Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
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- Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Application Programming Interface, A11y API)
- A set of programming interfaces provided by operating systems that allow assistive technologies and accessibility services to interact with application user interfaces. Accessibility APIs expose information about on-screen elements — their labels, roles, states, and…
- Accessibility Crawler(also: automated accessibility crawler, app crawler for accessibility)
- An automated tool that systematically explores an application's user interface—by simulating taps, swipes, and navigation—to discover screens and UI components and then evaluate each against accessibility rules without human involvement. On Android, crawlers typically drive the…
- Accessibility Feature Discovery(also: Feature Discoverability, Accessibility Awareness)
- The process by which users learn about, find, and activate accessibility features available on their devices or in software. Research shows that the vast majority of users — particularly older adults — are unaware of built-in accessibility features on their smartphones and…
- Accessibility Focus(also: A11y Focus, Screen Reader Focus)
- The currently selected element in a user interface as perceived by a screen reader or other assistive technology. When an element has accessibility focus, the screen reader announces its description and the user can interact with it. Only one element can have accessibility focus…
- Accessibility Scanner(also: Google Accessibility Scanner, Android Accessibility Scanner)
- A testing tool developed by Google that scans Android app screens for common accessibility issues. The scanner checks for problems such as missing content descriptions on interactive elements, insufficient touch target sizes, and low color contrast. It can be run on any Android…
- Adaptive Typography(also: Context-Aware Typography, Dynamic Typography)
- The practice of adjusting text presentation - font size, weight, line spacing, character spacing, contrast, and colour - automatically or semi-automatically in response to the user's current needs and context. Adaptive typography goes beyond static accessibility settings by…
- Android Accessibility(also: Android A11y)
- The accessibility features, APIs, and design guidelines built into the Android operating system that enable people with disabilities to use Android devices. Android accessibility includes TalkBack (screen reader), Switch Access, Voice Access, magnification, display adjustments,…
- Android Accessibility Service(also: AccessibilityService, Android a11y Service)
- The Android Accessibility Service is a system-level API that lets an app observe and interact with the UI of other applications on the device, exposing the hierarchical view tree (class names, text, bounds, clickability) and dispatching events such as focus changes, clicks, and…
- App Review Mining(also: App Store Review Analysis, User Review Mining)
- The process of systematically extracting, classifying, and analyzing user reviews from app stores such as Google Play and the Apple App Store to identify patterns, issues, and feature requests. In accessibility research, app review mining is used to discover real-world…
- AssistiveTouch
- An iOS accessibility feature that provides an on-screen menu of customizable touch-based shortcuts, allowing users to perform gestures and actions that might otherwise require physical buttons or complex multi-finger gestures. AssistiveTouch is particularly helpful for people…
- Auto-Correction(also: Autocorrect, Automatic error correction, Spell correction)
- A software feature that automatically detects and corrects typing errors, typically by comparing entered text against a dictionary and suggesting or applying the closest match based on string distance algorithms. Auto-correction is particularly important for accessible text…
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