Glossary

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Voice banking(also: Voice preservation, Speech banking)

The process of recording and storing samples of a person's natural voice so that a synthetic version can be created for future use with text-to-speech systems. Voice banking is particularly important for people with degenerative conditions like ALS or motor neuron disease who…

Voice navigation(also: Voice control, Voice input)

An assistive technology that allows users to navigate and interact with digital content using spoken commands rather than a mouse, keyboard, or touchscreen. Voice navigation systems such as Dragon NaturallySpeaking, Voice Control on macOS/iOS, and Voice Access on Android enable…

Voice over IP(also: VoIP, Internet Telephony, IP Telephony)

Technology that enables voice communication over internet protocol networks rather than traditional telephone lines. VoIP applications such as Skype, Zoom, and Teams allow voice and video calls over the internet at low cost. For accessibility, VoIP presents both opportunities…

Voice over Internet Protocol(also: VoIP, IP Telephony, Internet Calling)

Technology that enables voice communication over internet networks rather than traditional telephone lines. VoIP converts voice signals into digital packets transmitted over IP networks, enabling features like video calling, lower costs, and flexible integration with other…

Voice over LTE(also: VoLTE, LTE Voice, HD Voice)

A standard for transmitting voice calls over 4G LTE mobile networks using IP-based protocols rather than legacy circuit-switched networks. VoLTE typically uses the AMR-WB codec, enabling wideband HD voice quality that significantly benefits people with hearing loss. The improved…

Voice prosthesis(also: speech prosthesis, voice restoration device)

A device that enables speech production for people who have lost their natural voice, typically due to laryngectomy or severe laryngeal damage. Voice prostheses include external devices like electrolarynx (which produces vibrations held against the neck or inserted into the…

Voice rest(also: vocal rest, voice therapy)

A prescribed period of reduced or eliminated voice use, typically following laryngeal surgery, vocal cord injury, or to treat voice disorders. During voice rest, patients may be instructed to whisper or remain completely silent, relying on written communication, AAC devices, or…

Voice user interface(also: VUI, Conversational interface, Voice interface)

A human-computer interaction paradigm that uses speech as the primary input and audio output as the primary feedback channel. Voice user interfaces range from simple command-and-response systems to conversational agents with natural language understanding. VUIs offer significant…

Voice-Activated Personal Assistant(also: VAPA, Voice Assistant, Virtual Assistant)

AI-powered software that responds to spoken commands to perform tasks such as scheduling, setting reminders, searching information, and controlling devices. Examples include Siri, Alexa, Google Assistant, and Cortana. For blind and low vision users, VAPAs offer hands-free…

Voice-Assisted Technology(also: VAT, Voice-Activated Technology)

Technology that uses voice recognition and natural language processing to enable users to interact with devices, applications, and services through spoken commands. Voice-assisted technology encompasses smart speakers, virtual assistants on phones, and voice-enabled appliances.…

Voice-First Design(also: Voice-First Interface, Audio-First Design)

A design approach for applications and interfaces where voice is the primary input and output modality, with visual elements being secondary or absent. Voice-first design is particularly relevant for accessibility tools serving visually impaired users, where the entire user…

Voice-activated personal assistant(also: VAPA, Smart assistant, Virtual assistant)

An AI-powered software agent that responds to voice commands to perform tasks such as answering questions, controlling smart home devices, managing schedules, and reading content aloud. For people with visual impairments, VAPAs like Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and Apple Siri…

Voice-to-Text(also: Voice Typing, Dictation, Voice Input)

Technology that converts spoken language into written text, enabling users to compose text by speaking rather than typing. Voice-to-text is an important accessibility tool for people with motor disabilities affecting manual dexterity, repetitive strain injuries, or temporary…

VoiceOver

The built-in screen reader provided by Apple across macOS, iOS, iPadOS, watchOS, and tvOS. VoiceOver is notable for being deeply integrated into the operating system rather than being a separate application, which gives it direct access to the accessibility APIs of native…

VoiceXML(also: Voice Extensible Markup Language, VXML)

VoiceXML (Voice Extensible Markup Language) is a W3C standard markup language for creating voice-based user interfaces, particularly interactive voice response (IVR) systems and voice browsers. VoiceXML allows developers to define dialogs between a user and a system using…

Voicemail(also: Voice Mail, Voice Messaging)

Voicemail is a telecommunications service that records an audio message from a caller when the called party is unavailable, for later retrieval by the recipient. Accessibility considerations include: reliance on hearing to listen to messages (a barrier for Deaf and…

Voicemark(also: Voice Bookmark, Audio Bookmark)

A navigable audio marker or bookmark that allows users to quickly locate and access specific sections of web content or documents through speech or keyboard interaction. Voicemarks are created by analyzing and labeling content segments, then storing these labeled references in a…

Voicemarking(also: Voice Bookmark, Speech-Based Bookmark)

A speech-based technique for creating and retrieving semantic bookmarks in assistive web browsers. Users create voicemarks by speaking the name of a concept (e.g., "Major Headlines") and optionally a keyword, allowing them to later jump directly to that content on any website…

Volumetric Symbol(also: 3D Symbol, Volumetric Icon)

A small three-dimensional object used on a tactile or audio-tactile map to represent a category of place or facility — for example, a distinct shape for a restroom, elevator, information desk, or exhibition entrance. Research on tactile cartography has shown that blind map users…

Volunteer-Driven Accessibility(also: Community-Driven Accessibility)

Accessibility solutions that depend on the unpaid labor of volunteers rather than being built into platforms or services by design. Examples include volunteer-created accessible e-newspapers for blind readers, crowd-sourced image descriptions, and human-powered visual assistance…

Volunteered Geographic Information(also: VGI, Citizen-Generated Geospatial Data)

Geographic information voluntarily created and shared by citizens, often using GPS-enabled smartphones, mapping tools, and online platforms. VGI enables large-scale collection of spatial data at low cost through citizen participation. In accessibility contexts, VGI includes…

Vote Verification(also: Cast-as-Intended Verification, Recorded-as-Cast Verification)

The ability for a voter to confirm that their vote was correctly cast, recorded, and counted — a core requirement for trustworthy electronic and online elections. Traditional code-based verification schemes (Helios, Belenios) ask the voter to compare random strings between their…

VoxLens

An open-source JavaScript plug-in developed at the University of Washington that improves the accessibility of online data visualizations for screen-reader users through a multimodal approach. VoxLens provides three interaction modes: a Question-and-Answer mode where users can…

Vulnerable population research(also: Research with vulnerable groups)

Research involving participants who may have diminished capacity to provide fully informed consent or who are at elevated risk of harm, including older adults with cognitive decline, people with dementia, children with disabilities, and individuals with intellectual…

W3C(also: World Wide Web Consortium)

The main international standards organisation for the World Wide Web, founded by Tim Berners-Lee in 1994. The W3C develops and maintains specifications including HTML, CSS, SVG, and ARIA. Its Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) is responsible for the Web Content Accessibility…

W4A(also: International Cross-Disciplinary Conference on Web Accessibility, Web for All)

An annual research conference focused specifically on web accessibility, held in conjunction with the World Wide Web Conference (WWW/TheWebConf). W4A brings together researchers studying how to make the web accessible to people with disabilities, covering topics such as…

WAI(also: Web Accessibility Initiative)

A programme of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) that develops strategies, standards, and supporting resources to make the web accessible to people with disabilities. WAI is responsible for producing some of the most widely adopted accessibility standards, including the Web…

WAI-ARIA(also: ARIA, Accessible Rich Internet Applications)

A W3C technical specification that defines a set of HTML attributes (roles, states, and properties) for making dynamic web content and user interface components accessible to people using assistive technologies. WAI-ARIA bridges the gap between rich interactive web applications…

WAI-ARIA(also: ARIA, Accessible Rich Internet Applications, WAI-ARIA Specification)

A W3C technical specification that defines a set of HTML attributes (roles, states, and properties) to make dynamic web content and custom user interface widgets accessible to people using assistive technologies such as screen readers. ARIA allows developers to communicate the…

WAP(also: Wireless Application Protocol)

A suite of protocols and specifications designed to enable mobile devices to access internet content and services. WAP defined standards for how mobile devices communicate with web servers, including markup languages (WML, XHTML-MP) optimized for small screens and limited…

WAVE(also: WAVE Web Accessibility Evaluation Tool)

A suite of web accessibility evaluation tools developed by WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) that identifies accessibility and WCAG errors in web pages. WAVE provides visual feedback by injecting icons and indicators directly into the page to show accessibility issues, making…

WCAG(also: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, WCAG 1.0, WCAG 2.0)

A set of guidelines published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that define how to make web content more accessible to people with disabilities. WCAG is organized around four principles: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust (POUR). The current version in…

WCAG 2.4 Navigable(also: Guideline 2.4, Navigable Guideline)

A guideline within the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) under the Operable principle that requires web content to provide ways to help users navigate, find content, and determine where they are. Its success criteria address bypass blocks (skip navigation links), page…

WCAG Compliance(also: WCAG Conformance, Web Accessibility Compliance)

The degree to which a website or web application meets the requirements specified in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG defines three conformance levels (A, AA, AAA) with increasingly stringent criteria. Full WCAG compliance is rare — large-scale audits find…

WCAG Conformance(also: WCAG Compliance, Web Accessibility Conformance)

The degree to which a website or web application meets the requirements defined in the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG defines three conformance levels: Level A (minimum, addressing the most critical barriers), Level AA (the standard target for most regulations…

WCAG Conformance Levels(also: WCAG Levels, Level A, Level AA)

WCAG defines three levels of conformance that indicate the degree to which web content meets accessibility requirements. Level A is the minimum, addressing the most critical barriers that would completely prevent some users from accessing content. Level AA is the target for most…

WCAG-EM(also: Website Accessibility Conformance Evaluation Methodology)

A structured methodology published by the W3C for evaluating how well a website conforms to the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). WCAG-EM defines a five-step process: defining the evaluation scope, exploring the website, selecting a representative sample of pages,…

WEIRD(also: Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic)

An acronym standing for Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic — used to describe the demographic and cultural profile of populations that dominate research samples in psychology, HCI, and accessibility studies. The term highlights a significant bias: most…

WEIRD Bias(also: WEIRD Problem)

The overrepresentation of Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) populations in research, including HCI and accessibility studies. WEIRD bias means that findings, design guidelines, and technology solutions are predominantly shaped by and for a narrow…

WHODAS 2.0(also: WHODAS, WHO Disability Assessment Schedule, World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0)

WHODAS 2.0 is the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule, version 2.0, a standardized instrument that measures health and disability across six life domains: cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along with others, life activities, and participation in…

WIMP(also: Windows Icons Menus Pointer)

An acronym for Windows, Icons, Menus, and Pointers — the dominant graphical user interface paradigm used by most desktop operating systems since the 1980s. WIMP interfaces rely on a pointing device (typically a mouse) to interact with visual elements on screen, including…

WURFL(also: Wireless Universal Resource File)

An open-source device description repository that catalogs the capabilities of mobile devices in a large XML file. WURFL collects information about device features such as screen size, image format support, CSS support, and pointing device availability, enabling developers and…

WYSIWYG(also: What You See Is What You Get)

An acronym for "What You See Is What You Get," describing a user interface paradigm where content displayed on screen during editing closely resembles the final output (such as a printed document). While WYSIWYG editors are standard in word processing, they can present…

Wake Word(also: Hotword, Trigger Word, Activation Word)

A specific word or phrase that activates a voice-controlled device, such as "Hey Google," "Alexa," or "Hey Siri." The wake word must be spoken before any command for the device to begin listening. Wake words present accessibility barriers for people with speech disfluencies, as…

Walk-up-and-use System(also: Walk-up-and-use Design, Zero Training Interface)

A design paradigm for public access systems where any user should be able to successfully complete tasks without prior training, instruction, or experience with the specific system. Walk-up-and-use systems must accommodate users with diverse abilities, technology experience, and…

Walkability(also: Walkability Index, Pedestrian Accessibility)

A measure of how conducive an area is to walking, considering factors such as the presence, quality, and connectivity of sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, street lighting, and proximity to destinations. Traditional walkability indices like Walk Score focus on distance to…

Walkability Index(also: Walk Score, Walkability Score, Pedestrian Accessibility Index)

A numerical metric that quantifies how walkable a neighborhood or location is based on the proximity and density of destinations reachable on foot, such as grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants, and transit stops. Services like walkscore.com have made walkability indices…

Watershed Algorithm(also: Watershed Segmentation, Watershed Transform)

An image segmentation technique inspired by geographical hydrology, where the gradient magnitude of an image is treated as a topographical surface. The algorithm simulates water flowing downhill from each pixel to local minima, forming catchment basins that define segmented…

Wav2Vec(also: Wav2Vec2, Wav2Vec 2.0)

A family of self-supervised speech representation models from Meta AI that learn rich acoustic embeddings directly from raw waveform audio without requiring transcribed training data. Wav2Vec 2.0, introduced in 2020, became a backbone for low-resource automatic speech…

Wavefront Analyzer(also: Aberrometer, Wavefront Sensor)

An optical instrument that measures how light waves are distorted as they pass through the eye's optical system, producing a detailed map of the eye's refractive characteristics called a wavefront aberration function. Unlike standard eye exams that measure only basic refractive…