Glossary

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Web Proxy(also: HTTP Proxy, Intermediary, Edge Service)

A web proxy (or intermediary) is a server that sits between a user's browser and the origin web server, intercepting and potentially modifying HTTP requests and responses as they pass through. In the context of accessibility, proxy-based systems have been used to transform web…

Web Readability(also: Online Readability)

The ease with which web content can be read and understood, encompassing both visual factors (typography, layout, color, responsive design) and linguistic factors (vocabulary, sentence complexity, content structure). Web readability has been the dominant focus of reading support…

Web Segmentation(also: Page Segmentation, Web Page Segmentation)

The process of dividing a web page into distinct, meaningful sections or segments based on visual layout, structural markup, or content semantics. Web segmentation is important for accessibility because screen readers typically narrate content in DOM order, which may not reflect…

Web Services

A standardized method of communication between software applications over the internet, typically using protocols such as HTTP, XML, SOAP, or REST. In the context of accessibility, web services architecture enables intermediary-based approaches where accessibility…

Web Speech API(also: Web Speech, SpeechSynthesis API)

A browser-native JavaScript API that provides speech recognition and speech synthesis capabilities directly within web applications. The Web Speech API enables developers to add text-to-speech and voice recognition features without requiring users to install screen reader…

Web Tracking(also: Online Tracking, Behavioural Tracking)

The collection of information about users across websites, typically by third parties, using techniques such as cookies, fingerprinting, tracking pixels, and network requests. Web tracking raises privacy concerns and can disproportionately affect disabled users who install more…

Web Transcoding(also: Content Transcoding, Web Page Transcoding)

The process of transforming or reformatting web page content to make it more accessible or usable in different contexts. Transcoding techniques include removing irrelevant elements, reordering content, adding skip links, and simplifying page structure. Originally developed to…

Web Transcoding(also: Content Transcoding, Web Content Transformation)

The process of automatically transforming web content to improve its presentation or accessibility for specific users or devices. Transcoding techniques can include simplifying page structure, adapting content for different screen sizes, or modifying text for users with…

Web Widget(also: Widget, UI Widget, Web Component)

A discrete, interactive user interface element within a web page that allows users to perform specific actions or view dynamic content. Widgets range from simple controls like checkboxes and dropdown menus to complex components like date pickers, chat windows, autocomplete…

Web disorientation(also: Lost in hyperspace, Navigation disorientation)

The feeling of being lost or confused while navigating websites, characterized by difficulty knowing one's current location within a site, how to return to previously visited pages, or how to find desired information. Web disorientation is predicted by Internet confidence and…

Web of Things(also: WoT)

An application layer built on top of the Internet of Things (IoT) that uses open web standards — including HTTP, WebSockets, JSON-LD, and semantic web technologies — as a universal platform for interoperability between connected devices. Proposed by the W3C, the Web of Things…

Web-Based Learning(also: WBL, Online Learning, E-Learning)

An educational approach that delivers instructional content and learning experiences through web browsers and internet-connected platforms, encompassing everything from static course websites to interactive simulations and learning management systems. Web-based learning has…

WebAIM(also: Web Accessibility In Mind)

WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) is a non-profit organization based at the Center for Persons with Disabilities at Utah State University, founded in 1999 and recognized internationally as a leading provider of web accessibility expertise, training, and tooling. WebAIM produces…

WebAIM Million(also: WebAIM Million Report, The WebAIM Million)

An annual accessibility evaluation study conducted by WebAIM (Web Accessibility In Mind) that automatically tests the home pages of the top one million websites against WCAG 2 success criteria. The study has become a key benchmark for measuring the state of web accessibility…

WebAnywhere

A web-based, self-voicing screen reader developed at the University of Washington that enabled blind users to access the web from any computer with an Internet connection and sound output, without installing software. Launched in 2008, WebAnywhere ran entirely within a standard…

WebExtensions API(also: WebExtensions, Web Extensions API)

A cross-browser standard for building browser extensions, supported by Chrome, Firefox, Edge, Opera, and other major browsers. It defines how extensions declare capabilities in a manifest.json file, inject content scripts, run background logic, and access browser APIs such as…

WebVTT(also: Web Video Text Tracks, Web Video Text Tracks Format)

WebVTT (Web Video Text Tracks) is the W3C standard text format for providing timed text tracks — including captions, subtitles, descriptions, chapters, and metadata — synchronized with HTML5 <video> and <audio> elements. WebVTT evolved from the earlier SRT subtitle format,…

Webcam-Based Interaction(also: Camera-Based Interaction, Video-Based Input)

An interaction paradigm where users communicate with a computer system through a webcam or camera, using gestures, sign language, facial expressions, or body movements as input. In accessibility contexts, webcam-based interaction enables alternative input methods for people who…

Weber's Law(also: Weber Ratio, Weber's Ratio, Weber-Fechner Law)

Weber's Law is a foundational principle of psychophysics stating that the smallest detectable change in a stimulus — the just-noticeable difference — is a roughly constant fraction of the stimulus magnitude rather than a fixed absolute amount. For example, if a user can reliably…

Webtoon(also: Web Comic, Digital Comic)

A format of digital comic originating in South Korea, designed for vertical scrolling on mobile devices. Webtoons are characterized by their long, continuous vertical panels, vibrant colors, and dynamic visual storytelling that relies heavily on visual effects, motion lines, and…

Webtoon Accessibility

The practice of making webtoons—vertically scrolling digital comics—accessible to people with disabilities, particularly blind and low vision users. Key challenges include converting rich visual narratives into audio form while preserving emotional engagement, pacing, and…

Weed-Out Course(also: Gateway Course, Gatekeeper Course, Barrier Course)

A course in higher education, typically in STEM fields, that is perceived as intentionally rigorous to filter out students who are deemed unlikely to succeed in a given discipline. Courses like organic chemistry, calculus, and physics are commonly labelled as weed-out courses.…

Well-being(also: Wellbeing, Well Being)

Well-being is a multi-dimensional construct covering a person's physical health, psychological state, social connectedness, autonomy, and environmental quality of life. Accessibility research uses well-being as a target outcome because disability-related technology can be…

Well-being Monitoring(also: Health Monitoring, Remote Health Monitoring, Ambient Assisted Living)

The use of sensors, devices, and software systems to track and report on an individual's health and daily living indicators — such as mobility, sleep patterns, eating and drinking habits, personal hygiene, and medical conditions — typically within their home environment.…

Wernicke's Aphasia(also: Fluent Aphasia, Receptive Aphasia, Sensory Aphasia)

A type of aphasia caused by damage to Wernicke's area in the left temporal lobe of the brain. People with Wernicke's aphasia can produce fluent speech with normal rhythm and grammar, but their words often don't make sense—they may use incorrect words, made-up words (neologisms),…

Western Aphasia Battery(also: WAB, WAB-R, Western Aphasia Battery-Revised)

A standardized assessment tool used to evaluate language function in adults with acquired neurological disorders, particularly aphasia following stroke or brain injury. The WAB measures spontaneous speech, auditory verbal comprehension, repetition, and naming to classify aphasia…

Wheelchair(also: Manual Wheelchair, Power Wheelchair, Wheeled Mobility Device)

A mobility assistive device consisting of a chair mounted on wheels, used by people who have difficulty walking or cannot walk due to illness, injury, or disability. Wheelchairs range from basic manual models to powered chairs with advanced controls, and are recognized by the…

Wheelchair Accessibility(also: Wheelchair Access, Wheeled Mobility Access)

The degree to which physical environments, facilities, and services can be used by people who use wheelchairs. Wheelchair accessibility encompasses a wide range of factors including doorway widths, ramp availability and slope, floor surfaces, turning radius clearances, table and…

Wheelchair Assessment(also: Wheelchair Evaluation, Seating Assessment)

A structured clinical process conducted by trained rehabilitation professionals to determine the most appropriate wheelchair and seating system for an individual. The assessment typically involves multiple stages: a background interview covering medical history, lifestyle, and…

Wheelchair Basketball

An adaptive version of basketball played by athletes using sport-specific wheelchairs. The game follows similar rules to standing basketball with modifications for wheelchair use, including a classification system that assigns point values to players based on their functional…

Wheelchair Provision(also: Wheelchair Service Delivery, Wheelchair Service)

The comprehensive process of ensuring that individuals who need wheelchairs receive appropriate products along with the related services necessary for safe and effective use. As defined by the World Health Organization, wheelchair provision encompasses assessment, fitting,…

Wheelchair Rugby(also: Murderball, Quad Rugby)

A competitive adaptive sport for athletes with impairments affecting all four limbs, originally designed for athletes with quadriplegia. Played on an indoor court, it combines elements of rugby, basketball, and handball. The sport is known for its physicality, with…

Wheelchair Seating(also: Wheelchair Positioning)

The configuration and customization of a wheelchair's seating components to provide appropriate support, comfort, and functional positioning for the user. Proper wheelchair seating considers trunk support, head positioning, pelvic alignment, and pressure distribution. For users…

Wheelchair Service Provision(also: Wheelchair Service Delivery)

The systematic process of assessing, fitting, providing, and following up on wheelchair users to ensure they receive appropriate mobility devices matched to their individual needs, environment, and lifestyle. The WHO has established guidelines and training packages for…

Wheelchair Service Steps(also: Wheelchair Service Delivery Process)

The structured sequence of activities involved in providing appropriate wheelchair services to individuals with mobility impairments. These steps typically include assessment (evaluating the user's physical needs, environment, and lifestyle), procurement (sourcing appropriate…

Wheelchair Sports

Athletic activities played by athletes who use wheelchairs, either due to mobility impairments or as part of the sport's rules. Common wheelchair sports include basketball, rugby, tennis, racing, and fencing. Competitive wheelchairs are highly customized for each athlete based…

Wheelchair User

A person who uses a manual or powered wheelchair as their primary means of mobility. In VR accessibility research, wheelchair users face specific challenges including: controllers that require both hands (preventing simultaneous wheelchair operation), HMD cables that can catch…

Wheelchair-Accessible Taxi(also: WAT, Wheelchair Taxi, Accessible Taxi)

A taxi or on-demand vehicle fitted with a ramp or lift and interior tie-down points that allow a passenger to travel while seated in their wheelchair. Wheelchair-accessible taxis are a core component of paratransit in many cities, dispatched either through general-purpose taxi…

Whisper(also: OpenAI Whisper, Whisper ASR)

An open-source automatic speech recognition (ASR) model released by OpenAI in 2022, trained on 680,000 hours of multilingual and multitask supervised audio data. Whisper supports transcription in dozens of languages, translation into English, language identification, and…

Whispered Speech(also: Whisper, Whispering)

A mode of speech production in which the vocal folds do not vibrate periodically; sound is generated by turbulent airflow through a narrow glottal opening. Whispered speech lacks a fundamental frequency and carries lower acoustic energy, which makes it harder for humans and for…

White Cane(also: Long Cane, Mobility Cane, Blind Cane)

A lightweight, typically white or white-with-red-tip cane used by blind and visually impaired individuals as a mobility aid for detecting obstacles, changes in terrain, and environmental features while walking. The white cane serves dual purposes: as a practical tool for probing…

White Glove Service

A hospitality concept denoting personalized, detail-oriented service characterized by five qualities: anticipatory assistance (acting before being asked), discretion and privacy, attention to detail, personalization, and seamless problem resolution. In accessibility and…

White Noise(also: Broadband Noise)

A sound signal containing equal intensity across all audible frequencies, perceived as a constant hissing or static sound. In accessibility applications, white noise is valued for its localization properties—the broadband frequency content makes it easier for listeners to…

Whole-Self(also: Whole Self)

A concept from disability justice that frames a disabled person's identity, needs, and preferences as a rich, multidimensional whole — cultural background, lived experiences, interests, relationships, and aspirations — rather than being reduced to their disability or impairment.…

Wholeness

Wholeness is a core principle of the 10 Principles of Disability Justice articulated by Sins Invalid: the recognition that 'each person is full of history and life experience' and has inherent worth outside capitalist notions of productivity. It challenges medical-model framings…

Wi-Fi Fingerprinting(also: WiFi Fingerprinting, Wi-Fi Positioning)

An indoor localization technique that estimates a device's position by comparing the signal strengths of nearby Wi-Fi access points against a pre-collected database of "fingerprints" — measurements taken at known reference points across a building. Because Wi-Fi access points…

Wicked Problem

A problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Wicked problems resist traditional problem-solving approaches because effects cannot be isolated, outcomes are unpredictable,…

Wide-Range Achievement Test(also: WRAT, WRAT-5, WRAT sentence comprehension)

A standardised achievement test used to measure basic academic skills, including word reading, sentence comprehension, spelling, and math computation. In accessibility research, the WRAT sentence-comprehension sub-test has been validated as a measure of English literacy for Deaf…

Wideband Audio(also: HD Voice, High-Definition Audio)

Audio transmission that captures a broader range of frequencies (typically 50-7000 Hz or higher) compared to narrowband telephony (300-3400 Hz), resulting in clearer and more natural-sounding speech. In accessibility contexts, wideband audio is particularly important for hearing…

Widget(also: UI Widget, Web Widget, Interactive Component)

A discrete user interface object that users can interact with, such as a dropdown menu, slider, tab panel, date picker, modal dialog, or autocomplete field. The W3C defines a widget as a "discrete user interface object with which the user can interact." In web accessibility,…