Glossary

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Text Entry Rate(also: Typing Speed, Characters Per Minute, CPM)

A measure of how quickly a user can input text using a given method, typically expressed in words per minute (WPM) or characters per minute (CPM). One word is conventionally defined as five characters including spaces. For standard QWERTY keyboards, professional typists achieve…

Text Generation Rate(also: TGR, Text Entry Rate, Text Entry Speed)

The speed at which a user produces text, typically measured in words per minute (WPM) or characters per second. Text generation rate is a key performance metric in assistive technology evaluation because it captures the overall efficiency of a text entry system, accounting for…

Text Gloss(also: Text Glosses)

In Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), a text label or annotation associated with a visual symbol (such as an icon or pictogram) on a communication device. The text gloss serves two purposes: it provides a written description to help communication partners…

Text Justification(also: Text Alignment, Justified Text)

The alignment of text along the left and/or right margins of a text block. Left-aligned (ragged right) text has even spacing between words and an uneven right edge, while fully justified (left-right) text has even margins on both sides but variable word spacing. Some…

Text Messaging(also: SMS, Short Message Service, Texting)

Text messaging is the exchange of short written messages between mobile devices over a cellular or data network, most commonly using the SMS (Short Message Service) or MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) standards, or modern over-the-top messaging apps. Text messaging has been a…

Text Modification(also: Text Formatting, Text Presentation Modification)

Changes to the visual presentation or formatting of text to improve readability without altering the actual content. Text modifications include adjustments to font type, size, color, spacing, line height, background color, text alignment, and column width. Research with people…

Text Reflow(also: Content Reflow, Responsive Text)

The ability of text content to rearrange and wrap within its container when the viewport is resized or text is zoomed, so that users can read without horizontal scrolling. Text reflow is essential for users with low vision who magnify content, as well as for mobile users on…

Text Scaling Assistive Service(also: TSAS, Font Size Scaling)

An Android platform service that allows users to increase or decrease the size of text displayed across applications. Text Scaling Assistive Service is critical for users with low vision who need larger text to read content comfortably. Apps that fail to support TSAS properly…

Text Simplification(also: Plain Language Conversion, Content Simplification)

The process of rewriting text to make it easier to read and understand, typically by using shorter sentences, simpler vocabulary, and clearer structure while preserving the essential meaning. Text simplification supports cognitive accessibility for people with intellectual…

Text Simplification(also: Automatic Text Simplification, Content Simplification)

The process of transforming complex written text into simpler, more understandable versions while preserving the essential meaning. Text simplification can be performed manually by content authors following plain language guidelines, or automatically using natural language…

Text Skimming(also: Content Skimming, Accessible Skimming)

A reading strategy where a person quickly reviews a document to get an overview of its content, identify key points, and locate specific information without reading every word. Sighted readers skim using visual cues like headings, bold text, paragraph breaks, and spatial layout.…

Text Spotting(also: Scene Text Detection)

A computer vision technique that detects and localizes text within images in real time, without actually performing OCR recognition. Text spotting algorithms identify where text appears in a camera frame, its boundaries, and orientation. In accessibility applications, text…

Text-Mode Browser(also: Text Browser, Terminal Browser, Console Browser)

A web browser that renders web pages as text only, without displaying images or graphical layout, typically running in a command-line terminal or console environment. The most well-known text-mode browser is Lynx, developed at the University of Kansas in the early 1990s.…

Text-Only Browser(also: Text Browser, Text-Based Browser)

A web browser that renders pages as plain text without images, styling, or complex layouts, displaying only the textual content and link structure. Examples include WebbIE, Lynx, and Links. Text-only browsers are used by some people with visual impairments as an alternative to…

Text-to-Audio(also: Text-to-Audio Generation, TTA)

A class of generative AI models that synthesise non-speech sound (environmental sounds, sound effects, music stems) from a text prompt - for example producing the sound of 'leaves rustling in wind' or 'church bells ringing'. Distinct from text-to-speech, which produces spoken…

Text-to-Image(also: Text-to-Image Generation, T2I)

An AI capability that generates visual images from natural language text descriptions (prompts). Text-to-image models like DALL-E, Midjourney, and Stable Diffusion have opened new creative possibilities for blind individuals by allowing them to create visual content through…

Text-to-Image Generation(also: Text-to-Image AI, Text-to-Image Synthesis)

An artificial intelligence capability that creates visual images from natural language text descriptions, also known as prompts. Tools such as DALL-E, MidJourney, and Stable Diffusion use large-scale diffusion models trained on image-text pairs to generate novel images matching…

Text-to-Image Model(also: T2I Model, T2I, Text-to-Image Generator)

A generative AI system that produces images from natural-language prompts. Prominent examples include DALL-E, Stable Diffusion, and Midjourney. In accessibility contexts, text-to-image models have been shown to replicate and amplify disability stereotypes — for example,…

Text-to-Sound(also: Text-to-Audio, TTA, Sound Generation from Text)

A class of generative AI models that synthesize non-speech audio - sound effects, ambient environments, foley, or short music clips - from a natural-language description such as 'a door creaking shut' or 'cloth ruffling as a coat is removed'. Distinct from text-to-speech, which…

Text-to-Speech(also: TTS, Speech Synthesis, Screen Reading)

Technology that converts written text into spoken audio output, using either pre-recorded speech segments or synthesized voices. Text-to-speech is a foundational accessibility technology used by screen readers for blind users, by people with learning disabilities like dyslexia,…

Text-to-Speech(also: TTS, Speech Synthesis)

Technology that converts written text into spoken audio output. Text-to-speech is a fundamental component of many assistive technologies, including screen readers, audio description tools, and communication devices for people with speech disabilities. Modern TTS systems use…

Text-to-Video(also: T2V, Text-to-Video Generation)

A class of generative AI models that produces short video clips from natural-language prompts (and sometimes reference images). Examples at the time of writing include Runway Gen, OpenAI Sora, Google Veo, and Pika. For accessibility, text-to-video raises both opportunities —…

Text-to-speech(also: TTS, Speech synthesis)

Technology that converts written text into spoken audio output. Text-to-speech is the primary output method used by screen readers to convey digital content to blind and low-vision users. The quality and naturalness of TTS voices has improved significantly with neural speech…

Textile Crafts(also: Fiber Arts, Fiber Crafts)

Textile crafts are hand processes that produce or use textiles (flexible materials made from fibres and filaments) for functional and aesthetic applications. Common textile crafts include knitting, crochet, sewing, weaving, embroidery, quilting, spinning, and felting. In…

Textonym(also: T9 Ambiguity)

Words that share the same sequence of key presses on a telephone-style number pad, such as "bat" and "cat" which both map to the key sequence 2-2-8. Textonyms are a significant design consideration in AAC and text entry systems that use reduced keyboard layouts, as the system…

Texture Differentiation(also: Tactile Discrimination)

The ability to perceive and distinguish between different textures through touch. In the context of tactile graphics, texture differentiation is the fundamental perceptual capacity that allows readers to identify different regions and understand the information encoded in a…

Texture Perception(also: Texture sense, Tactile texture perception)

The perceptual capacity to detect and characterize surface properties — roughness, smoothness, bumpiness, graininess, stickiness, and directional patterns — through touch, vision, or cross-modal integration. Texture perception draws on multiple tactile channels including…

The vOICe(also: vOICe)

One of the earliest and most widely studied visual-to-auditory sensory substitution devices, developed by Peter Meijer in 1992. The vOICe converts camera images into sound by scanning left to right, mapping horizontal position to time, vertical position to audio frequency…

Theater in Design(also: Forum Theater, Design Theater)

A participatory design technique using professional actors to portray users with disabilities or older adults, allowing design teams to engage with user needs without directly involving potentially fragile individuals. Developed by Newell and colleagues at the University of…

Thematic Analysis(also: TA)

A qualitative research method for identifying, analyzing, and reporting patterns (themes) within data. Thematic analysis involves systematically coding data, grouping codes into themes, and refining those themes to tell a coherent story about the data. It is widely used in…

Thematic Map(also: Statistical map)

A map designed to communicate a specific theme or statistical variable across a geographic region — population density, income, election results, climate, disease prevalence — rather than to depict general topography or physical features. Thematic maps include choropleth maps…

Theory of Change(also: ToC, Logic Model)

An explicit articulation of how and why a planned intervention is expected to produce its intended outcomes - typically expressed as a chain linking inputs to activities, outputs, short- and long-term outcomes, and the assumptions connecting each step. A theory of change makes…

Theory of Mind(also: ToM, Mentalizing, Mind Reading)

The cognitive ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intentions, desires, emotions, knowledge—to oneself and others, and to understand that others may have mental states different from one's own. Theory of Mind deficits are associated with autism spectrum disorder and…

Therapeutic Drift

A phenomenon in AI-mediated support contexts in which users begin to treat an emotionally supportive AI system as a substitute for professional clinical care or meaningful human relationships, rather than as a complementary tool. Therapeutic drift poses risks in caregiving and…

Therapeutic Play(also: Play Therapy, Therapeutic Gaming)

The use of play activities, games, toys, or interactive technology as a medium for achieving therapeutic or rehabilitative goals in children. Unlike recreational play, therapeutic play is structured or guided by a therapist to target specific objectives such as exercising…

Therapeutic VR(also: VR Therapy, Virtual Reality Therapy, VR-Based Intervention)

The use of virtual reality technology for therapeutic purposes, including rehabilitation, mental health treatment, skills training, and cognitive development. Therapeutic VR leverages immersive environments to create controlled, repeatable scenarios that support goals such as…

Thermal Embosser(also: Thermal Swell Paper Printer)

A device that produces tactile graphics by heating speciality swell paper (also called microcapsule paper) to raise areas printed with dark ink or toner. The microcapsules embedded in the paper expand when exposed to heat, creating a raised surface that can be felt by touch.…

Thermo Pen(also: Thermal Pen, Heat Pen)

A specialized drawing instrument that produces heat at its tip, used in conjunction with swell paper (microcapsule paper) to create instant raised-line tactile graphics. When the thermo pen is drawn across swell paper, the heat causes the microcapsules in the paper to expand…

Thermoform(also: Vacuum-Formed Plastic, Thermoform Duplicator)

A method of producing tactile images and braille copies by heating a thin sheet of plastic and vacuum-forming it over a master copy (typically an embossed original) to create a durable raised-line reproduction. Thermoform machines heat plastic sheets and use vacuum pressure to…

Thermoforming(also: Vacuum Forming, Thermoform)

A manufacturing process used to create tactile graphics by heating a plastic sheet and pressing it over a mould to form a raised surface. In accessibility contexts, thermoforming is one of several methods for producing tactile maps and diagrams for people who are blind or have…

Thermotactile Feedback(also: Thermal Feedback, Thermal Haptic Feedback, Thermotactile Display)

Thermotactile feedback is a form of haptic communication that conveys information through controlled temperature changes on the skin, using heating or cooling elements such as Peltier thermoelectric modules. In accessibility, thermotactile feedback offers an alternative to…

Thingiverse

An online repository for sharing user-created digital design files, primarily for 3D printing. Thingiverse hosts a large collection of freely downloadable STL files, including many assistive technology designs. DIY-AT programs often source device designs from Thingiverse and…

Think Aloud(also: Think-Aloud Protocol, Verbal Protocol, Concurrent Think Aloud)

A research methodology where participants verbalize their thoughts while performing a task, providing insight into cognitive processes that would otherwise be unobservable. In accessibility research, think-aloud protocols are commonly used during usability testing to understand…

Think Aloud Protocol(also: Think-Aloud Method, Verbal Protocol Analysis, Thinking Aloud)

A usability testing method in which participants verbalize their thoughts, feelings, and decision-making processes while performing tasks with a system or interface. Developed for cognitive interface design research, the think aloud protocol helps evaluators understand how users…

Think-Aloud(also: Think-Aloud Protocol, Verbal Protocol Analysis)

A research method in usability and accessibility testing where participants verbalize their thoughts, strategies, and reactions while performing tasks. Think-aloud protocols are particularly valuable in accessibility research because they reveal the cognitive strategies and…

Think-Aloud Protocol(also: Think Aloud, Verbal Protocol Analysis)

A usability research method in which participants verbalize their thoughts, reactions, and decision-making processes while interacting with a system or performing a task. Think-aloud protocols provide rich qualitative data about user experience, revealing cognitive processes,…

Third Wave Accessibility(also: Third Wave HCI Accessibility)

An approach to accessibility that considers the full context of people's lives rather than focusing narrowly on task completion or interface design. Third wave accessibility recognizes that technology use is embedded in social, cultural, and emotional contexts, and that people…

Third place

A sociological concept coined by Ray Oldenburg describing informal social gathering spaces beyond the home (first place) and workplace (second place), such as cafes, parks, community centers, or clubs. Third places are characterized by inclusivity, voluntary participation, low…

Third-Party Tracking(also: 3rd-Party Tracking)

Tracking performed by a domain different from the one a user is visiting, typically via embedded scripts, ad networks, analytics tags, or browser extensions that phone home to external services. Third-party trackers aggregate browsing behaviour across many sites and can be…

Thought Diffusion(also: Cognitive Defusion, Defusion)

A technique from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy in which a person creates psychological distance from an intrusive thought by recognizing and naming it as simply a thought, rather than treating it as a fact or a command to act. For example, instead of reacting to the thought…