Glossary

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Automated Web GUI Testing(also: AWGT, Automated GUI Testing, Web Crawler Testing)

Automated Web GUI Testing (AWGT) refers to software testing approaches that automatically explore web applications by performing GUI interactions such as clicking and form input, without requiring manually written test scripts. AWGTs build a state model of the application during…

Automated accessibility testing(also: Automated a11y testing, Accessibility checker)

The use of software tools to automatically evaluate digital content against accessibility standards, checking for issues like missing alt text, colour contrast violations, missing form labels, untagged PDF structure, and incorrect heading hierarchy. Automated testing can…

Automated speech scoring(also: Computer-aided speech assessment, Automatic speech evaluation)

The use of computational techniques — including voice activity detection, phoneme recognition, prosody analysis, and speaker diarization — to automatically evaluate the accuracy and quality of speech production without requiring real-time human assessment. In speech therapy…

Automatic Alt Text(also: AI-generated Alt Text, Auto Alt Text, Machine-generated Alt Text)

Alternative text for images that is automatically generated by artificial intelligence systems using computer vision and natural language processing. Platforms like Microsoft PowerPoint, Facebook, and Twitter have incorporated automatic alt text features to increase image…

Automatic Caption Evaluation(also: ACE, ACE Framework, ACE Metric)

A caption-quality evaluation framework introduced by Sushant Kafle and Matt Huenerfauth (2017-2018) that scores automatically generated captions based on their usability for Deaf and Hard-of-Hearing readers, rather than simply counting transcription errors. For each mismatch…

Automatic Captions(also: Auto-Generated Captions, Auto Captions, ASR Captions)

Captions produced by automatic speech recognition (ASR) systems without human transcription, typically generated by the hosting platform (e.g., YouTube, Zoom, Microsoft Teams) as an optional layer on uploaded or live video. Automatic captions have dramatically expanded caption…

Automatic Image Captioning(also: AI-Generated Alt Text, Machine-Generated Description, Auto Alt Text)

The use of computer vision and machine learning algorithms to automatically generate textual descriptions of images without human intervention. Social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram deploy automatic image captioning to provide alternative text for user-uploaded…

Automatic Promotion(also: No Detention Policy, Social Promotion)

An educational policy that promotes students to the next grade level regardless of their academic achievement, intended to prevent grade repetition and reduce dropout rates. India's Right to Education Act includes automatic promotion provisions that, while well-intentioned,…

Automatic Readability Assessment(also: Readability Prediction, Reading Level Assessment)

The computational task of predicting how difficult a text is for a reader, usually expressed as a grade level or a readability score. Modern systems treat readability as a machine-learning classification or regression problem that combines shallow surface features (sentence…

Automatic Sign Language Processing(also: ASLP, Sign Language Processing)

An umbrella term encompassing three major areas of technology for sign language: automatic sign language generation (ASLG, creating sign language output from text or speech), automatic sign language recognition (ASLR, interpreting sign language input), and automatic sign…

Automatic Speech Recognition(also: ASR)

The computational technology and algorithms that automatically convert spoken audio into text transcriptions. ASR systems use acoustic models, language models, and increasingly deep learning approaches to process speech signals. ASR accuracy directly impacts the usability of…

Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR)(also: ASR, Speech-to-Text, Voice Recognition)

Technology that converts spoken language into written text using computational algorithms and machine learning models. ASR powers auto-captioning features in video conferencing, media players, and assistive devices. While ASR has improved significantly, its accuracy is affected…

Automatic Teller Machine(also: ATM, Cash Dispenser, Cash Machine)

An Automatic Teller Machine (ATM) is a self-service electronic banking terminal that allows users to perform financial transactions such as cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, and fund transfers without a human teller. ATM accessibility is a significant concern because these…

Automatic Text Simplification(also: ATS, Automated Simplification)

The use of computational methods to reduce the complexity of text while preserving its meaning, making it more accessible to readers with disabilities or limited literacy. Automatic text simplification includes lexical simplification (replacing difficult words with simpler…

Automatic UI Generation(also: Auto-Generated Interface, Model-Based UI Generation)

The process of computationally producing a graphical user interface from an abstract specification of its functionality, rather than having designers manually create the visual layout. In accessibility, automatic UI generation is significant because it can produce interfaces…

Automatic speech recognition(also: ASR, Speech-to-text, Voice recognition)

Technology that converts spoken language into text using machine learning and signal processing. ASR powers live captioning, voice assistants, and dictation software, making it a key accessibility technology for deaf and hard of hearing users who benefit from real-time captions.…

Automatic text simplification(also: ATS, Text simplification, Automated readability improvement)

The use of natural language processing techniques to transform complex text into simpler, more readable versions while preserving meaning. ATS operates at two levels: lexical simplification (replacing difficult words with simpler synonyms) and syntactic simplification…

Automation Confusion

A phenomenon, well documented in human–automation literature and observed in partially automated video games, in which the user struggles to distinguish the outcomes of their own actions from those performed autonomously by a software agent. In shared-control gaming this can…

Automation Transparency(also: AI Transparency (Automation), Transparent Automation)

The degree to which an automated or autonomous system communicates its current state, intent, and reasoning to the humans who depend on it. In autonomous transport, transparency includes cues such as "holding position for traffic," docking countdowns, or explanations of…

Autonomic Nervous System(also: ANS)

The division of the nervous system that regulates involuntary physiological processes including heart rate, blood pressure, respiration, digestion, and stress responses. The ANS has two main branches: the sympathetic nervous system (activating "fight or flight" responses) and…

Autonomous Ferry(also: Self-Driving Ferry, Autonomous Passenger Ferry)

A waterborne passenger vessel that navigates, docks, and avoids obstacles without a human pilot, typically using a sensor suite (cameras, radar, LiDAR, ultrasonic, IMU, GNSS) and a shore-based supervisory operator. Autonomous ferries are being trialled as sustainable…

Autonomous Navigation Robot(also: Autonomous guide robot, Self-navigating robot)

A mobile robot that plans and executes its own path through an environment to deliver a user or payload to a chosen destination, using onboard sensors (LiDAR, cameras, IMU) and a map for localisation, obstacle avoidance, and path planning. In accessibility contexts, autonomous…

Autonomous Public Transport(also: Autonomous Public Transit, Driverless Public Transport)

Public-transport services — buses, shuttles, ferries, trams — operated wholly or partly by self-driving technology, typically supervised remotely rather than by an onboard driver. From an accessibility perspective, autonomous public transport simultaneously promises cheaper,…

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response(also: ASMR)

A sensory tingling experience, typically in the scalp and upper spine, triggered by specific audio–visual stimuli such as whispering, soft tapping, or gentle hand movements. ASMR is associated with reduced heart rate and is used by many people — including neurodivergent…

Autonomous Vehicle(also: AV, Self-Driving Car, Automated Driving System)

A vehicle equipped with technology that enables it to navigate and operate without human input, ranging from partial automation features like adaptive cruise control to fully autonomous systems that handle all driving tasks. Autonomous vehicles represent a potentially…

Auxiliary Removal(also: Overlay Removal, Non-Essential Element Removal)

A video layout customization option that removes visual elements not directly related to the core video content, such as watermarks, logos, banners, breaking-news tickers, subscription prompts, and other overlays. Auxiliary Removal was the most popular layout customization…

Avatar(also: Virtual Avatar)

A digital representation of a human user in a virtual environment that facilitates interaction with other users, entities, and the environment. Avatars range from simple floating hands to full-body representations and serve as the user's visual identity in VR. In accessibility…

Avatar(also: Virtual Self, Digital Representation, Self-Avatar)

A graphical representation of a user within a virtual environment or digital platform. Avatars can range from simple icons to fully customizable 3D virtual humans that mirror user movements. In accessibility research, avatar customization has been shown to increase engagement…

Avatar Customization(also: Avatar Creation, Character Customization)

The ability for users to modify the appearance, characteristics, and features of their virtual avatar, including body shape, clothing, accessories, and disability-related features such as wheelchairs or prosthetics. Accessible avatar customization is critical for disabled VR…

Avatar Robot(also: Robot Avatar, Telepresence Avatar)

A physical robot that acts as a remote proxy for a human operator, enabling them to interact with a distant environment through vision, audio, and often manipulation or movement. Avatar robots extend the capabilities of telepresence beyond a screen on a stand, allowing the…

Aversive Disablism(also: Aversive Ableism, Subtle Disablism)

Aversive disablism is a concept from disability studies, developed by Mark Deal, describing a form of subtle, often unconscious prejudice toward disabled people. Aversive disablists recognize that discrimination is wrong and do not see themselves as prejudiced, yet they hold…

Avoidance Behaviour(also: Avoidance Behaviors, Covert Stuttering)

Strategies used by people who stutter to conceal or prevent stuttering events, including substituting feared words with easier alternatives, talking around a word (circumlocution), using filler words to delay, avoiding certain speaking situations entirely, or pretending to have…

Awe(also: Awe Experience)

Awe is an emotional response to perceived vastness — physical, conceptual, social, or spiritual — that requires a person to update their mental models to accommodate it. It blends wonder, reverence, and sometimes fear, and is associated with reduced self-focus, increased…

Axe(also: axe-core, Deque Axe)

An open-source accessibility testing engine developed by Deque Systems that checks web content against WCAG and other accessibility standards. Axe can be integrated into browsers (via browser extensions), development workflows (via axe-core library), and testing frameworks (via…