Glossary

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Accessibility(also: A11y)

The design of products, devices, services, environments, and systems so that they can be used by people with the widest range of abilities, including those with disabilities. In digital contexts, accessibility means ensuring websites, applications, and content are perceivable,…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Interface, Platform Accessibility API)

A programming interface provided by an operating system or UI framework that exposes information about user interface elements to assistive technologies. Accessibility APIs enable screen readers, switch access devices, and other assistive technologies to programmatically read,…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Application Programming Interface, Platform Accessibility API)

A software interface provided by operating systems and browsers that exposes information about user interface elements — including their roles, states, properties, and relationships — to assistive technologies such as screen readers. Accessibility APIs (e.g., Microsoft UI…

Accessibility API(also: Accessibility Application Programming Interface, A11y API)

A set of programming interfaces provided by operating systems that allow assistive technologies and accessibility services to interact with application user interfaces. Accessibility APIs expose information about on-screen elements — their labels, roles, states, and…

Accessibility API Mapping(also: AAM, Accessibility API Mappings, Acc API Mapping)

Accessibility API Mappings (AAMs) are W3C specifications that define how the semantics of web content technologies — such as HTML, SVG, and WAI-ARIA — correspond to features in platform accessibility APIs like MSAA/UIA on Windows, ATK/AT-SPI on Linux, and NSAccessibility on…

Accessibility Advocacy(also: Accessibility Activism, A11y Advocacy)

The practice of promoting, educating others about, and pushing for the adoption of accessible practices in digital and physical environments. In online spaces, accessibility advocacy often falls disproportionately on people with disabilities themselves, who must repeatedly…

Accessibility Allyship(also: Disability Allyship, A11y Allyship)

The practice of non-disabled individuals actively supporting and advocating for people with disabilities by learning about accessibility barriers, amplifying disabled voices, and taking concrete actions to create more inclusive environments. In technology and computer science…

Accessibility Annotation(also: A-Annotation, Accessibility Metadata)

External metadata added to a web page to describe its visual layout structure, content groupings, and element roles for the purpose of improving accessibility without modifying the original page. Accessibility annotations typically identify visually distinct groups on a page,…

Accessibility Audit(also: Accessibility Review, A11y Audit)

A structured evaluation of a digital product, website, or application against established accessibility standards, typically WCAG, to identify barriers that prevent people with disabilities from using it effectively. An accessibility audit usually combines automated scanning…

Accessibility Awareness

The level of knowledge and understanding that individuals, particularly software developers and designers, have about accessibility requirements, standards, and the needs of people with disabilities. Research consistently shows that low accessibility awareness among industry…

Accessibility Barrier(also: A11y Barrier)

Any aspect of a digital product, web page, document, or service that prevents or impedes a person with a disability from perceiving, operating, understanding, or using it on an equivalent basis to someone without that disability. Examples include missing alt text on images,…

Accessibility Baseline(also: Baseline, Technology Baseline, WCAG Baseline)

An accessibility baseline, as used in WCAG 2.0 and later versions, is the set of technologies that a content author assumes are supported and enabled in the user agents (browsers and assistive technologies) used by their target audience. Authors must ensure that all content…

Accessibility Bug Report(also: ABR, Accessibility Defect Report)

A bug report that specifically documents an accessibility barrier or failure in software. These reports describe issues that prevent or hinder people with disabilities from using an application, such as missing alternative text, unlabeled form controls, keyboard navigation…

Accessibility Certification(also: Third-Party Accessibility Certification, Accessibility Accreditation)

A formal assessment and endorsement of a website or digital product's accessibility by an independent third-party organisation, as distinct from voluntary self-declaration of conformance. Certification schemes exist in several European countries with different national…

Accessibility Chain(also: Accessibility Chain of Custody, Chain of Accessibility)

The concept that accessibility must be maintained throughout every link in a sequence of interactions, documents, or systems that a user must navigate to complete a task. If any single link in the chain is inaccessible, the entire process becomes inaccessible regardless of how…

Accessibility Champion(also: Accessibility Hero, Accessibility Advocate, A11y Champion)

An individual within an organization or institution who takes personal responsibility for promoting and advancing accessibility practices, often without formal mandate or recognition. Accessibility champions raise awareness among colleagues, influence procurement and development…

Accessibility Checker(also: Accessibility Evaluation Tool, Accessibility Scanner, A11y Checker)

An accessibility checker is a software tool that analyzes web content to identify potential barriers for people with disabilities, typically by testing against established guidelines such as WCAG or Section 508. Accessibility checkers range from browser extensions and…

Accessibility Checker(also: Accessibility Verifier, Accessibility Inspector, A11y Checker)

A software tool that automatically evaluates an application, document, or website against accessibility standards and guidelines, identifying potential barriers for users with disabilities. Accessibility checkers may be built into development environments (such as Apple's…

Accessibility Commons(also: AC Repository, AC Metadata Repository)

A shared metadata repository and schema proposed in 2008 by IBM, the University of Washington, Stony Brook University, and the University of Manchester to let accessibility-remediation research projects publish and reuse externally authored fixes for inaccessible web content. An…

Accessibility Compliance(also: A11y Compliance, Accessibility Conformance)

The state of meeting the requirements defined by a specific accessibility standard, regulation, or law. Accessibility compliance involves evaluating digital content against technical criteria — such as WCAG success criteria or Section 508 requirements — and ensuring all…

Accessibility Conformance Level(also: WCAG Conformance Level, Conformance Level)

Accessibility conformance levels are the tiered ratings defined by the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to indicate the degree to which web content meets accessibility success criteria. WCAG defines three levels: Level A (minimum, addressing the most critical…

Accessibility Conformance Testing(also: ACT, ACT Rules Format)

A W3C technical recommendation that defines a standardized format for writing rules to test web accessibility. The ACT Rules Format provides a consistent structure for describing what to test and what outcomes to expect, aiming to reduce inconsistency between different automated…

Accessibility Crawler(also: automated accessibility crawler, app crawler for accessibility)

An automated tool that systematically explores an application's user interface—by simulating taps, swipes, and navigation—to discover screens and UI components and then evaluate each against accessibility rules without human involvement. On Android, crawlers typically drive the…

Accessibility Dongle(also: Disability Dongle)

A well-intentioned but ultimately useless or impractical solution to an accessibility problem that disabled people never actually needed or asked for. Coined by Liz Jackson in 2019, the term critiques designs created without meaningful input from the disability community — often…

Accessibility Education(also: A11y Education)

The teaching and learning of accessibility principles, practices, and standards across educational settings. Accessibility education encompasses both teaching students with disabilities in accessible ways and teaching all students about accessibility so they can create inclusive…

Accessibility Engineer(also: Accessibility Engineering, A11y Engineer)

A professional role focused on applying specific methodologies and methods to ensure that information and communication technology products and systems are accessible to people with disabilities throughout the entire development lifecycle. Accessibility engineering is positioned…

Accessibility Evaluation(also: Accessibility Audit, Accessibility Assessment, Accessibility Review)

The process of assessing whether a digital product, website, or application meets accessibility standards and is usable by people with disabilities. Accessibility evaluation typically combines automated testing tools (which can check technical requirements like image alt text…

Accessibility Evaluation Framework(also: A11y Assessment Framework, Accessibility Testing Framework)

A structured methodology for systematically assessing the accessibility of digital content, products, or services against established standards and guidelines. Effective frameworks define the criteria to be evaluated, the methods for evaluation (automated testing, manual…

Accessibility Evaluation Method(also: AEM, Accessibility Testing Method)

A structured approach or procedure used to assess the accessibility of digital products, websites, or applications. Accessibility evaluation methods include conformance review (checking against standards like WCAG), barrier walkthrough (assessing barriers in context of specific…

Accessibility Feature Discovery(also: Feature Discoverability, Accessibility Settings Discovery)

The process by which users become aware of, find, understand, and adopt accessibility features and settings available on their devices or in software. Research consistently shows that many users who could benefit from accessibility features are unaware they exist, cannot find…

Accessibility Feature Discovery(also: Feature Discoverability, Accessibility Awareness)

The process by which users learn about, find, and activate accessibility features available on their devices or in software. Research shows that the vast majority of users — particularly older adults — are unaware of built-in accessibility features on their smartphones and…

Accessibility First(also: Shift Left Accessibility, Built-In Accessibility)

A design and pedagogical philosophy that treats accessibility as a foundational requirement from the very beginning of a project or course of study, rather than addressing it as an advanced topic or retrofit at the end. The term draws an analogy to building construction:…

Accessibility Focus(also: A11y Focus, Screen Reader Focus)

The currently selected element in a user interface as perceived by a screen reader or other assistive technology. When an element has accessibility focus, the screen reader announces its description and the user can interact with it. Only one element can have accessibility focus…

Accessibility Gap(also: Usability Gap, Digital Divide)

The measurable disparity in task performance, user experience, or access between people with disabilities and people without disabilities when using digital technology. The accessibility gap is commonly measured through differences in task completion time, error rates, success…

Accessibility Heuristics(also: Accessibility Heuristic Evaluation)

A set of broad usability and accessibility principles used to evaluate digital products for barriers that may prevent people with disabilities from using them effectively. Unlike detailed technical checklists such as WCAG success criteria, accessibility heuristics provide…

Accessibility Inspection(also: Accessibility Inspection Method, Accessibility Audit)

An evaluation approach in which an expert or designer reviews an interface against a set of accessibility criteria without recruiting end users, analogous to usability inspection methods such as heuristic evaluation, cognitive walkthrough, or guideline review. Common inspection…

Accessibility Inspector(also: Xcode Accessibility Inspector)

A developer tool included with Apple's Xcode development environment that allows developers and QA testers to audit iOS, macOS, and other Apple platform apps for accessibility issues. The tool can run automated accessibility checks on a connected device or simulator, detecting…

Accessibility Internet Rally(also: AIR, AIR-Austin)

An annual web-development competition run by Knowbility (based in Austin, Texas) in which teams of developers are paired with non-profit clients and judged partly on the accessibility of the websites they build in a short timeframe. AIR uses a structured judging rubric that…

Accessibility Linter(also: A11y Linter, Accessibility Lint)

A static analysis tool that scans source code — typically HTML, CSS, and related web technologies — for accessibility violations against standards such as WCAG. Accessibility linters can be integrated into code editors, build pipelines, or run as standalone tools to flag issues…

Accessibility Live Region(also: accessibilityLiveRegion, Android Live Region)

An Android accessibility attribute that tells TalkBack to automatically announce changes to a view's content, without requiring the user to move focus to it. Developers set it on a view to make dynamic updates such as error messages, status banners, or count-down timers audible…

Accessibility Map(also: Accessible Route Map, Wheelchair Accessibility Map)

A map that displays information about the physical accessibility features and barriers of an environment, such as the presence of curb ramps, steps, slopes, surface conditions, and accessible entrances. Accessibility maps are essential tools for people with mobility…

Accessibility Maturity(also: Accessibility Maturity Model, Digital Accessibility Maturity)

A framework for assessing how well an organization has integrated accessibility into its culture, processes, and products, typically measured across dimensions such as leadership commitment, policy, training, procurement, design and development practices, testing, and user…

Accessibility Maturity Model(also: Accessibility Maturity, Digital Accessibility Maturity)

A framework for assessing how well an organization has integrated accessibility into its culture, processes, and outputs. Maturity models typically progress through stages from ad hoc or reactive approaches (where accessibility depends on individual champions) to embedded and…

Accessibility Metadata(also: A11y Metadata, Accessibility Annotations)

Structured information that describes the accessibility features, hazards, or access modes of digital content. Accessibility metadata can be embedded within content (such as alt text in HTML) or stored externally in separate databases or annotation systems. External…

Accessibility Metric(also: Web Accessibility Metric, Accessibility Score)

A quantitative measure used to assess and compare the accessibility quality of web pages or websites. Accessibility metrics typically calculate a score (often 0-100%) based on the number and severity of WCAG violations found, weighted by conformance level (Level A weighted…

Accessibility Metric(also: Web Accessibility Metric, Accessibility Quality Metric)

An accessibility metric is a quantitative measure used to assess the level of accessibility compliance of a web page or website. Metrics typically derive from the results of automated or manual evaluation of WCAG checkpoints, aggregating pass/fail/warning outcomes into a single…

Accessibility Metrics(also: Web Accessibility Metrics, Accessibility Scores, Accessibility Measurement)

Quantitative methods for measuring and scoring the accessibility level of websites or digital content. Accessibility metrics typically work by evaluating web pages against checkpoints derived from standards like WCAG, computing pass or failure rates, and then synthesizing these…

Accessibility Monitoring(also: Web Accessibility Monitoring, Accessibility Observatory)

Accessibility monitoring is the ongoing process of tracking and measuring the accessibility level of websites or digital products over time. Because web content is frequently updated, changes can inadvertently introduce new accessibility barriers or degrade previously achieved…

Accessibility Object Model(also: AOM)

The Accessibility Object Model (AOM) is a proposed W3C web standard that aims to give JavaScript developers direct programmatic access to the browser's accessibility tree. While WAI-ARIA allows authors to annotate HTML with accessibility semantics through markup attributes, the…

Accessibility Overlay(also: A11y Overlay, Accessibility Widget, Accessibility Plugin)

A third-party software product that applies a layer of JavaScript over a website claiming to automatically fix accessibility issues, typically through a toolbar widget offering features like text resizing, color contrast adjustment, and screen reader optimization. Despite…