Glossary

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Concurrent Speech(also: Simultaneous Speech, Parallel Audio)

The presentation of multiple audio streams simultaneously, leveraging the human ability to selectively attend to one stream while monitoring others — known as the cocktail party effect. In accessibility research, concurrent speech has been explored as a way to help blind users…

Concurrent speech interface(also: Simultaneous speech, Parallel audio streams)

An interaction paradigm that presents multiple speech audio streams simultaneously, spatially separated using techniques like head-related transfer functions, to enable users to scan or monitor several information items in parallel rather than listening to them sequentially.…

Conditional Formatting

Conditional formatting is a spreadsheet feature that automatically applies visual styles — fill color, font color, bold text, icons, data bars — to cells whose values meet specified rules (for example, highlighting failing grades in red or above-average sales in green). It is…

Conductive Filament(also: Conductive 3D printing filament, Conductive PLA)

A specialized 3D printing material that conducts electricity, enabling printed objects to interact with capacitive touchscreens. In accessibility applications, conductive filament can be embedded in otherwise non-conductive 3D printed objects — such as tactile maps or overlays —…

Conductive Ink(also: Conductive Paint, Electrically Conductive Ink)

An ink or paint formulated with electrically conductive materials such as silver, carbon, or graphene that can carry an electrical signal when applied to a surface. In accessibility applications, conductive ink is used to create touch-sensitive areas on physical objects like…

Cone Dystrophy(also: Cone-Rod Dystrophy)

A group of inherited eye disorders that affect the cone cells in the retina, which are responsible for color vision, central vision, and visual acuity in well-lit conditions. People with cone dystrophy typically experience progressive loss of color vision, decreased visual…

Cone Tree(also: Cone Trees, Cone Tree Visualization)

A 3D or 2D information visualization technique for displaying hierarchical data structures, where child nodes are arranged in a cone or fan shape around their parent node. When a user selects a child, the parent shrinks into the background and the selected item's children expand…

Confabulation (Clinical)(also: Clinical Confabulation)

Confabulation in a clinical sense is the unconscious production of fabricated, distorted, or misinterpreted memories without the intent to deceive - the person genuinely believes what they are recounting. It is associated with dementia (particularly Alzheimer's and Korsakoff's…

Confederate(also: Research Confederate, Study Confederate)

A person who plays a scripted role in a research study while appearing to participants as a naive participant, bystander, or user. Confederates allow researchers to observe how true participants behave in realistic social situations — for example, how a blind user interacts with…

Confidence Indicator(also: Confidence Score, Uncertainty Indicator)

An interface element that communicates how certain an AI or automated system is about a given output, helping users decide how much to trust the result. In accessibility tools for blind and low-vision users, confidence indicators are especially important because users cannot…

Confidence Score(also: Confidence Rating, Certainty Score)

A numerical measure output by AI systems indicating how certain the system is about a particular result or classification. While confidence scores have been proposed as a way to help users assess AI accuracy, research with blind participants has found them difficult to interpret…

Confidence score(also: Certainty score, Prediction confidence)

A numerical value (typically 0-100% or 0-1) indicating how certain an AI system is about its prediction or classification. In accessibility contexts, communicating confidence scores to users — particularly blind users who cannot visually verify AI output — helps them calibrate…

Confirmation Dialogue(also: Confirmation Dialog, Verification Prompt)

An interaction pattern where a system summarizes a proposed action and asks the user to confirm before executing it. In accessible calendar design and voice assistant interactions, confirmation dialogues are critical for preventing errors—users want the system to summarize…

Confirmation Message(also: Positive Feedback, On-track Feedback, Progress Confirmation)

A system message that reassures users they are performing a task correctly or are on the right path, as opposed to only providing error messages or corrective instructions. In assistive technology and cognitive accessibility, confirmation messages have been shown to be…

Conformance Evaluation(also: Conformance Assessment, Accessibility Conformance Testing)

The process of systematically assessing whether a website, application, or digital product meets the requirements of a specific accessibility standard, typically WCAG at a designated conformance level (A, AA, or AAA). Conformance evaluation typically combines automated testing…

Conformance Level(also: WCAG Level, Priority Level)

The three-tiered classification system used by WCAG to rank success criteria by their importance and impact on accessibility. Level A represents the minimum baseline — criteria that must be met or some users will be completely unable to access content. Level AA addresses the…

Conformance Review(also: WCAG Conformance Review, Conformance Evaluation, Accessibility Conformance Review)

A conformance review is a systematic evaluation of a website or web application against a specific set of accessibility guidelines, most commonly WCAG, to determine whether and to what level the content meets the standard's success criteria. The review process involves checking…

Conformance Testing(also: Compliance Testing, Guideline Review)

An accessibility evaluation method that checks whether a website or digital product meets the requirements specified by accessibility guidelines or standards such as WCAG. Conformance testing can be performed manually by human evaluators or through automated testing tools that…

Confusion Matrix(also: Error Matrix)

A table used to characterize the accuracy of an input system by showing the probability that an intended signal will be correctly recognized versus misinterpreted as a different signal. In assistive technology, confusion matrices are used to map the error patterns of alternative…

Congenital Blindness(also: Congenital Vision Loss)

Blindness or severe visual impairment present from birth or very early childhood, as opposed to acquired or adventitious blindness that develops later in life. The distinction is significant for accessibility because congenitally blind individuals may have different information…

Connected Learning

A culturally-embedded learning paradigm developed by Mizŭko Ito and colleagues that frames rich learning as emerging from interest-driven, peer-supported, and academically-oriented activities across a network of everyday settings — including online affinity communities, fandoms,…

Connected Speech Recognition(also: Continuous Speech Recognition)

A form of automatic speech recognition in which users speak words naturally, with normal coarticulation and minimal pauses, rather than pausing between each word as required by older 'discrete' or 'isolated-word' recognisers. Connected-speech recognition was a significant…

Connected TV(also: Smart TV, Internet TV, CTV)

A television set or set-top box that can connect to the Internet, providing access to interactive features beyond traditional broadcast content including streaming applications, electronic programme guides, web browsing, and app stores. Connected TVs present significant…

Consent(also: Informed Consent)

Voluntary, informed, and revocable agreement by a person to a particular action or interaction involving them - whether that is sexual activity, data collection, medical treatment, research participation, or interaction with an automated system. In accessibility contexts,…

Consent Model(also: Consent Framework)

A prescriptive framework specifying how consent should be requested, given, sustained, and revoked in a particular interaction context. Examples include affirmative consent (explicit verbal agreement), embodied consent (drawing on bodily and somatic cues), and haptic consent…

Consequence Calculus

The decision-making process by which disabled individuals weigh all available options for addressing an access barrier and select the option that best matches their priorities given their contextual factors. Consequence calculus involves evaluating trade-offs across multiple…

Consequence-Based Accessibility

A framework introduced by Mack and McDonnell that describes how people with chronic illnesses experience access barriers where the consequences of their actions, rather than the nature of the task itself, make something inaccessible. For example, a person may be physically…

Constitutional AI(also: CAI)

A training method introduced by Anthropic in 2022 in which a large language model is aligned to a written set of principles (a 'constitution') through self-critique and reinforcement learning from AI feedback, rather than relying exclusively on human preference labels. The model…

Constrained Creativity(also: Constrained Design, Creative Constraints)

Constrained creativity is a design approach that supports creative expression by deliberately limiting the choices available to users, providing structure and boundaries within which they can create. In accessibility, constrained creativity has proven especially valuable for…

Constraint-Induced Movement Therapy(also: CIMT, CI Therapy, Constraint-Induced Therapy)

A rehabilitation technique for individuals with hemiparesis (weakness on one side of the body), typically following stroke. The therapy involves constraining the stronger, unaffected limb—traditionally by placing it in a sling or mitt—while intensively training the weaker,…

Constructionism(also: Constructionist Learning)

A learning theory developed by Seymour Papert proposing that people learn most effectively when actively constructing artifacts that are personally meaningful. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, constructionism informs the design of technologies that give users…

Constructive Exploration

Constructive exploration is an interactive learning method in which a user is guided by a computer system to physically build a representation of spatial information using building blocks or other tangible objects, rather than passively receiving descriptions or studying…

Constructive Solid Geometry(also: CSG)

A technique in 3-D modeling that creates complex shapes by combining simpler geometric primitives (cubes, spheres, cylinders) using boolean operations such as union, difference, and intersection. CSG is the foundational approach used by code-based modeling tools like OpenSCAD.…

Constructivism(also: Constructivist Learning Theory)

An educational theory that holds that learners actively construct their own understanding and knowledge through experience, exploration, and reflection rather than passively receiving information. In accessibility and assistive technology contexts, constructivism informs the…

Constructivist Grounded Theory(also: CGT)

A qualitative research methodology developed by Kathy Charmaz that adapts classic grounded theory by acknowledging that the researcher's theoretical commitments and lived experience shape the categories that emerge from the data. Rather than claiming a neutral "view from…

Consumer-Grade 3D Printing(also: Desktop 3D Printing)

Affordable 3D printing technology designed for personal or small-scale use, typically using fused deposition modeling with thermoplastic filaments. While consumer-grade printers have democratized fabrication and enabled DIY assistive technology programs, they have limitations in…

Contamination OCD(also: Contamination Obsessions)

A subtype of OCD characterized by obsessive fears of contamination from dirt, germs, bodily fluids, chemicals, or other perceived pollutants, accompanied by compulsive behaviors like excessive hand washing, cleaning, avoidance of "contaminated" surfaces, and seeking reassurance…

Contemporary Dance Accessibility(also: Inclusive Dance, Accessible Dance)

The practice of making contemporary dance learning, teaching, and performance accessible to people with disabilities, particularly those who are blind or have low vision. Unlike structured dance forms that follow fixed sequences, contemporary dance emphasises movement qualities…

Content Adaptation(also: Content Transformation, Web Adaptation)

The process of modifying web content to make it more accessible or usable in different contexts, including for users with disabilities, users of assistive technologies, or users on constrained devices like mobile phones. Content adaptation encompasses techniques such as…

Content Analysis

A systematic research methodology used to analyze and categorize communication artifacts such as text, video, images, or audio recordings. In accessibility research, content analysis is frequently applied to study how people with disabilities interact with technology or perform…

Content Author(also: Content Editor, Content Creator, Web Author)

A person who creates, edits, and publishes content on a website or digital platform, typically using a content management system rather than writing code directly. Content authors are responsible for many accessibility-critical decisions including writing alternative text for…

Content Creation Accessibility(also: Accessible Content Creation, Creator Accessibility)

The design and provision of tools, platforms, and workflows that enable people with disabilities to create digital content such as videos, images, audio, and text. Unlike content accessibility, which focuses on making finished content consumable by people with disabilities,…

Content Creator(also: Creator, Video Creator, Content Producer)

An individual or organization that produces and publishes digital content—such as videos, articles, podcasts, or social media posts—typically on online platforms. In disability and health communities, content creators include people with lived experience sharing personal…

Content Description(also: contentDescription, Android Content Description)

A text attribute on Android UI elements that provides an accessible label for screen readers like TalkBack. Content descriptions serve the same purpose as alt text on web images — they convey the meaning or function of visual elements to users who cannot see them. For…

Content Dictionary(also: CD, OpenMath Content Dictionary)

A formal specification in the OpenMath standard that provides the definition, description, and properties of a collection of related mathematical symbols. Each Content Dictionary defines symbols used in a particular mathematical domain (such as arithmetic, linear algebra, or…

Content Domestication(also: Media Domestication)

The process of translating or adapting media content to meet the specific needs of a target audience during production rather than through post-hoc modifications. Originating from media studies and audiovisual translation, content domestication in accessibility involves…

Content Element(also: Visual Content Element, Non-Text Content)

A visual component within a document that conveys information beyond running text, including tables, charts, images, diagrams, equations, and code blocks. Content elements are often chosen for their ability to communicate complex information concisely and visually, but they…

Content Extraction(also: Web Content Extraction, Text Extraction)

The process of separating meaningful content from the surrounding structural markup, navigation elements, and boilerplate text on a web page. For assistive technology users, content extraction is valuable because it allows them to focus on the substantive information on a page…

Content Filtering(also: Content Adaptation, Adaptive Content Delivery)

The process of selectively displaying or hiding portions of digital content based on user preferences, roles, device capabilities, or accessibility needs. In an accessibility context, content filtering allows users to control the level of detail they receive, reducing…

Content Focus(also: Content Focus Mode, Presentation Focus)

A video layout customization option that enlarges and centers the primary visual content being discussed—such as presentation slides, demonstrations, or graphical illustrations—while removing or minimizing other visual elements like the speaker and auxiliary overlays. Content…