Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
899 results found in Assistive Technology.
- Medical Making (Clinical Making)
- The practice of clinicians — particularly occupational therapists, physical therapists, and physicians — creating custom assistive devices for their patients using digital fabrication tools such as 3D…
- Memory Aid (Memory Wallet, Memory Book, External Memory Aid)
- A tool or device that supports memory function by providing external cues, reminders, or stored information that a person can reference. For people with dementia or other cognitive impairments, memory…
- Memory Cue (Memory Prompt, Recall Cue, Retrieval Cue)
- Any stimulus — such as a photograph, sound, object, location, or verbal prompt — that triggers the recollection of a past experience or piece of information. In assistive technology for people with ep…
- Microcapsule Paper (Swell Paper, Capsule Paper, Swell Touch Paper)
- A specialized paper used to create raised tactile graphics, containing heat-sensitive microcapsules of alcohol embedded in its surface. When black carbon-based ink is printed on the paper and then pas…
- Microsoft Copilot (Copilot, Microsoft 365 Copilot, Copilot in Excel)
- Microsoft Copilot is a family of generative AI assistants integrated into Microsoft 365 applications including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams, as well as GitHub and Windows. In Excel and …
- Mid-Air Ultrasound Haptics (Ultrasound Haptics, Airborne Ultrasound Tactile Display, AUTD)
- A non-contact haptic technology that uses phased arrays of ultrasonic transducers to focus acoustic radiation pressure onto a user's skin, producing tactile sensations in mid-air without any worn or h…
- Midas Touch Effect (Midas Touch Problem)
- An interaction design challenge in touch-based and gesture-based interfaces where the system cannot distinguish between intentional activation commands and incidental or exploratory touches. Named aft…
- Minor Resistance (Everyday Resistance)
- A concept describing the everyday, often subtle strategies that people use to exercise agency and push back against power structures that constrain their choices, particularly in the context of assist…
- Mispronunciation Detection (Pronunciation Error Detection, Mispronunciation Diagnosis)
- Mispronunciation detection is the automated process of identifying errors in a speaker's pronunciation by comparing their speech production against a target or expected utterance. In assistive technol…
- Mobile AAC (Smartphone AAC, App-Based AAC)
- Augmentative and alternative communication systems delivered through mainstream mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets, rather than dedicated AAC hardware. Mobile AAC applications can signific…
- Mobile AR (Smartphone AR, Handheld AR)
- Augmented reality experiences delivered on commodity smartphones and tablets using the built-in camera, display, inertial sensors, and (increasingly) depth sensors, without specialized AR headsets. Mo…
- Mobile Automation (mobile workflow automation, trigger-action automation)
- Mobile automation refers to the use of scripting tools and platform features on smartphones to automatically perform sequences of actions — such as launching apps, capturing screenshots, invoking APIs…
- Mobile Phone (Cell Phone, Cellular Phone, Mobile)
- A mobile phone is a portable radio-telephone that connects to the public telephone network over cellular radio infrastructure. In digital-accessibility practice mobile phones are both an accessibility…
- Mobile Virtual Reality (Mobile VR, Smartphone VR)
- Virtual reality systems delivered through a smartphone and consumer-grade accessories (wireless headphones, simple hand-held mounts) rather than a dedicated head-mounted display and PC rig. For access…
- MobileASL
- A research project from the University of Washington that developed video compression technology enabling real-time, two-way American Sign Language (ASL) video communication on mobile phones. MobileAS…
- Mobility Aid (Mobility Device, Mobility Equipment)
- A mobility aid is any device designed to assist people with mobility impairments in moving from one place to another, including wheelchairs, walkers, rollators, canes, crutches, and powered scooters. …
- Mobility Assessment (Mobility Evaluation, Gait Assessment)
- A clinical evaluation that quantifies a person's movement capabilities, including walking pattern, balance, and motor performance. Mobility assessments are used to diagnose conditions like Parkinson's…
- Modifier Tactile Pattern (Modifier Tacton, Compound Tacton)
- A vibrotactile design technique that combines two or more independent Tactons, each conveying a separate parameter, into a single composite pattern. Changing one component modifies one dimension of me…
- Morse Code (Morse Code Input)
- A communication system that encodes text characters as sequences of short signals (dots) and long signals (dashes). Originally developed for telegraphy, Morse code has found significant application in…
- Motion History Image (MHI)
- A computer vision technique that represents motion in video sequences as a single grayscale image, where pixel intensity indicates recency of movement. Brighter pixels represent more recent motion whi…