Glossary

Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.

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Scheduling Anxiety(also: Calendar Anxiety): The psychological stress and worry experienced by blind and low vision users related to managing their schedules using inaccessible calendar tools. Scheduling anxiety encompasses fear of missed appointments due to unreliable assistive technology integration, uncertainty about…
Selective Disclosure: A strategy where a person carefully controls which aspects of their identity they reveal to different stakeholders, choosing to disclose some identities while obscuring others based on anticipated consequences. In disability and accessibility contexts, selective disclosure is…
Selective Engagement: A strategy where a person chooses to interact only with stakeholders, services, or platforms that are known to be safe and supportive, reducing exposure to adversarial or discriminatory environments. In accessibility contexts, this might mean only using healthcare providers…
Self-Advocacy: The ability and practice of speaking up for one's own needs, rights, and interests, particularly in contexts where those needs may be overlooked, dismissed, or actively opposed. In disability contexts, self-advocacy is both a personal skill and a political movement, encompassing…
Self-Representation(also: Digital Self-Representation, Avatar Self-Representation): The way individuals choose to present themselves in digital or virtual environments, particularly through customizable avatars. For people with disabilities, self-representation involves decisions about whether and how to disclose disability status in spaces where appearance is…
Shared Reality(also: Shared Realities): Shared reality is the experience of a common inner state - thoughts, feelings, or perceptions about an object or situation - between two or more people, established through communication and mutual acknowledgement. In dementia care and accessibility research, sustaining shared…
Sighted People Interference(also: Sighted Interference): A social barrier experienced by blind and visually impaired people when sighted individuals's reactions, interventions, or presence impede their independent activities in public spaces. This can include unsolicited help, judgmental reactions from store staff or other shoppers,…
Social Agency: Social agency is the capacity to shape, initiate, and sustain one's social interactions - to contribute meaningfully to a group, express preferences, and influence shared activity. For people with cognitive disabilities, dementia, or communication differences, social agency is…
Social Capital: The networks of relationships, shared norms, trust, and reciprocity that enable individuals and communities to function effectively and access resources. People with intellectual disabilities often have limited social capital due to restricted social networks, reduced community…
Social Connectedness: The subjective experience of feeling close to and in touch with others, characterized by a sense of belonging, being cared for, and maintaining meaningful relationships. Social connectedness is distinct from social contact — a person can have frequent interactions yet feel…
Social Interaction(also: Social Communication, Interpersonal Interaction): The process by which people act and react in relation to one another, including verbal conversation, non-verbal communication, and physical proximity. For people with disabilities, social interactions can be significantly affected — for example, individuals who are blind may…
Social Isolation(also: Social Disconnection): A state characterized by a lack of meaningful social contacts, relationships, and community engagement. Social isolation is a significant public health concern among older adults and people with disabilities, associated with increased risks of depression, cognitive decline,…
Social Isolation(also: Social Disconnection): The objective lack of social contact and relationships, distinct from loneliness (the subjective feeling of being alone). Social isolation is a significant accessibility concern because it can both result from and contribute to barriers in technology use—isolated individuals may…
Social Marking(also: Stigma Marking, Social Visibility of Disability): In accessibility contexts, social marking refers to the way assistive technologies or accommodations can draw unwanted attention to a person's disability, making their impairment visible in social situations where they might otherwise go unnoticed. Research has shown that users…
Social Skills(also: Social Competence, Interpersonal Skills): The abilities required for effective social interaction, including communication, cooperation, turn-taking, perspective-taking, reading social cues, and responding appropriately in social contexts. Social skill development is a key intervention target for individuals with autism…
Social VR(also: Social Virtual Reality): Virtual reality platforms and applications designed for social interaction, where users represented by avatars can meet, communicate, and engage in shared activities in virtual spaces. Popular social VR platforms include VRChat and Engage. In accessibility research, social VR…
Social Virtual Reality(also: Social VR, SVR): Virtual reality platforms designed primarily for social interaction, where users meet, communicate, and engage in shared activities through avatars in three-dimensional virtual spaces. Examples include VRChat, AltspaceVR, and Rec Room. Social VR presents unique accessibility…
Social Wayfinding(also: Social Navigation Assistance): Social wayfinding refers to the capacity to perceive and navigate the dynamics of a social scene, not just its physical layout. It covers identifying who is present, where they are oriented, whether they are available for interaction, what they are doing, and how they are…
Social isolation(also: Loneliness, Social exclusion): A state of limited or absent social contact and meaningful relationships, recognized as a significant risk factor for poor physical and mental health outcomes, particularly among older adults and people with disabilities. Social isolation can result from physical barriers…
Social usability: The degree to which a technology supports positive social interactions and self-presentation for its users, particularly in contexts where technology use is visible to others. Social usability goes beyond functional task completion to consider whether using a product causes…
Socially Recursive Inference(also: Social Recursion): The cognitive process by which individuals' perceptions and behaviors are shaped by what they believe others think about them or their situation. In accessibility contexts, socially recursive inference manifests when AT users are influenced by what they think non-disabled people…
Sociotechnical Systems(also: Sociotechnical Assemblage): A framework for understanding technology as inseparable from the social practices, institutions, power structures, and cultural norms in which it is embedded. In accessibility research, a sociotechnical perspective reveals that assistive technologies are not neutral tools but…
Subtle Interaction(also: Discreet interaction): A design approach in which interactions with a device or digital system are intentionally minimized in visibility, amplitude, or audibility to reduce social disruption, preserve user privacy, and support use in public or semi-public contexts. Subtle interactions include…

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