Glossary

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Accessible Voting(also: Inclusive Voting, Accessible Elections)

Accessible voting refers to the design and implementation of voting systems, processes, and polling places that enable all eligible citizens — including those with disabilities — to cast their ballots independently and privately. Barriers to accessible voting include…

Age-Friendly Design(also: Design for Aging, Senior-Friendly Design)

An approach to designing products, services, and environments that accommodates the needs and capabilities of older adults, including those experiencing age-related changes in vision, hearing, cognition, and motor skills. Age-friendly design overlaps significantly with…

Ballot Marking Device(also: BMD, Ballot Marking System)

A ballot marking device (BMD) is an electronic system that assists voters in marking their ballot selections, typically producing a printed paper ballot as a verifiable record. Unlike direct recording electronic (DRE) voting machines that store votes digitally, BMDs produce a…

Color Universal Design(also: CUD, Colour Universal Design)

A set of guidelines and principles developed to ensure that colour use in designs, products, and environments is accessible to people with all types of colour vision, including those with colour vision deficiency. Color Universal Design emphasizes selecting colour palettes that…

Curb Cut Effect(also: Curb Cut Phenomenon, Electronic Curb Cut)

The phenomenon whereby accessibility features designed for people with disabilities end up benefiting a much broader population. Named after sidewalk curb cuts — ramps originally mandated for wheelchair users that also help people with strollers, bicycles, rolling luggage,…

Curb-Cut Effect(also: Electronic Curb Cut)

The phenomenon whereby features designed for people with disabilities end up benefiting a much broader population. Named after pavement curb cuts originally mandated for wheelchair users, which also help parents with pushchairs, delivery workers with carts, cyclists, and…

Design Psychology(also: Designer Cognition, Design Thinking Process)

The study of the cognitive processes, mental models, and decision-making strategies that designers employ during the product development process. In the context of accessibility, design psychology is relevant because accessibility guidelines and resources must align with how…

Electronic Curb-Cut Effect(also: Digital Curb-Cut Effect, Curb-Cut Effect)

The phenomenon where accessibility features originally designed for people with disabilities end up benefiting a much wider population. Named after physical curb cuts in sidewalks — originally mandated for wheelchair users but widely used by people with strollers, delivery…

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…

Intergenerational Design(also: Cross-Generational Design)

A design approach that considers the needs, preferences, and interaction patterns of users across different age groups and generations. Intergenerational design aims to create products and experiences that facilitate meaningful engagement between younger and older users rather…

Kiosk Accessibility(also: Self-Service Kiosk Accessibility, Interactive Kiosk Accessibility)

The practice of designing and implementing self-service kiosks and public digital terminals so they can be used by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Kiosk accessibility encompasses hardware…

Physical Accessibility(also: Physical Access, Architectural Accessibility)

Physical accessibility refers to the design of buildings, environments, and public spaces so they can be independently used by people with physical disabilities, including those who use mobility aids. It encompasses features such as ramps, elevators, accessible restrooms,…

Public Access System(also: Kiosk, Self-Service Terminal, Public Information Kiosk)

Interactive computer terminals placed in public locations for use by the general population, including ticket vending machines, ATMs, check-in kiosks, and information displays. These systems present unique accessibility challenges because users cannot customize them, may have…

Situational Disability(also: Situational Impairment, Situational Limitation, SIID)

A temporary reduction in ability caused by a person's environment or context rather than a permanent condition. Examples include difficulty reading a screen in bright sunlight (visual), being unable to listen to audio in a noisy environment (auditory), or having limited…

Situationally Induced Impairment(also: SIID, Situational Impairment, Situational Disability)

A temporary functional limitation caused by environmental or contextual factors rather than a permanent health condition or disability. Examples include difficulty using a phone while walking (reduced motor accuracy), inability to hear audio in a noisy environment, or screen…

Situationally-Induced Impairments and Disabilities(also: SIIDs, Situationally Induced Impairments and Disabilities, Situation-Induced Disabilities)

An accessibility framework, introduced by Sears et al., that describes how everyday environments and tasks can temporarily impose the same kinds of barriers on non-disabled users that permanent impairments create for disabled users. Examples include reading a phone in bright sun…

Ubiquitous Accessibility(also: Accessibility Everywhere)

A vision for accessibility in which individuals can invoke their needed assistive technologies or access features on any computing device they encounter, rather than being limited to personally owned and configured equipment. As computing becomes embedded in public spaces,…

Universal Access Reference Model(also: UARM)

A conceptual framework for understanding and addressing the full range of user needs in information and communication technology. The Universal Access Reference Model provides a structured approach to identifying and removing barriers to accessibility by modelling the…

Universal Accessibility(also: Accessibility for All)

A broad approach to accessibility that goes beyond technical compliance with specific disability-focused guidelines to encompass the needs of all users regardless of age, experience, cultural background, or ability. Universal accessibility considers not only coding standards but…

Universal Design Resources(also: UDR, Design Guidelines)

Documents, standards, guidelines, and educational materials created to help designers and developers implement universal design principles in their products and services. UDRs range from legally binding standards like Section 508 to voluntary best-practice guides and academic…

Universal Design for Learning(also: UDL)

An educational framework based on neuroscience research that guides the design of flexible learning experiences to accommodate individual learning differences. UDL provides three core principles: multiple means of engagement (the "why" of learning), multiple means of…

Universal Remote Console(also: URC, URC Framework)

The Universal Remote Console (URC) is an ISO/IEC standard framework (ISO/IEC 24752) that enables pluggable, alternative user interfaces for applications and devices. URC separates the user interface from the underlying application through an abstract "user interface socket" that…

Universal Usability

An approach to technology design that aims to make systems usable by the widest possible range of people, including children, older adults, people with various impairments, people engaged in other tasks, and users with differing levels of education, literacy, and socio-economic…

Walk-up-and-use System(also: Walk-up-and-use Design, Zero Training Interface)

A design paradigm for public access systems where any user should be able to successfully complete tasks without prior training, instruction, or experience with the specific system. Walk-up-and-use systems must accommodate users with diverse abilities, technology experience, and…

24 results.