Glossary

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Ableist microaggression(also: Disability microaggression, Casual ableism)

A subtle, often unintentional comment, question, or behavior that communicates hostile, derogatory, or negative assumptions about disability. Examples include unsolicited compliments on "bravery" for performing routine tasks, expressions of surprise at a disabled person's…

Access to Information(also: Information Access)

In the context of web accessibility, the concept that certain accessibility criteria are fundamentally about whether users can reach and perceive content at all, as distinct from criteria that improve the quality or experience of that access. Access to information serves as a…

Accessible Tourism(also: Inclusive Tourism, Tourism for All)

The practice of ensuring that tourism destinations, products, and services are accessible to all people regardless of their physical, sensory, or cognitive abilities. Accessible tourism encompasses the entire travel chain — from trip planning and booking through transport,…

Accessible data capture(also: Inclusive data collection methods)

Research data collection methods and tools that can be independently operated by researchers with disabilities. Current standard data capture methods in HCI research — video cameras, GoPros, visual note-taking, screen-based recording software — present significant barriers to…

Aesthetic Experience(also: Aesthetic Need, Aesthetic Accessibility)

The emotional, sensory, and imaginative enjoyment people derive from environments, art, media, and everyday scenes - distinct from functional or task-oriented information. Aesthetic accessibility argues that blind, low-vision, Deaf, and cognitively disabled users should have…

Allyship(also: Accessibility Allyship, Disability Allyship)

The practice of non-disabled people (or people without a specific disability) actively supporting disabled colleagues by advocating for accessibility, following accommodation norms, and helping identify and address barriers. In accessibility contexts, allyship includes actions…

Art Accessibility(also: Artwork Accessibility, Cultural Accessibility)

The practice of making visual art, museums, galleries, and cultural experiences accessible to people with disabilities. Art accessibility encompasses a range of approaches including tactile reproductions, audio descriptions, augmented reality overlays, accessible exhibition…

Audio game(also: Audiogame, Sound-based game, Accessible game)

A digital game designed to be played primarily or entirely through audio, without requiring visual information. Audio games use spatial sound, earcons, music, voice narration, and other auditory cues to convey gameplay information, environments, and interactions. They range from…

Brave Space

A community or environment where people are encouraged to step outside their comfort zones, approach their limits, and try new things while being supported by those around them — as opposed to a "safe space" focused primarily on comfort and protection. In makerspaces and…

Broadening Participation in Computing(also: BPC)

A term of art, promoted heavily by the U.S. National Science Foundation and professional societies such as ACM, referring to concerted efforts to increase the participation of groups that are historically underrepresented in computing — including women, people of color, people…

Civic Participation(also: Civic Engagement)

Civic participation encompasses the activities through which individuals engage in the democratic process and public life, including voting, attending public meetings, contacting elected officials, and serving on boards or committees. For people with disabilities, barriers to…

Community Center(also: Community Space, Community Hub)

A physical or virtual space where members of a particular community gather for social support, resources, education, and shared activities. In the context of marginalized communities such as LGBTQIA+ individuals and people with disabilities, community centers serve as safe…

Cultural Competence(also: Cultural Competency, Cultural Responsiveness)

The ability of service providers, organisations, and systems to effectively deliver services that meet the social, cultural, and linguistic needs of diverse populations. In accessibility and healthcare contexts, cultural competence involves understanding how cultural beliefs,…

Cultural Mediator(also: Museum Mediator, Cultural Facilitator)

A professional who facilitates meaningful engagement between cultural institutions (such as museums, galleries, or heritage sites) and visitors, particularly those from diverse or marginalised backgrounds. In accessibility contexts, cultural mediators play a crucial role in…

Data Representativeness(also: Dataset Representativeness, Demographic Representativeness)

The degree to which a dataset reflects the diversity of the population it is intended to serve, particularly across demographic dimensions such as age, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and socioeconomic status. In AI and machine learning, unrepresentative training data leads…

Deinstitutionalisation(also: Deinstitutionalization)

The process of transitioning people with disabilities — particularly intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions — from large, segregated residential institutions into community-based living arrangements with appropriate support services. Beginning in Scandinavian…

Dementia Advocacy(also: Dementia self-advocacy)

Dementia advocacy encompasses efforts by people living with dementia, caregivers, and allies to promote more inclusive, dignified, and rights-based understandings of dementia in public discourse, policy, and service design. Self-advocacy—where individuals with dementia share…

Digital literacy(also: Digital competence, Technology literacy)

The ability to find, evaluate, use, create, and communicate information using digital technologies, encompassing both technical skills (operating devices, using software) and critical thinking (evaluating online information, understanding privacy). Digital literacy is a…

Disability culture(also: Crip culture)

A cultural movement and identity framework that celebrates the diversity disability brings, recognizing the positive aspects of the disability experience — community, solidarity, creativity, and unique ways of knowing. Emerging in the late 1980s through the work of activists…

Disability disclosure(also: Self-disclosure)

The process by which a person with a disability chooses to reveal information about their condition to others, whether in the workplace, social settings, or digital environments. Disclosure decisions are complex, involving considerations of stigma, accommodation needs, safety,…

Disability pride

A positive affirmation of disability identity that rejects shame, pity, and the desire to be "fixed" or "cured." Disability pride is a core element of disability culture, rooted in the belief that disabled people will not be integrated into society as long as they are trying to…

Disabled researcher(also: Researcher with disability, VI researcher)

A researcher who has a disability and conducts academic research, often — but not exclusively — in disability-related fields. Disabled researchers bring unique lived experience and situated knowledge to their work, which can deepen understanding and reduce bias. However, they…

E-learning accessibility(also: Online learning accessibility, Accessible e-learning)

The design and delivery of online educational content and platforms so that learners with disabilities can participate equally. This includes accessible learning management systems, video lectures with captions and descriptions, navigable course materials, and interactive…

Embodied participation(also: Embodied presence)

The experience of being physically present and actively engaged in a shared space through one's body or a technological proxy for it. In accessibility contexts, embodied participation refers to how technologies like telepresence robots can provide remote users with a physical…

Empathetic technical support(also: Humanizing tech support)

Technical assistance that combines practical problem-solving with emotional attunement to the user's affective state, particularly important when supporting disabled users who may experience frustration, anxiety, or overwhelm from technology difficulties. In educational…

Functional Classification(also: Sport Classification, Player Classification)

A system used in adaptive and Paralympic sports to group athletes into categories based on their physical functional abilities rather than their specific medical diagnosis. In wheelchair basketball, players are assigned a classification from 1.0 (least trunk mobility) to 4.5…

Global South accessibility(also: Accessibility in developing countries, Majority world accessibility)

The study and practice of accessibility in countries of the Global South (Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Latin America), where over 80% of people with disabilities live. Accessibility in these contexts is shaped by distinct socio-material conditions including limited built…

Green Space Accessibility(also: Outdoor Leisure Accessibility, Park Accessibility)

The design and adaptation of natural environments such as parks, gardens, forests, and countryside areas to be usable and enjoyable by people with disabilities. Green space accessibility encompasses multiple dimensions: accessible information for planning visits, navigable…

Inclusive avatar(also: Disability-representative avatar)

A digital self-representation in virtual environments that includes disability signifiers such as wheelchairs, prosthetics, hearing aids, canes, or visual metaphors for invisible conditions. Inclusive avatars enable disabled users to express their identity in virtual spaces and…

Inclusive pedagogy(also: Inclusive teaching, Inclusive educational practice)

Teaching approaches and practices designed to ensure all students — including those with disabilities — can meaningfully participate in and benefit from educational experiences. Inclusive pedagogy goes beyond providing individual accommodations to reshape the learning…

Information asymmetry(also: Information gap, Information lag)

In accessibility contexts, the unequal access to timely, relevant information experienced by disabled people compared to non-disabled peers, caused by inaccessible formats, platforms, and communication channels. Information asymmetry goes beyond the inability to access specific…

Interdependence(also: Relational autonomy)

A framework in disability studies that recognises all people — disabled and non-disabled — as fundamentally reliant on others and on social infrastructure, challenging the Western ideal of individual independence as the highest form of agency. In accessibility design,…

Intersectionality

A framework for understanding how different aspects of a person's identity — including disability, race, gender, class, immigration status, language, and age — interact to create unique experiences of privilege or disadvantage that cannot be understood by examining any single…

Invisible disability(also: Hidden disability, Non-visible disability, Non-apparent disability)

A disability that is not immediately apparent to others by observation, including conditions such as chronic pain, ADHD, autism, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, and many cognitive or neurological conditions. People with invisible disabilities often face unique challenges around…

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…

LGBTQIA+(also: LGBTQ+, LGBT, Queer Community)

An acronym representing the diverse community of people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, asexual or agender, and other sexual orientations and gender identities indicated by the plus sign. In accessibility contexts, LGBTQIA+…

Language Access(also: Language Services, Linguistic Access)

The provision of services and resources that enable people with limited proficiency in the dominant language to meaningfully access information, programmes, and services. Language access encompasses professional interpretation (spoken), translation (written), bilingual staffing,…

Language Accessibility(also: Linguistic Accessibility)

The practice of ensuring that information, services, and digital content are available and comprehensible in the languages that people actually use and prefer. Language accessibility extends beyond translation between spoken languages to include providing content in signed…

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…

Mild Disability(also: Moderate Disability, Mild Impairment)

A level of functional limitation that affects daily activities but does not completely prevent a person from performing tasks independently. People with mild disabilities often fall into a gap in accessibility support — their challenges are real and impactful but may not be…

Misfitting

A concept from disability studies scholar Rosemarie Garland-Thomson describing the incongruent relationship between a body and its environment — when the world is not designed to accommodate a particular embodiment, creating disability through mismatch rather than individual…

Misgendering

The act of referring to someone using language that does not reflect their gender identity, such as incorrect pronouns, titles, or gendered terms. In digital accessibility and AI contexts, misgendering occurs when automated systems incorrectly classify a person's gender based on…

Mixed Hearing Groups(also: Mixed Hearing Settings, Mixed Ability Hearing Groups)

Groups that include people with different hearing abilities, typically d/Deaf individuals, hard of hearing individuals, hearing individuals, and sign language interpreters communicating together. Mixed hearing groups face unique challenges in both in-person and virtual settings…

Mixed-Ability Collaboration(also: Cross-Ability Collaboration, Mixed-Ability Teamwork)

Collaborative work involving people with different abilities, such as sighted and blind team members working together on shared tasks. Mixed-ability collaboration requires tools and practices that accommodate diverse interaction modalities so that all participants can contribute…

Mixed-Visual Group(also: Mixed visual ability group, Mixed-visual ability group)

A group whose members include both blind or low-vision and sighted participants. The term is used in accessibility research on group activities (museum tours, classrooms, family outings, workplace meetings) to focus on the specific accessibility challenges that arise when blind…

Multimodal redundancy(also: Redundant coding, Multi-sensory design)

A design principle in which the same information is conveyed through multiple sensory channels simultaneously — such as visual, tactile, auditory, and textual — so that users can access it through whichever modality suits their abilities and preferences. Multimodal redundancy is…

Musicking

A term coined by musicologist Christopher Small to describe music as an activity or process rather than a thing. Musicking encompasses all participation in a musical performance—playing, listening, dancing, composing, practicing, and providing the setting—and emphasizes that…

Neuronormativity(also: Neurotypical bias, Neuronormative standards)

The set of assumptions, norms, and practices that privilege neurotypical cognition as the default and superior way of thinking, communicating, and functioning, while treating neurodivergent ways of processing as deficient or deviant. Neuronormativity manifests in technology…

Non-Participation

In Wenger's Communities of Practice framework, the active (rather than merely absent) relationships people have with a community they do not fully join. Wenger identifies four forms: compromise (stepping back to respect another's space), cover (disengaging from issues one feels…

Non-visible disability(also: Hidden disability, Non-apparent disability)

A disability that is not immediately apparent to others through visual observation. Non-visible disabilities include neurodivergent conditions (autism, ADHD, dyslexia), mental health conditions (anxiety, depression, PTSD), chronic pain, chronic fatigue, diabetes, epilepsy, and…