and how they live. In accessibility practice, independent living…

Independent Living Movement(also: IL Movement)

A disability rights movement that emerged in the 1960s and 1970s advocating for disabled people's right to live independently in the community, make their own choices, and participate fully in society on a par with nondisabled peers. The movement organized protests, including…

Individuals with Disabilities Education Act(also: IDEA)

A United States federal law that guarantees students with disabilities the right to a free and appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environment. Originally enacted in 1975 as the Education for All Handicapped Children Act and reauthorized as IDEA in 1990…

Informed Consent

The process by which individuals are provided with clear, understandable information about how their data will be collected, used, and shared, enabling them to make voluntary decisions about participation or data sharing. In accessibility contexts, informed consent presents…

Institutional Gatekeeping(also: Systemic Gatekeeping)

The practices through which institutions such as insurance companies, healthcare providers, school districts, and government agencies control access to assistive technology and disability services by defining eligibility criteria, evaluation processes, and funding boundaries.…

Institutionalization

The historical and ongoing practice of placing disabled people in segregated residential facilities such as asylums, nursing homes, and other care institutions, often without their consent. Institutionalization became the default approach to disability in the United States in…

Interpersonal Safety

Interpersonal safety refers to protection from threats of bodily harm caused by other people, such as assault, harassment, or violence. For people with disabilities, interpersonal safety presents distinct challenges because visual or auditory cues used to assess threats from…

Invisible Disability(also: Hidden Disability, Non-Apparent Disability)

A disability that is not immediately apparent to others through visual observation. Invisible disabilities include ADHD, chronic pain, mental health conditions, learning disabilities, autoimmune conditions, traumatic brain injury, and many others. People with invisible…

Leadership of the Most Affected

A core principle of disability-justice organising that positions people most directly affected by a problem — those with the most at stake and the most lived expertise — as the leaders of work aimed at solving it, rather than as consultants, testers, or recipients of others'…

Liberatory access(also: Liberation-oriented access)

An approach to accessibility that goes beyond inclusion and assimilation to challenge the broader conditions of ableism and exclusion that create inaccessibility in the first place. Coined by disability justice activist Mia Mingus, liberatory access strives not just to help…

Linguistic Minority(also: Language Minority)

A group whose primary language differs from the dominant language of the surrounding society, often placing them at a disadvantage in education, employment, civic participation, and access to information. Deaf sign language users are frequently described as a linguistic and…

Mainstream Education(also: Mainstreaming, Inclusive Education, Integrated Classroom)

The practice of educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms alongside non-disabled peers, rather than in separate special education settings. Mainstreaming emerged from disability rights legislation like the U.S. Individuals with Disabilities Education…

Marginalization(also: Social Marginalization, Social Exclusion)

The process by which individuals or groups are pushed to the edges of society, denied equal access to resources, opportunities, and power. People with disabilities, particularly those with communication disabilities, face compounded marginalization — excluded from education,…

Marrakesh Treaty(also: Marrakesh VIP Treaty, WIPO Marrakesh Treaty)

An international treaty adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2013 that requires signatory countries to create copyright exceptions allowing the production and distribution of published works in accessible formats for people with print disabilities.…

Mis-accommodation(also: Failed Accommodation, Accommodation Failure)

A situation where a disability accommodation that has been formally arranged fails to provide adequate access due to the unpredictability of real-world circumstances, context-specific limitations of the technology, or incorrect assumptions about the accommodation's…

Mixed-Ability Workforce(also: Mixed-Ability Team, Inclusive Workforce)

A work environment where employees with and without disabilities collaborate on shared tasks, each contributing their individual skills and abilities. In mixed-ability settings, workflows, training, and task allocation are designed to leverage the strengths of all workers rather…

Mutual Aid

Mutual aid is a practice of collective care in which community members voluntarily share resources, support, and assistance based on principles of solidarity and reciprocity rather than charity. In disability communities, mutual aid networks play a critical role in filling gaps…

Neurodiversity Movement(also: Neurodiversity Paradigm)

A social movement and intellectual framework that regards neurological differences—including autism, ADHD, dyslexia, and other conditions—as natural and valuable forms of human diversity rather than disorders or deficits to be cured. The neurodiversity movement, originating from…

Neuronormative(also: Neuronormativity)

The assumption that neurotypical cognitive patterns — such as sustained linear attention, consistent daily productivity, conventional social communication, and predictable emotional regulation — represent the default or ideal way of functioning. Neuronormative standards are…

Normative Commonplaces(also: Workplace Norms)

Standards, expectations, and unwritten rules in workplaces that are based on the assumed abilities and behaviors of non-disabled workers, creating barriers for employees with disabilities. These norms can include expectations about pace of work, methods of completing tasks,…

Nothing About Us Without Us(also: NAUWU, Nihil de nobis sine nobis)

A foundational principle of the disability rights movement asserting that people with disabilities must be meaningfully involved in decisions, policies, research, and design processes that affect their lives. In technology and AI development, this principle demands that disabled…

Olmstead Decision(also: Olmstead v. L.C.)

A landmark 1999 United States Supreme Court ruling that held requiring disabled people to live in institutional settings when they could live in the community constitutes unlawful discrimination under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The decision mandated that states provide…

Organizations of Persons with Disabilities(also: OPD, OPDs, Disabled Persons Organizations)

Organizations that are led, directed, and governed by people with disabilities, where the majority of members and leadership positions are held by disabled people. OPDs are distinct from organizations "for" people with disabilities that may be run by non-disabled people. Under…

Paternalism(also: Paternalistic Approach)

The practice of making decisions for others based on the assumption that one knows what is best for them, without adequately consulting or empowering them to make their own choices. In disability contexts, paternalism manifests when parents, professionals, researchers, or…

Personal Independence Payment(also: PIP)

A UK non-means-tested, points-based disability benefit for working-age adults that helps with the extra costs of long-term physical or mental health conditions. PIP has two components — Daily Living and Mobility — and is awarded based on functional assessments conducted via…

Pleasure Activism

A framework articulated by adrienne maree brown that centers pleasure, joy, and satisfaction as essential components of social justice and liberation movements. In disability contexts, pleasure activism challenges the assumption that disabled people's lives are defined by…

Power Dynamics in Accessibility(also: Access Power Relations)

The ways in which power operates within the systems that govern assistive technology provision, disability services, and access to accommodations. Power dynamics manifest through institutional gatekeeping (who defines what counts as AT and who qualifies), information asymmetry…

ProcureAccess(also: Procure Access)

A business-to-business initiative run by the non-profit Disability:IN that asks organisations to commit to embedding accessibility and disability inclusion into their technology procurement processes. Signatories pledge to require accessibility conformance information (such as…

Reasonable Accommodation(also: Workplace Accommodation, Job Accommodation)

A modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or the way work is typically performed that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential job functions and enjoy equal employment opportunities. Under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and…