Glossary

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Community of Practice(also: CoP)

A group of people who share a common interest or concern and learn together through regular interaction, sharing knowledge, and collaborative problem-solving. In technology adoption contexts, communities of practice form organically when groups such as older adults in…

Community-Based Design(also: Community-Based Participatory Design, CBPD)

A design approach that situates the design process within a specific community, engaging community members as active participants and co-creators rather than passive research subjects. Unlike lab-based user research, community-based design takes place in the community's own…

Community-Based Participatory Research(also: CBPR, Community-based participatory design)

A research orientation in which academic researchers and community members collaborate as equal partners throughout the full research cycle — problem definition, design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination — to address issues of shared concern and produce outcomes that…

Community-Based Rehabilitation(also: CBR)

Community-based rehabilitation (CBR) is a strategy for enhancing the quality of life of people with disabilities by improving service delivery, providing equitable opportunities, and promoting their rights and social inclusion within their own communities. CBR programs operate…

Community-Based Research(also: Community-Based Participatory Research, CBPR)

A research approach that centers the knowledge, priorities, and participation of the community being studied, treating community members as equal partners rather than research subjects. In disability and accessibility research, community-based approaches recognize that disabled…

Community-Centered Design(also: Community-Based Design)

A design approach that centers the expertise, needs, and perspectives of specific communities throughout the technology development process, rather than designing for communities from the outside. In accessibility, community-centered design involves blind and disabled…

Community-Driven Accessibility(also: Crowdsourced Accessibility, Peer-Driven Accessibility)

Accessibility improvements initiated and maintained by community members rather than platform operators or content creators. Examples include viewers adding timestamps and chapter breakdowns in video comments, community members providing alternative text descriptions, users…

Community-Driven Research(also: Community-Based Research, Community-Led Research)

A research approach where the community being studied plays a central role in defining research questions, designing methodologies, collecting data, and interpreting results. In accessibility, community-driven research ensures that disabled communities — particularly those in…

Community-sourcing(also: Community Sourcing, Community-contributed Data)

A data collection approach where members of a specific community contribute information based on their direct experience and local knowledge, as distinct from general crowdsourcing which draws on anonymous, unrelated workers. In accessibility contexts, community-sourcing…

Comorbidity(also: Co-occurring Conditions, Dual Diagnosis)

The simultaneous presence of two or more medical conditions or disorders in the same individual. Comorbidity is extremely common in neurodevelopmental and mental health conditions—for example, ADHD frequently co-occurs with anxiety, depression, autism, learning disabilities, and…

Compassion Fatigue(also: secondary traumatic stress, empathy fatigue)

A state of emotional and physical exhaustion that results from the prolonged exposure to others' suffering, particularly in caregiving contexts. Unlike burnout, which develops gradually from chronic workplace stress, compassion fatigue can emerge rapidly and is characterized by…

Compensatory Technology(also: Compensatory Approach)

Assistive technology designed primarily to offset or make up for a person's functional limitations, focusing on what the person cannot do rather than building on their existing abilities. While compensatory approaches have historically dominated AT design, there is a growing…

Competency-Based Design(also: Competency-Based Approach)

An accessible design methodology that extends ability-based design by focusing on "competencies"—the representative practical skills people develop through participation in everyday activities, particularly mainstream technologies like social media. Unlike ability-based design,…

Complementary Cognition

A theory proposed by Taylor, Fernandes, and Wraight suggesting that the human species has adapted and evolved cognitively to complement each other through cognitive specializations and effective collaboration. Under this framework, different neurological profiles (including…

Complex Adaptive System(also: CAS)

A system composed of many interconnected, diverse components that interact and adapt in response to each other and their environment, producing emergent behaviors that cannot be predicted from the properties of individual parts. Education systems, healthcare systems, and the Web…

Complex Communication Needs(also: CCN)

A term describing the communication challenges faced by individuals who cannot rely on speech alone to meet all their communication needs in daily life. People with complex communication needs may use a combination of speech, gestures, sign language, communication boards, and…

Complex Needs(also: Complex Access Needs, Complex Support Needs)

Complex needs refers to the situation where an individual requires support across multiple areas of functioning due to a combination of physical, sensory, cognitive, communication, or behavioral factors that interact in ways that make standard single-impairment approaches…

Composite Figure(also: Multi-panel Figure, Multi-element Figure)

A figure that contains multiple distinct visual elements combined into a single image, such as a series of screenshots labeled (a) through (f), a set of charts showing different data sets, or a mix of photographs and diagrams. Composite figures present a significant…

Compound Controls(also: Composite Widgets, Complex Controls)

User interface components that combine multiple interactive elements into a single logical control, such as a group of radio buttons, a set of checkboxes with a shared label, a combobox (combining a text input with a dropdown list), or a date picker with multiple fields.…

Compound Document(also: Compound Web Document, Multi-format Document)

A compound document is a single deliverable that seamlessly combines content in multiple formats — for example, an HTML page that embeds a Flash movie, an SVG graphic, an MathML expression, and a video player — each with its own internal document object model. Compound documents…

Compound Sign(also: Compound Word)

A sign formed by combining two or more existing signs into a single, unified sign with its own distinct meaning. In American Sign Language and other sign languages, compound signs undergo phonological changes where the component signs may be shortened, blended, or modified when…

Comprehensibility(also: Comprehension, Intelligibility)

The degree to which users can understand and retain the key elements of content, including events, characters, actions, settings, and narrative progression. In audio-described media for visually impaired users, comprehensibility measures how effectively the audio presentation…

Comprehensive Attention Test(also: CAT)

A computer-based, clinically validated battery for assessing multiple attention capacities in children and adolescents. It measures sub-components including visual and auditory selective attention, sustained attention, inhibition-sustained attention, and interference-selective…

Compromised Agency

A concept from science and technology studies describing situations where an individual's capacity to make meaningful choices is structurally constrained by systemic forces beyond their control, even as they retain some degree of decision-making power. In assistive technology…

Compulsion(also: Compulsive Behavior, Ritual)

Repetitive behaviors or mental acts that a person feels driven to perform in response to an obsession or according to rigid rules, aimed at reducing anxiety or preventing a feared outcome. Compulsions can be overt physical behaviors (hand washing, checking locks, ordering…

Compulsory Able-Bodiedness(also: Compulsory Ableness)

A concept from disability studies scholar Robert McRuer describing the pervasive social assumption that all people should aspire to and perform able-bodiedness as the default, desirable state. Like compulsory heterosexuality, compulsory able-bodiedness operates as an invisible…

Computational Notebook(also: Jupyter Notebook, Data Science Notebook, IPython Notebook)

A computational notebook is an interactive document that combines executable code, rich text, data visualizations, and narrative explanations in a single shareable format. Widely used in data science, research, and education through platforms like Jupyter, Google Colab, and…

Computational Thinking(also: Algorithmic Thinking)

A problem-solving approach that involves breaking complex problems into smaller steps, identifying patterns, abstracting details, and designing step-by-step solutions—similar to how a computer processes instructions. In the context of smart home accessibility, computational…

Computer Anxiety(also: Technophobia, Computer Phobia, Technology Anxiety)

Negative emotions and cognition processes — including fear, intimidation, apprehension, and hostility — evoked during actual or imagined interaction with computer-based technology. Computer Anxiety is a significant accessibility barrier particularly prevalent among older adults…

Computer Braille(also: Computer Braille Code, CBC)

Computer Braille is a specialized braille notation system that includes characters for symbols commonly used in computing, such as brackets, braces, semicolons, and other punctuation not found in standard literary braille. Unlike literary braille, which uses contractions to…

Computer Feedback System(also: CFS, Computerized Feedback System)

A technology system that detects a user's behavior — such as vocalizations, movements, or physiological signals — and provides immediate audio, visual, or haptic responses mapped to that behavior. In speech and communication interventions, computer feedback systems translate…

Computer Literacy(also: Digital Literacy, Technology Literacy, ICT Literacy)

A person's knowledge and ability to use computers and digital technology effectively. In accessibility research, computer literacy is an important variable when studying how different user groups interact with technology, as prior experience significantly affects task…

Computer Says No(also: Computer-Says-No)

A pattern in which an organisation invokes an algorithmic or automated decision as justification for an adverse outcome — a rejected application, a denied claim, an adjusted score — thereby deflecting responsibility from human decision-makers onto the technical system.…

Computer Science Education(also: CS Education)

The field of teaching and learning computing concepts, programming, and computational thinking across K-12, post-secondary, and professional contexts. CS education relies heavily on visual representations — code editors, diagrams of data structures and algorithms, flowcharts,…

Computer Self-Efficacy(also: CSE, Technology Self-Efficacy)

A person's belief in their own ability to successfully perform tasks using a computer. Computer Self-Efficacy (CSE) is a strong predictor of technology adoption and is inversely correlated with Computer Anxiety — people with low CSE are more likely to experience anxiety, avoid…

Computer Use Agent(also: CUA, computer-using agent, desktop agent)

A computer use agent is an AI system powered by multimodal large language models that operates a computer by taking screenshots and performing mouse, keyboard, and scroll actions — mirroring the interactions of a sighted user to complete natural language tasks such as booking a…

Computer Vision(also: CV, Machine Vision)

A field of artificial intelligence that enables computers to interpret, understand, and extract information from visual data including images and videos. Computer vision technologies—such as object detection, image segmentation, scene recognition, and optical character…

Computer-Aided Design(also: CAD)

The use of software to create, modify, analyse, and optimise designs for physical objects or systems. In accessibility contexts, CAD tools are critical for designing assistive technology, tactile graphics, and 3D printable models, but most commercial CAD applications rely…

Computer-Aided Instruction(also: CAI, Computer-Assisted Learning, Computer-Based Instruction)

Computer-Aided Instruction (CAI) is the use of computer software to deliver educational content, practice exercises, and assessment in a structured learning environment. In accessibility contexts, CAI is particularly valuable for individuals with disabilities because it can…

Computer-Assisted Language Learning(also: CALL, Computer-Aided Language Learning)

Computer-Assisted Language Learning (CALL) refers to the use of computers and digital technology to support language education and pronunciation training. CALL systems often incorporate automatic speech recognition to provide feedback on learner pronunciation, detect…

Computer-Based Intervention(also: CBI, Technology-Based Intervention, Digital Intervention)

A structured programme delivered through computer technology that aims to teach, rehabilitate, or support skill development. In accessibility contexts, computer-based interventions use software applications — often on tablets or other mainstream devices — to provide interactive…

Computer-Based Speech Training(also: CBST, Computer-Aided Speech Training, CAST)

Computer-based speech training (CBST) refers to software systems designed to help individuals improve their speech production through automated exercises, feedback, and practice. These systems typically present target words or utterances, capture the user's speech through a…

Computer-Mediated Communication(also: CMC)

Communication that occurs through digital devices and platforms, including text messaging, email, video conferencing, voice chat, and social media. Computer-mediated communication raises accessibility challenges because many platforms assume users can see, hear, type, or speak.…

Computer-Supported Cooperative Work(also: CSCW, Collaborative Computing)

A field of research and practice focused on how technology can support people working together, encompassing tools for communication, coordination, and collaboration such as chat systems, shared documents, video conferencing, and project management platforms. In accessibility,…

Computer-Using Agent(also: CUA)

An AI agent, typically built on a Large Multimodal Model, that perceives a computer's graphical user interface through screenshots, reasons about on-screen context, and directly manipulates the interface by clicking, typing, scrolling, and navigating between applications. Unlike…

Computerized Visual Communication(also: C-VIC)

A computer-based assistive technology system that enables people with aphasia to communicate by arranging icons and images on screen to form sentences, which can then be translated into spoken or written language. C-VIC systems use structured visual vocabularies where users…

Concatenated Speech Synthesis(also: Concatenative Synthesis, Unit Selection Synthesis)

A method of producing synthetic speech by connecting pre-recorded segments of human speech, typically diphones (transitions between phonemes) or demi-syllables, to form complete words and sentences. Concatenated speech synthesis produces more natural-sounding output than older…

Concatenative Synthesis(also: Unit Selection Synthesis)

A text-to-speech method that generates synthetic speech by concatenating (joining together) pre-recorded segments of human speech. These segments, called units, may be phonemes, diphones, syllables, or words. The system selects and joins appropriate units from a large database…

Conceptual Model(also: Mental Model)

A user's internal understanding of how a system works, including what actions are possible, what the current state is, and what the consequences of actions will be. Conceptual models are critical in accessibility because users who cannot build an accurate mental representation…

Concurrent Exploration(also: Concurrent Slide Access, Simultaneous Exploration)

The ability for screen reader users to independently browse and interact with visual content (such as presentation slides) at the same time as a presenter is speaking, mirroring the way sighted audience members can freely scan visual materials while listening. Concurrent…