Glossary

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3D Printed Model(also: 3D Print, Additive Manufacturing Model)

A physical object created through additive manufacturing (layer-by-layer material deposition) that can serve as an accessible learning tool for blind and low vision users. 3D printing enables rapid, cost-effective production of tactile models with customizable features such as…

Auditory Filtering(also: Selective Listening, Cocktail Party Effect)

The neurological ability to selectively attend to specific sounds while suppressing or ignoring background noise. Many autistic individuals and people with sensory processing differences experience difficulties with auditory filtering, making it challenging to follow…

Blind Education(also: Education for the Blind, Visual Impairment Education)

Educational practices, methods, and systems designed to provide equitable learning opportunities for students who are blind or have low vision. Blind education encompasses specialized schools for the blind, mainstream inclusive settings with support services, and the use of…

Blindness(also: Total Blindness, Visual Blindness)

A condition of having no functional vision or light perception, requiring entirely non-visual means of accessing information and navigating the environment. Blind users typically rely on screen readers, braille displays, audio descriptions, and tactile materials to access…

Braille Display(also: Braille Terminal, Refreshable Braille Display)

An electromechanical device that displays braille characters using small pins that raise and lower dynamically, enabling blind users to read digital text through touch. Traditional braille displays present a single line of braille text (typically 14-80 characters) and are…

Braille Labeling(also: Braille Labels, Braille Signage)

The practice of adding braille text to physical objects, signs, models, or controls to make them accessible to blind users who read braille. While braille labeling is important for accessibility in public spaces (elevator buttons, room signs, museum exhibits), it is not a…

Cross-Sensory Translation(also: Sensory Substitution, Sensory Translation, Cross-Modal Translation)

The process of converting information from one sensory modality to another — for example, representing visual information through touch, sound, smell, or taste. In exhibition accessibility, cross-sensory translation is used to make visual artworks accessible to blind and low…

Deafblind(also: Deaf-Blind, Deafblindness, Dual Sensory Loss)

A condition involving combined hearing and vision loss that significantly affects communication, access to information, and mobility. Deafblindness is not simply the sum of deafness and blindness — it creates unique challenges that require distinct support strategies, including…

Deafblindness(also: Deaf-Blindness, Dual Sensory Impairment, Combined Vision and Hearing Loss)

Deafblindness is a combined vision and hearing impairment that creates unique challenges beyond those associated with either sensory loss alone. It is not simply the sum of deafness and blindness — the combination creates distinct communication, information access, and mobility…

Haptic Communication(also: Social Haptics, Tactile Communication, Haptic Interaction)

A method of conveying information through touch-based signals, vibrations, or physical patterns on the body. Haptic communication is particularly important for individuals with deafblindness or other multisensory impairments, where visual and auditory channels are unavailable or…

Haptic Feedback(also: Tactile Feedback, Touch Feedback)

Information conveyed through the sense of touch, typically using vibrations, force, or texture changes to communicate data or system states to a user. In accessibility, haptic feedback provides non-visual, non-auditory confirmation of actions and can convey spatial information,…

Low Vision(also: Partial Sight, Visual Impairment)

A visual condition in which a person has significant vision loss that cannot be fully corrected with glasses, contact lenses, medication, or surgery, but retains some usable vision. People with low vision may have reduced visual acuity, limited field of vision, or difficulty…

Multi-Sensory Design(also: Multisensory Experience, Multi-Sensory Accessibility)

Multi-sensory design is an approach to creating experiences, environments, or products that engage multiple senses—touch, hearing, smell, taste, and sight—rather than relying predominantly on vision. In accessibility, multi-sensory design is essential for making visual content…

Noise Sensitivity(also: Auditory Hypersensitivity, Hyperacusis, Sound Sensitivity)

A heightened physiological and emotional response to sounds that others may tolerate without difficulty. Common among autistic individuals and people with other sensory processing differences, noise sensitivity can cause distress, anxiety, and sensory overload in everyday…

Non-Visual Feedback(also: Non-Visual Output, Alternative Sensory Feedback)

Any system output or response that does not rely on vision to be perceived, including auditory cues (speech, tones, sonification), haptic feedback (vibrations, force), and tactile output (braille, raised surfaces). Non-visual feedback is essential for making interactive systems…

Refreshable Tactile Display(also: RTD, Refreshable Braille Display, Dynamic Tactile Display)

An electronic device that presents tactile graphics and content through an array of small pins that can be independently raised or lowered to create dynamic, changeable tactile surfaces. Unlike traditional static tactile graphics produced on paper through embossing or…

Sensory Accessibility

The design of environments, technologies, and experiences to accommodate people with diverse sensory processing needs, including those with heightened or reduced sensitivity to sound, light, touch, smell, or movement. Sensory accessibility extends beyond traditional visual and…

Sensory Aid(also: Sensory Assistive Device)

Assistive technologies that translate sensory inputs into alternative modalities to support people with sensory disabilities in the workplace and daily life. Examples include screen readers (visual to auditory), captioning systems (auditory to visual), haptic feedback devices…

Sensory Impairment(also: Sensory Disability)

A broad term encompassing conditions that affect the senses, primarily vision and hearing. Sensory impairments include blindness, low vision, deafness, and being hard of hearing, each presenting distinct accessibility needs and interaction patterns with technology. People with…

Sound Masking(also: Acoustic Masking, Noise Masking)

A technique that introduces ambient background sounds to reduce the perceptual prominence of unwanted or disruptive noises, rather than blocking them entirely. Originally used in architectural acoustics and tinnitus therapy, sound masking is being explored as an accessibility…

Spatial Orientation(also: Spatial Awareness, Orientation and Mobility)

The ability to understand one's position and the arrangement of objects within a physical or digital environment. For blind and low vision users, spatial orientation relies on non-visual cues including tactile landmarks, audio beacons, verbal descriptions, and mental mapping. In…

Tactile Data Comics(also: TDC)

A presentation method for accessible education that combines step-by-step tactile graphics on a refreshable tactile display with synchronized verbal narration. Inspired by visual data comics, tactile data comics decompose complex images into sequential frames that progressively…

Tactile Exploration(also: Haptic Exploration, Touch-Based Exploration)

The process of perceiving and understanding objects, surfaces, or spatial layouts through systematic touch. For blind and low vision users, tactile exploration is a primary means of gathering spatial and structural information about the physical world. Effective tactile…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Diagrams, Raised Graphics)

Visual information represented in a raised or textured format that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and low vision users to access charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Tactile graphics use combinations of raised lines, textures, and braille labels to convey…

Tactile Model(also: 3D Tactile Object, Touch Model)

A three-dimensional physical object designed to be explored through touch, used to convey spatial, structural, or conceptual information to blind and low vision users. Tactile models can represent anything from anatomical structures to geographical features to scientific…

Visual substitution(also: Sensory substitution, Vision substitution)

Visual substitution is a design strategy in assistive technology that replaces visual information with output in another sensory modality, such as audio descriptions, haptic feedback, or tactile representations. It contrasts with visual enhancement, which amplifies or augments…

26 results.