Glossary
Terms used in accessibility research and practice. Each entry has a definition, common aliases, and category tags.
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- Functional Web Accessibility Evaluator(also: FAE, Functional Accessibility Evaluator)
- A web accessibility testing tool developed by the University of Illinois that evaluates websites based on coding techniques and best practices rather than simply checking for the presence or absence of specific HTML attributes. Unlike traditional tools that might only verify…
- Functional accessibility
- The degree to which a device or interface is usable by a specific user or user profile, either directly or through the addition of assistive technology. A system is functionally accessible for a given user if it enables them to complete their tasks, regardless of whether the…
- Functional affordance
- A design concept introduced in receptive design methodology that describes what a product or interface enables a user to do based on specific body functions, rather than general ability assumptions. Unlike traditional affordances (which describe what an object's properties…
- Fundamental Frequency(also: F0, Pitch Frequency, Voice Pitch)
- The lowest frequency of a periodic sound wave, corresponding to the rate at which the vocal folds vibrate during voiced speech. Fundamental frequency (F0) is perceived by listeners as pitch and is a primary component of prosody — the rhythm, stress, and intonation of speech. F0…
- Fused Deposition Modeling(also: FDM, Fused Filament Fabrication, FFF)
- A 3D printing process that builds objects layer by layer by extruding heated thermoplastic filament through a nozzle. FDM is the most common and affordable 3D printing technology, making it widely used in makerspaces and DIY assistive technology programs. While effective for…
- Fused Filament Fabrication(also: FFF, Fused Deposition Modeling, FDM)
- A 3D printing technique that creates objects by depositing melted thermoplastic filament layer by layer. FFF printers heat plastic material (commonly PLA or ABS) and extrude it through a nozzle that moves according to digital model coordinates. In accessibility applications, FFF…
- Future Impact Barrier
- A type of access barrier where a task can be completed in the present without difficulty, but doing so will cause negative consequences in the future, such as triggering a migraine, causing cumulative pain, or depleting limited resources like energy or assistive technology…
- Future Workshop
- A participatory research method developed by Jungk and Mullert in 1987 that supports collective reflection and idea generation about possible futures. A Future Workshop typically unfolds in phases: critique of present conditions, collective envisioning of ideal futures, and…
- Fuzzy Logic(also: Fuzzy Inference)
- Fuzzy logic is a form of many-valued logic that deals with approximate reasoning, where truth values range continuously between 0 and 1 rather than being strictly true or false. In assistive technology and signal processing, fuzzy logic systems are used to handle imprecise or…