Glossary

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K-12 Education(also: K-12, Primary and Secondary Education, K through 12)

The span of publicly supported education from kindergarten through 12th grade (approximately ages 5-18), encompassing primary and secondary schooling. In accessibility contexts, K-12 education is a critical focus area because accessible learning tools, curricula, and teacher…

K-Shot Learning(also: N-Way K-Shot Learning)

A machine learning paradigm where a model must learn to classify objects using only k training examples per class. In the context of accessibility, k-shot learning is significant because it enables assistive technologies like personal object recognizers to be trained with…

KWCAG(also: Korean Web Content Accessibility Guidelines)

The Korean national standard for web content accessibility, first published as KWCAG 1.0 in 2004 by the Telecommunications Technology Association (TTA). Modelled after WCAG, KWCAG adapts international accessibility guidelines to Korean web culture and technical circumstances.…

Kanji(also: Han Characters (in Japanese))

Logographic characters of Chinese origin used in the Japanese writing system alongside the two syllabic scripts, hiragana and katakana. Modern Japanese uses about 2,000-3,000 commonly-occurring kanji, but the full character set exceeds 10,000 glyphs, and historical or literary…

Kenyan Sign Language(also: KSL)

The primary sign language used by the deaf community in Kenya, recognized as a national language in Kenya's 2010 Constitution. KSL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary distinct from spoken Kiswahili and English. In accessibility contexts, KSL is significant because many…

Keratoconus

A progressive eye condition in which the normally round cornea thins and bulges into a cone-like shape, causing irregular astigmatism and significant visual distortion that cannot be fully corrected with standard glasses or contact lenses. Keratoconus typically begins in…

Key Acceptance Delay(also: Acceptance Delay, Key Debounce)

A keyboard accessibility setting that requires a key to be held down for a specified minimum duration before it is registered as a deliberate press. Keys released before the delay period expires are ignored, filtering out brief accidental touches. Key acceptance delay is the…

Key Frame Extraction(also: Keyframe Selection, Key Frame Selection)

A computer vision technique that automatically identifies and selects the most representative or highest-quality frames from a continuous video stream. In accessibility contexts, key frame extraction is used in mobile assistive applications to select well-focused,…

Key Performance Indicator(also: KPI)

A quantifiable metric used to evaluate the success of an activity, process, or organization against defined objectives. In dashboards, KPIs are typically displayed as prominent single numbers or summary statistics (e.g., Total Sales, Average Revenue, Customer Count) that provide…

Key Remapping(also: Key Rebinding, Control Remapping, Custom Key Bindings)

The ability to reassign keyboard controls to different keys than the software defaults. Key remapping is essential for users with motor disabilities who may only be able to reach certain areas of the keyboard, use one hand, or have limited range of motion. For example, a…

Key Word Signing(also: KWS, Keyword Signing, Signs Supporting English)

An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) method that uses manual signs from a national sign language alongside spoken words to support communication. Unlike native sign language, KWS users sign only the key content words while speaking complete sentences, making it…

Key-Frame Animation(also: Keyframe Animation, Keyframing)

Key-frame animation is a technique in computer graphics where an animator defines specific poses or states (key frames) at particular points in time, and the computer automatically generates the intermediate frames (interpolation) to create smooth motion between them. In…

Keyboard Accessibility(also: Keyboard Navigation, Keyboard Operability)

The principle and practice of ensuring that all functionality of a website, application, or digital interface can be accessed and operated using only a keyboard, without requiring a mouse, touchscreen, or other pointing device. Keyboard accessibility is foundational to web…

Keyboard Configuration(also: Keyboard Customisation, Keyboard Settings)

The process of adjusting keyboard behaviour and settings to match an individual user's needs and abilities. For people with motor disabilities, keyboard configuration may include enabling accessibility features such as Sticky Keys, Repeat Keys, Bounce Keys, or Slow Keys, as well…

Keyboard Navigation(also: Keyboard Access, Keyboard Operability)

The ability to use all features and functions of a website, application, or software using only the keyboard, without requiring a mouse or other pointing device. Keyboard navigation is essential for people who are blind and use screen readers, people with motor disabilities who…

Keyboard Shortcut(also: Hotkey, Keyboard Accelerator, Access Key)

A key or combination of keys that triggers a specific command or function in software without requiring navigation through menus or interface elements. Keyboard shortcuts are essential for accessibility, enabling users who cannot use a mouse—including screen reader users, people…

Keyframe(also: Key Frame)

A keyframe is a single representative frame selected from a video scene or shot that best captures the essential visual content of that segment. In automated audio description and video captioning systems, keyframe selection is a critical step — the chosen frame is analyzed by…

Keyguard(also: Keyboard Guard, Key Guard)

A rigid cover that fits over a keyboard with holes aligned to each key, allowing users with motor impairments to rest their hands on the surface without accidentally pressing keys. Keyguards help people who have imprecise motor control, tremors, or involuntary movements to type…

Keypad(also: Numeric Keypad, Phone Keypad, Small Keypad)

A keypad is a compact input device with a small number of keys, typically arranged in a 3x4 grid (phone keypads) or other constrained layouts. In accessibility contexts, keypads are relevant both as the *only* viable input device for some users — small physical keypads are…

Keystroke Saving(also: KS, Keystroke Reduction)

A metric used to evaluate word prediction and word completion systems, measuring the percentage of keystrokes that a user can avoid by accepting system predictions instead of typing each character individually. Keystroke saving is calculated by comparing the number of keystrokes…

Keystroke Saving Rate(also: KSR, Keystroke Savings)

A metric measuring the efficiency of text prediction systems by calculating the percentage of keystrokes saved compared to typing the same text on a standard keyboard without prediction. A KSR of 50% means the user needed only half the keystrokes they would have required…

Keystroke Savings(also: KS, Key Savings)

A metric used to evaluate word prediction systems, measuring the percentage of keystrokes eliminated by accepting predictions compared to typing the full text character by character. While keystroke savings is commonly reported in AAC research, it does not directly translate to…

Keystroke-Level Model(also: KLM)

A simplified predictive model from human-computer interaction research, originally developed by Card, Moran, and Newell, that estimates task completion time by decomposing user interactions into elementary operations such as keystrokes, pointing movements, mouse clicks, and…

Keystrokes Per Character(also: KSPC)

A metric used to evaluate the efficiency of text-entry methods by measuring the average number of keystrokes required to produce each character of text. A lower KSPC indicates a more efficient input method. For standard MultiTap on a 12-key phone keypad, the theoretical best…

Keyword Extraction(also: Key Term Extraction, Automatic Keyword Extraction)

A natural language processing technique that automatically identifies the most important or representative words and phrases in a document. In accessibility, keyword extraction can provide blind users with a quick summary of a web page's topic without requiring them to listen to…

Keyword Reading Strategy(also: Content Word Strategy)

The keyword reading strategy is a sentence-comprehension approach in which a reader focuses primarily on high-content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) to derive the meaning of a sentence, while paying less attention to function words (determiners, prepositions, and…

Kinaesthetic Perception(also: Kinesthetic Perception, Kinaesthesia, Kinesthesia)

The sensory awareness of the position, movement, and force of body parts, derived from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. In the context of haptic technology and accessibility, kinaesthetic perception provides information about the shape, weight, and spatial extent of…

Kinematic Chain Theory(also: Guiard's Kinematic Chain, Asymmetric Division of Labor)

A theoretical framework developed by Yves Guiard describing how the two hands work together in bimanual tasks. The theory distinguishes between symmetric interactions (both hands perform the same movement) and asymmetric interactions (hands perform different complementary…

Kinesiology(also: Human kinetics, Movement science)

The scientific study of human body movement, encompassing biomechanics, anatomy, physiology, psychology, and neuroscience as they relate to physical activity. In accessibility contexts, kinesiology provides foundational knowledge about how people move and interact with their…

Kinesthetic(also: Kinaesthetic)

Kinesthetic refers to the sense of body movement, limb position and muscular effort, arising from receptors in muscles, tendons and joints and closely related to proprioception. In accessibility and interaction-design contexts, kinesthetic cues - such as the pull a partner…

Kinesthetic Awareness(also: Kinesthesia, Movement Awareness)

The conscious perception of body position, movement, and muscle tension derived from internal sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. For sighted people, kinesthetic awareness is reinforced by visual feedback — watching their own movements and observing others. People…

Kinesthetic Feedback(also: Kinesthetic Haptics, Force Feedback)

A form of haptic feedback that engages the body’s sense of limb position, movement, and applied force — the kinesthetic sense mediated by receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints — rather than cutaneous sensation alone. Kinesthetic displays include force-feedback joysticks,…

Kinesthetic Interaction(also: Kinesthetic input, Embodied interaction)

Interaction that uses whole-body movement, gesture, or controller-tracked limb motion — as opposed to discrete button presses — to drive a computing system. Kinesthetic interaction is central to extended-reality experiences (VR/AR/MR), where hand tracking, head tracking, and…

Kinesthetic Perception(also: Kinesthesia, Proprioceptive Perception)

The sensory ability to perceive the position, movement, and forces acting on one's body and limbs through receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. Kinesthetic perception encompasses awareness of limb position (proprioception), detection of movement and velocity, and sensing of…

Kinesthetic Perception(also: Kinesthesia, Kinesthetic Sense, Kinesthetic Feedback)

The sensory awareness of body position, movement, and force through receptors located in muscles, tendons, and joints. In assistive technology, kinesthetic feedback is a component of haptic interaction where users perceive the position of their limbs and the forces applied to…

Kinesthetics(also: Kinaesthetics, Kinesthesia, Kinesthetic sense)

The sense of body position, movement, and muscular effort derived from receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. Kinesthetics is closely related to — and often used interchangeably with — proprioception, though kinesthesia typically emphasizes awareness of active movement while…

Kiosk Accessibility(also: Self-Service Kiosk Accessibility, Interactive Kiosk Accessibility)

The practice of designing and implementing self-service kiosks and public digital terminals so they can be used by people with a wide range of abilities, including those with visual, hearing, motor, and cognitive disabilities. Kiosk accessibility encompasses hardware…

Knee Buckling(also: Knee giving way)

A sudden loss of knee stability during weight-bearing in which the knee flexes involuntarily, often causing the person to stumble or fall. Knee buckling is commonly caused by quadriceps weakness, neurological conditions (stroke, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury), knee…

Knee-Ankle-Foot Orthosis(also: KAFO)

A lower-limb orthosis that spans the knee, ankle, and foot to provide weight-bearing support and prevent knee buckling or hyperextension in people with significant leg weakness or paralysis - commonly due to stroke, spinal cord injury, post-polio syndrome, or muscular dystrophy.…

Knowledge Base(also: KB, FAQ Database)

A knowledge base is a structured repository of information — typically questions, answers, articles, or how-to guides — that can be searched and browsed to find solutions to problems. In accessibility contexts, knowledge bases serve as important support tools for people with…

Korean Sign Language(also: KSL, Suhwa)

The primary sign language of the Deaf community in South Korea, with its own grammar, vocabulary, and regional variation, and legally recognized as an official language of Korea under the Korean Sign Language Act of 2016. KSL is historically related to Japanese Sign Language due…

Krippendorff's Alpha(also: Krippendorff Alpha, Kalpha)

A statistical measure of inter-rater agreement used to assess how consistently two or more coders classify the same qualitative data. Developed by Klaus Krippendorff, the metric handles any number of coders, any level of measurement (nominal, ordinal, interval, ratio), and…

Kurzweil Reading Machine(also: KRM, Kurzweil Reader)

A pioneering reading device for blind people invented by Ray Kurzweil in 1976, combining optical character recognition (OCR) with text-to-speech synthesis to read printed text aloud. The original device was as large as a stove and produced mechanical-sounding speech, but it…

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