Glossary

Search results

AI Hallucination(also: Model Hallucination, Confabulation)

The phenomenon where an AI model generates confident, plausible-sounding responses that are factually incorrect, fabricated, or not grounded in the actual input data. In accessibility contexts, AI hallucinations pose a serious safety concern — for example, a multimodal AI…

Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System(also: AVAS, Minimum sound requirement, Pedestrian warning sound)

A class of vehicle systems that emit artificial sound to alert pedestrians and other road users to the presence and movement of quiet vehicles — typically electric and hybrid vehicles at low speeds, where tire and aerodynamic noise are insufficient for detection. Regulatory…

Alarm Fatigue(also: Alert Fatigue, Notification Fatigue)

A phenomenon in which an individual becomes desensitised to alarms, alerts, or notifications due to their excessive frequency, repetitive nature, or lack of meaningful context, leading the person to ignore, snooze, or dismiss them. In healthcare and medication management, alarm…

Collision Avoidance(also: Obstacle Avoidance, Anti-Collision System)

A safety feature in assistive technology, robotics, and intelligent wheelchairs that automatically detects obstacles in the user's path and takes action to prevent impact — typically by stopping the device, alerting the user, or redirecting movement. Collision avoidance systems…

Embodied Harassment

Harassment in virtual reality environments that targets a user's avatar body or physical representation, such as invading personal space, mimicking movements, or physically interacting with avatar features without consent. In the context of disability, embodied harassment…

Environmental Awareness(also: Situational Awareness, Environmental Sound Awareness)

The perception and understanding of what is happening in one's physical surroundings, particularly through auditory cues. For Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, environmental awareness is often reduced because many everyday signals — appliance timers, doorbells, approaching…

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…

Pedestrian Safety(also: Walking safety, Vulnerable road user safety)

The field and practice of protecting people who walk — including those with disabilities, older adults, and children — from injury and death in road traffic environments. Pedestrian safety encompasses road design (crossings, curb ramps, accessible pedestrian signals, raised…

Personal Safety Management(also: PSM)

Personal Safety Management refers to the informed, agential, and proactive participation of an individual in maintaining their own physical safety. Coined in accessibility research by Branham et al. (2017), the concept highlights how people with disabilities — particularly those…

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 -…

Situational Awareness(also: Environmental Awareness)

The perception and understanding of elements in one's environment, including the ability to detect events, comprehend their significance, and anticipate what may happen next. For deaf and hard of hearing individuals, situational awareness is significantly affected by limited…

Social Distancing(also: Physical Distancing)

The practice of maintaining a minimum physical distance from other people to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic with recommended distances of at least 1 metre (WHO) or 6 feet (CDC). Social distancing presented unique…

12 results.