Glossary

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Table accessibility(also: Accessible tables, Data table accessibility)

The practice of structuring data tables so they can be understood by assistive technology users. Accessible tables require proper markup that distinguishes header cells from data cells, establishes relationships between headers and the data they describe, provides captions or…

Table navigation(also: Table browsing, Grid navigation)

A set of screen reader commands that allow users to move between cells, rows, and columns within HTML tables, hearing row and column headers announced for context at each position. Effective table navigation enables non-visual users to understand spatial relationships in…

Table-to-Prose(also: Table-to-Prose Transformation, Tabular Data Narration)

The process of converting structured tabular data into natural language prose descriptions that can be easily understood when read aloud or presented through speech synthesis. Table-to-prose transformation goes beyond simple cell-by-cell linearization by constructing coherent…

Tablet Input(also: Graphics Tablet, Pen Tablet, Digitizer Tablet)

An input device consisting of a flat surface that detects the position and movement of a stylus or digital pen, translating physical writing and drawing motions into digital input. Graphics tablets (such as those made by Wacom) provide an alternative to mouse input that…

Tablet PC(also: Tablet Computer, Pen Tablet)

A portable computing device featuring a touchscreen display that can be operated with fingers, a stylus, or both. For accessibility purposes, tablets offer several advantages: adjustable screen angle and position, portability for use in comfortable positions, direct manipulation…

Tabular Data(also: Table Data, Structured Data)

Information organized in a grid of rows and columns, commonly found in spreadsheets, databases, and HTML tables. For accessibility, tabular data must be properly structured with row and column headers so that assistive technologies can convey the relationships between data cells…

Tactile Accuracy

Tactile accuracy is an evaluation criterion for measuring how well a person perceives the shape information of an object in a tactile image through touch. Unlike "naming accuracy" (whether someone can name the object), tactile accuracy captures whether the person has obtained…

Tactile Acuity(also: Touch Acuity, Tactile Resolution)

The ability to perceive and discriminate fine spatial details through the sense of touch, analogous to visual acuity for sight. Tactile acuity varies across body regions, with fingertips having the highest resolution at approximately 1-2mm spacing. In the context of…

Tactile Aid(also: Tactile Learning Aid, Tactile Tool)

A physical object designed to convey information through touch, used to make visual or abstract concepts accessible to people who are blind or have low vision. Tactile aids can include raised-line drawings, textured surfaces, 3D-printed models, and laser-cut representations of…

Tactile Animation(also: Animated Tactile Graphics, Tactile Motion Graphics)

A sequence of tactile images displayed over time on a refreshable tactile display to convey motion, change, or dynamic processes through touch. Unlike static tactile graphics, tactile animations allow blind and low-vision users to perceive movement, temporal progression, and…

Tactile Art(also: Touch Art, Haptic Art)

Pictures, illustrations, sculptures, and multimodal compositions that are created to be accessible through the sense of touch, either crafted intentionally for touch-focused experiences or made accessible through tactile or haptic properties. Tactile art is distinguished from…

Tactile Authoring(also: Tactile Graphic Authoring, BLV Authoring)

The creation of tactile graphics — raised-line drawings, swell-paper images, or refreshable-display renderings — by or with blind and low-vision authors, rather than exclusively by sighted experts. Tactile authoring tools include moldable materials, 3D printing pens,…

Tactile Ballot(also: Tactile Voting Device, Tactile Template, Tactile Sleeve)

A physical overlay, sleeve, or template placed over a paper ballot that provides raised, cut-out, or braille markings aligned with ballot boxes so that blind and low-vision voters can locate candidate entries by touch and mark their choice independently. Tactile ballots have…

Tactile Captions(also: Haptic Captions, Vibrotactile Captions)

An enhanced captioning approach that supplements traditional text-based captions with vibrotactile feedback, allowing deaf and hard of hearing viewers to feel non-speech sounds (such as phone rings, doorbells, footsteps, or objects falling) through a wrist-worn or body-worn…

Tactile Contrast

The degree of perceptible difference between adjacent or co-occurring tactile elements, analogous to visual contrast in graphic design. In tactile graphics, sufficient contrast between neighboring regions is essential for readers to identify boundaries and distinguish different…

Tactile Data Comics(also: TDC)

A presentation method for accessible education that combines step-by-step tactile graphics on a refreshable tactile display with synchronized verbal narration. Inspired by visual data comics, tactile data comics decompose complex images into sequential frames that progressively…

Tactile Diagram(also: Raised Diagram, Embossed Diagram)

A diagram rendered in a tactile format that can be explored through touch, typically using raised lines, textures, and Braille labels on special paper or thermoform plastic. Tactile diagrams are essential for teaching STEM concepts to students with vision impairments,…

Tactile Display(also: Haptic Display)

A device that presents information through the sense of touch, using raised elements, vibrations, or other tactile stimuli to convey data that would typically be presented visually. Tactile displays serve as assistive technology for blind and low vision users, enabling access to…

Tactile Dome(also: Truncated Dome, Detectable Warning Surface)

Small raised bumps arranged in a grid pattern on ground surfaces to provide a tactile warning of an upcoming hazard, such as a curb edge, train platform edge, or street crossing. Tactile domes are part of the broader category of tactile walking surface indicators and are…

Tactile Dowsing

An interaction technique that uses vibrotactile feedback to guide a user toward a target direction in space without visual cues. The term draws an analogy to water dowsing, where a divining rod supposedly reacts when pointing toward the target. In tactile dowsing, a handheld…

Tactile Drawing(also: Tactile Picture Making)

The process of creating raised-line images that can be perceived through touch rather than vision. Tactile drawing can be done by blind or sighted people using methods such as drawing on swell paper with a thermo pen to produce immediately raised lines, using a stylus on plastic…

Tactile Exhibit(also: Touch Exhibit, Hands-On Exhibit, Tactile Display)

A museum or gallery exhibit designed to be explored through touch rather than sight, allowing visitors to physically interact with objects, models, or replicas. Tactile exhibits are particularly important for accessibility as they enable blind and low-vision visitors to…

Tactile Exploration(also: Haptic Exploration, Touch-Based Exploration)

The process of perceiving and understanding objects, surfaces, or spatial layouts through systematic touch. For blind and low vision users, tactile exploration is a primary means of gathering spatial and structural information about the physical world. Effective tactile…

Tactile Exploration Strategy(also: Haptic Exploration Strategy, Touch Exploration Pattern)

A systematic approach or pattern that a person uses when exploring tactile graphics, maps, or other touch-based representations. Research has identified several distinct strategies: "following outlines" (tracing the borders of shapes), "saccade" (jumping between specific zones),…

Tactile Feedback(also: Haptic Feedback, Touch Feedback)

Physical sensations provided to a user through touch, including vibrations, textures, pressure, or resistance, that communicate information or confirm interactions. In accessibility, tactile feedback serves as a non-visual, non-auditory channel for conveying…

Tactile Fidelity

The degree of detail and accuracy in a tactile representation compared to the real object or concept it represents. High-fidelity tactile models include fine details, textures, and proportional accuracy, while low-fidelity models use simplified shapes and reduced detail to…

Tactile Graphic(also: Tactile Image, Raised-Line Graphic, Tactile Diagram)

A physical representation of visual information that uses raised lines, textures, and relief to convey images, diagrams, maps, and other visual content through touch. Tactile graphics are essential for blind and visually impaired people to access visual information in education,…

Tactile Graphic Reader(also: Tactile Graphic Display, Tactile Image Reader)

A device that combines physical tactile graphics (raised-line images on paper) with digital audio feedback, enabling blind and visually impaired users to explore graphical content through touch while receiving spoken or sonified information about the elements they contact.…

Tactile Graphicacy(also: Tactile Literacy, Tactile Reading Skills)

The learned ability to read, interpret, and create meaning from tactile images, maps, diagrams, and graphics through touch. Just as visual graphicacy is developed through exposure to visual images, tactile graphicacy requires practice with a wide range of tactile materials and…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Diagrams, Raised Graphics)

Visual information represented in a raised or textured format that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and low vision users to access charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Tactile graphics use combinations of raised lines, textures, and braille labels to convey…

Tactile Graphics(also: Tactile Images, Tactile Diagrams, Raised-Line Graphics)

Visual information represented in a form that can be perceived through touch, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access images, diagrams, maps, charts, and spatial layouts. Tactile graphics can be created through embossing, thermoforming, 3D printing, or swell…

Tactile Graphics Assistant(also: TGA)

A software tool developed at the University of Washington that automates parts of the tactile graphics translation process to help specialists more efficiently convert printed images into tactile form for blind users. The TGA pipeline includes image classification (identifying…

Tactile Guide(also: Tactile Jig, Tactile Fixture)

A physical modification attached to equipment or tools that provides tactile directional feedback to guide a user through a task without relying on vision. In manufacturing and assembly settings, tactile guides are made from materials such as electrical tape, Dymo tape, metal…

Tactile Icon(also: Tactile Symbol, 3D Icon, Raised Icon)

A small raised or three-dimensional symbol placed on a tactile map or diagram that represents a real-world object, location, or concept through touch. Tactile icons can be abstract (geometric shapes requiring a legend) or representational (physically resembling the object they…

Tactile Ideation(also: Tactile Design Workshop, Non-Visual Ideation)

A design methodology adapted for people with visual disabilities that replaces visual ideation techniques (such as sketching, post-it notes, and ideation cards) with tactile and auditory alternatives. Techniques include using physical objects as conversation prompts…

Tactile Image(also: Tactile Graphic, Tactile Picture, Touch Image)

A tactile image is a raised or textured representation of a visual image designed to be perceived through touch rather than sight. Tactile images can be produced through various methods including embossing, swell paper (microcapsule paper), Braille printers, thermoforming, and…

Tactile Image Exploration(also: Tactile Graphics Exploration, Haptic Image Exploration)

Tactile image exploration is the process by which blind or visually impaired users perceive and interpret graphical content through touch, typically by moving their fingers across raised-line drawings, embossed diagrams, or haptic displays. Unlike visual perception, which allows…

Tactile Imaging(also: Tactile Image, Tactile Image Conversion, Visual-to-Tactile Conversion)

The process of converting visual images into tactile representations that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and visually impaired users to access graphical information. Tactile imaging involves simplifying complex visual content into raised patterns, textures, or…

Tactile Interface(also: Haptic interface, Touch-based interface)

An input/output interface that conveys information through the sense of touch — using vibration, pressure, skin stretch, temperature, or physical shape change. In navigation for blind people, tactile interfaces are often preferred to audio because they do not block the ambient…

Tactile Learning(also: Haptic Learning, Touch-Based Learning)

An educational approach that uses the sense of touch to convey information, explore concepts, and develop understanding. For blind and low vision learners, tactile learning encompasses reading Braille, exploring raised-line diagrams, manipulating physical models, and using…

Tactile Learning Material(also: Tactile Teaching Aid, Hands-On Learning Material)

Physical educational materials designed to be explored through touch, enabling students with vision impairments to understand concepts that are typically presented visually. Tactile learning materials include raised-line diagrams, 3D models, textured maps, manipulable math…

Tactile Legibility(also: Tactile Readability)

The ease with which tactile information—including tactile graphics, braille, and raised-line diagrams—can be accurately perceived and understood through touch. Tactile legibility depends on factors including the distinctiveness of textures used, appropriate spacing between…

Tactile Literacy(also: Tactile Reading Skills)

The ability to interpret, understand, and create information conveyed through the sense of touch, including the skills needed to read tactile graphics, maps, diagrams, braille, and other raised representations. Like visual literacy, tactile literacy must be developed…

Tactile Manipulatives(also: Tactile Learning Objects, Tactile Teaching Aids)

Physical objects designed to be explored through touch for educational purposes, particularly valuable for students who are blind or have low vision. In STEM accessibility, tactile manipulatives include embossed diagrams, 3D-printed models, textured game pieces, and…

Tactile Map(also: Raised Map, Touch Map)

A map designed to be read by touch, using raised lines, textures, braille labels, and other tactile elements to represent geographic or spatial information for blind and visually impaired users. Tactile maps can represent indoor spaces (floor plans), outdoor areas (campus maps,…

Tactile Maps(also: Tactile cartography, Raised-line maps)

Maps produced in physical, raised-relief form — typically on swell paper, vacuum-formed plastic, embossed paper, or 3D-printed substrate — so that blind and low-vision users can read geographic information by touch. Tactile maps use a constrained vocabulary of lines, textures,…

Tactile Marker(also: Tactile Anchor, Physical Anchor)

Physical objects such as coasters, placemats, or textured stickers placed in the environment to provide tactile reference points that help bridge virtual and physical interactions. In AR-based low-vision training, tactile markers attached to virtual objects can ground digital…

Tactile Markers(also: Bump Dots, Tactile Labels, Braille Labels)

Physical indicators such as raised dots, textured stickers, or braille labels applied to objects, appliances, and controls to make them identifiable by touch for people who are blind or have low vision. Tactile markers are commonly placed on oven dials, microwave buttons,…

Tactile Model(also: 3D Tactile Object, Touch Model)

A three-dimensional physical object designed to be explored through touch, used to convey spatial, structural, or conceptual information to blind and low vision users. Tactile models can represent anything from anatomical structures to geographical features to scientific…

Tactile Modeling(also: Tactile Demonstration, Touch Demonstration)

A body movement teaching technique where a blind or low vision student explores and inspects a demonstrator's body position through touch, allowing them to understand poses, movements, and form that would typically be learned through visual observation. Unlike physical guidance…