Glossary

Search results

Individualized Education Program(also: IEP, Individualized Education Plan)

An Individualized Education Program (IEP) is a legally binding document in the United States that outlines the specialized instruction, services, accommodations, and goals for a student with a disability who qualifies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA).…

Informal Learning(also: Informal Education, Free-Choice Learning)

Learning that occurs outside formal educational settings, driven by curiosity, personal interest, and voluntary engagement rather than structured curricula and assessments. Science museums, workshops, community programs, and hands-on activities are key venues for informal…

Institutional Ableism(also: Systemic Ableism, Structural Ableism)

Prejudice and discrimination against people with disabilities that is embedded in the policies, practices, norms, and culture of organizations and institutions, rather than manifesting solely through individual attitudes. In higher education, institutional ableism appears in…

Institutional Barriers(also: Organizational Barriers, Systemic Barriers)

Obstacles to accessibility, technology adoption, or inclusion that arise from organizational policies, practices, norms, and cultures rather than from individual limitations or technology design. In schools for the blind, institutional barriers include management resistance to…

Instructional Technology(also: Educational Technology, EdTech)

Digital technologies intentionally designed and used for teaching and learning purposes, including learning management systems (Google Classroom, Canvas), educational software (Khan Academy, MyMathLab), student response systems (Kahoot), digital textbooks, and assessment…

Intelligent Tutoring System(also: ITS, AI Tutor)

An AI-powered educational system that provides personalized instruction, feedback, and scaffolding adapted to individual learners' needs, knowledge levels, and learning patterns. Modern intelligent tutoring systems increasingly use generative AI and large language models to…

Interactive 3D Printed Model(also: I3M, Interactive Tactile Model)

A 3D printed physical object augmented with technology that provides audio or other non-visual feedback when users touch or interact with specific areas. These models combine the tangible spatial information of a physical replica with digital annotations, typically using…

Intrinsic Cognitive Load(also: Intrinsic Load)

One of three types of cognitive load identified by cognitive load theory, referring to the inherent difficulty of the material being learned based on its complexity and the learner’s prior knowledge. Intrinsic cognitive load is determined by the number of elements that must be…

Intrinsic Complexity(also: Intrinsic Cognitive Load)

In Cognitive Load Theory, intrinsic complexity refers to the inherent difficulty of understanding and processing the content or material itself, as opposed to extraneous complexity which arises from how the material is presented or accessed. In accessibility contexts,…

K-12 Education(also: K-12, Primary and Secondary Education, K through 12)

The span of publicly supported education from kindergarten through 12th grade (approximately ages 5-18), encompassing primary and secondary schooling. In accessibility contexts, K-12 education is a critical focus area because accessible learning tools, curricula, and teacher…

Kinesthetic Awareness(also: Kinesthesia, Movement Awareness)

The conscious perception of body position, movement, and muscle tension derived from internal sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. For sighted people, kinesthetic awareness is reinforced by visual feedback — watching their own movements and observing others. People…

Language Acquisition(also: Language Development, Language Learning)

The process by which humans develop the ability to perceive, produce, and use language to communicate. In deaf children, language acquisition presents unique challenges: 90% of deaf children are born to hearing parents, and without early exposure to an accessible language (such…

Language Immersion

An approach to language learning in which the learner is surrounded by and continuously exposed to the target language in natural, meaningful contexts rather than through isolated instruction. In the context of deaf education and accessibility, language immersion is critical…

Learned Helplessness

A psychological condition in which a person comes to believe they are unable to perform tasks or control outcomes, often resulting from prolonged over-assistance or lack of opportunity to attempt tasks independently. In disability contexts, learned helplessness can develop when…

Lecture Captioning(also: Classroom Captioning, Lecture Transcription)

The real-time or post-production conversion of spoken lecture content into text, displayed to students during or after a class session. Lecture captioning can be performed by human captioners (such as CART providers), by automatic speech recognition software, or by a combination…

Lecture Capture(also: Lecture Recording, Classroom Recording)

The process of recording classroom lectures, presentations, or educational sessions using video, audio, and screen capture technology for later review by students. Lecture capture systems range from simple single-camera recordings to multi-camera setups that capture the…

Lexile Framework(also: Lexile, Lexile Measure)

A commercial readability framework developed by MetaMetrics that places both texts and readers on a common scale — the Lexile measure — to support matching readers with materials at an appropriate level of challenge. A text's Lexile measure is computed from sentence length and…

Literacy Development(also: Literacy Learning, Reading Development)

The process of acquiring reading and writing skills, from early phonological awareness through fluent reading comprehension. Literacy development is a key focus of reading support technology research, particularly for children with disabilities. Technologies supporting literacy…

Low Literacy(also: Limited Literacy, Functional Illiteracy)

A level of reading and writing ability that is below what is typically needed to function effectively in everyday situations requiring text comprehension. Low literacy may result from limited educational opportunities, learning disabilities, cognitive disabilities, or reading in…

Low-Incidence Disability(also: Low-Prevalence Disability)

A disability that occurs relatively rarely in the general population, such as blindness, deafblindness, or certain developmental conditions. Low-incidence disabilities present unique challenges for research, education, and technology development because affected individuals are…

Mainstream Classroom(also: Inclusive Classroom, Integrated Classroom)

An educational setting where students with disabilities learn alongside their non-disabled peers, typically with support services such as interpreters, captioning, or note-takers. For deaf and hard-of-hearing students, mainstream classrooms present unique accessibility…

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…

Mainstream inclusion(also: Educational inclusion, Inclusive education)

The practice of educating children with disabilities alongside their non-disabled peers in general education classrooms, supported by appropriate accommodations, assistive technologies, and specialist personnel. Mainstream inclusion is both a rights-based educational philosophy…

Maker Education(also: Making, Maker Movement, Makerspace Education)

An educational approach that emphasizes hands-on learning through designing, building, and debugging physical artifacts using tools such as electronics, 3D printers, laser cutters, and microcontrollers. Maker education connects theoretical knowledge with practical skills by…

Manipulative(also: Math Manipulative, Educational Manipulative, Tactile Manipulative)

A physical object used in education to help students learn abstract concepts through hands-on exploration and manipulation. In mathematics, common manipulatives include blocks, counters, fraction tiles, and geometric shapes. For students who are blind or have low vision,…

Mathematical Accessibility(also: Math Accessibility, STEM Accessibility)

The practice of making mathematical notation, formulas, equations, and quantitative content accessible to people with disabilities, particularly blind and low-vision users. Mathematical notation poses unique accessibility challenges because it is inherently visual and…

Mathematical Braille(also: Braille Mathematics, Math Braille)

Specialised braille notation systems used to represent mathematical symbols, expressions, and equations. Because standard literary braille has only 64 possible characters (from 6-dot cells), mathematical braille codes use various strategies to extend the symbol set: multi-cell…

Mathematics Learning Disability(also: Math Disability, Mathematical Disability, Mathematics Disorder)

A specific learning disability that affects a person's ability to understand, learn, or perform mathematical operations. Mathematics learning disabilities can manifest as difficulty with number sense, memorisation of arithmetic facts, calculation fluency, mathematical reasoning,…

Mediated Instruction(also: Mediated Learning, Interpreted Instruction)

An educational approach where content is delivered to students through an intermediary, such as a sign language interpreter, rather than directly from the instructor. Research shows that while mediated instruction can be as effective as direct instruction when classes are…

Metacognition(also: Thinking About Thinking, Meta-Cognitive Awareness)

The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes, including the ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate one's cognitive strategies during learning or problem-solving. In accessibility, supporting metacognition through design means providing tools and cues that help…

Multi-Grade Classroom(also: Multi-Grade Teaching, Combined Classroom)

A classroom setting where a single teacher instructs students from multiple grade levels simultaneously. Multi-grade classrooms are common in schools for the blind in India, where teacher shortages require TVIs to manage students across an average of 6.5 grade levels (some…

Multimedia Learning

The cognitive theory that people learn more effectively from words and pictures together than from words alone. According to Richard Mayer's cognitive theory of multimedia learning, working memory processes information through separate visual and auditory channels…

Multimodal Instruction(also: Multimodal Feedback, Multimodal Learning)

An instructional approach that combines two or more sensory modalities - such as verbal narration, non-verbal sound, haptic or tactile feedback, and visual demonstration - to convey information. In accessibility, multimodal instruction is used to replace or supplement…

Multimodal workshop materials(also: Multi-sensory workshop materials)

Physical materials designed for workshops or educational settings that convey the same content through multiple sensory channels — such as combining visual (large print, high contrast), tactile (braille, embossed textures, 3D printed objects), and auditory (NFC-triggered audio,…

Music Pedagogy(also: Music Education, Music Teaching)

The theory and practice of teaching and learning music, including methods for instruction, curriculum design, and assessment. In accessibility contexts, music pedagogy for blind and low vision learners faces significant challenges: most music teachers have little knowledge of…

NGO Intervention(also: Non-Governmental Organization Intervention, Civil Society Intervention)

Programs and initiatives led by non-governmental organizations to address gaps in public services, including education, healthcare, and assistive technology provision for people with disabilities. In India, NGOs like Vision Empower and Winvinaya Foundation have become critical…

NIMAS(also: National Instructional Materials Accessibility Standard)

A technical standard in the United States that defines a consistent file format for producing accessible versions of print instructional materials. NIMAS is based on the DAISY/NISO standard and specifies how publishers must provide source files so they can be converted into…

Non-Visual Mental Model(also: Non-Visual Representation, Tactile Mental Model)

A cognitive representation of concepts, objects, or systems built through non-visual sensory channels — primarily touch, hearing, and proprioception — rather than through sight. People who are blind develop non-visual mental models that may differ structurally from visual models…

Note-Taking(also: Classroom Note-Taking)

The process of recording information during lectures, meetings, or presentations. In education, note-taking is an active learning strategy that helps students stay focused, cognitively process material, and retain information — benefits that occur even if notes are never…

Note-Taking Accommodation(also: Note-Taker Service, Classroom Note-Taking Support)

An educational accommodation that provides students with disabilities access to lecture content they cannot capture independently. Traditional note-taking accommodations include human note-takers (peers or professionals who share their notes), lecture recording systems, and…

Notetaker(also: Note Taker, Note-Taker)

A person or service that takes notes on behalf of someone who cannot effectively take their own notes during a lecture, meeting, or event. Notetakers are a common accommodation for deaf and hard of hearing students and employees who must watch a sign language interpreter or read…

Notetaking(also: Note-Taking, Note Taking Service)

The practice of recording key information from spoken presentations, lectures, or meetings, either by the individual or by a designated notetaker as an accessibility accommodation. In educational accessibility, professional or peer notetaking services are commonly provided for…

Number Sense(also: Numeracy Intuition, Numerical Cognition)

The intuitive understanding of numbers, their magnitude, relationships, and how they are affected by operations. Number sense includes the ability to estimate quantities, understand relative size, recognize patterns, and make meaningful comparisons between numbers without…

Open Educational Resources(also: OER)

Teaching, learning, and research materials in any medium that are freely available for use, adaptation, and redistribution. OER can include textbooks, course materials, videos, assessments, and software tools, typically released under open licenses such as Creative Commons.…

Oral Language(also: Expressive Oral Language, Spoken Language)

Oral language is the system of spoken communication comprising articulation (producing speech sounds), vocabulary (tact or naming), grammar and linguistic structure, and pragmatic or conversational use. It is distinct from written language and from augmentative communication…

Oralism(also: Oral Method, Oral Education)

An educational philosophy and approach for deaf and hard of hearing individuals that emphasizes spoken language and lip-reading over the use of sign language. Historically, oralism dominated deaf education following the 1880 Milan Conference, which effectively banned sign…

Order-Irrelevance Principle

The counting principle that the order in which objects are counted does not affect the total — counting the same set of objects in any sequence will yield the same number. This concept, while intuitive for most people, is often not understood by learners with dyscalculia, who…

Outcome-Based Education(also: OBE, Standards-Based Education)

An educational approach that focuses on measuring student achievement through specific, predetermined outcomes or competencies rather than on the process of learning itself. In disability and special education contexts, outcome-based education can be controversial because it…

Pedagogic Culture(also: Pedagogical Culture)

The ecosystem of shared debate, investigation, evaluation, and knowledge exchange that supports excellence in teaching and learning within a discipline. A healthy pedagogic culture involves systematic research into how subjects are taught, cross-citation and dialogue among…

Pedagogical Content Knowledge(also: PCK)

A concept from educational research referring to the intersection between a teacher's general pedagogical expertise (how to teach) and the specific content knowledge of their discipline (what to teach). In accessibility education, PCK encompasses understanding not only the…