Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
899 results found in Assistive Technology.
- Perceptual Bandwidth (Sensory Bandwidth, Information Bandwidth)
- Perceptual bandwidth refers to the rate at which a sensory channel can transmit information to the brain. In accessibility contexts, the concept highlights the fundamental asymmetry between vision and…
- Person-Technology Match (PTM, Matching Person and Technology)
- A systematic approach to selecting assistive technology by evaluating the fit between a person's specific abilities, needs, preferences, and environment and the features and demands of available techn…
- Personal Digital Assistant (PDA, Handheld Computer, Pocket PC)
- A portable handheld computing device popular in the late 1990s and early 2000s that combined features like a calendar, contacts, note-taking, and basic application support in a pocket-sized form facto…
- Personal Safety Management (PSM)
- Personal Safety Management refers to the informed, agential, and proactive participation of an individual in maintaining their own physical safety. Coined in accessibility research by Branham et al. (…
- Personalized Object Recognition (Teachable Object Recognition)
- A class of computer vision systems that allow an individual user — typically someone who is blind or has low vision — to train their device to recognize a small set of personally relevant objects (a s…
- Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
- Any data that can be used to identify a specific individual, such as name, email address, location, biometric data, or device identifiers. For assistive technology users, PII concerns are heightened b…
- Phonemic Spelling (Phonetic Spelling)
- The practice of spelling words based on their pronunciation rather than their conventional orthography, used as a workaround when text-to-speech systems do not support a desired language. In AAC conte…
- Photo Sharing (Photograph Sharing, Image Sharing)
- The activity of showing, distributing, or discussing photographs with others — in person, via email, or through social-networking platforms. As a social practice it conveys memories, experiences, and …
- Photo-based Communication (Visual Communication Aid, Image-based Communication)
- A communication strategy that uses photographs or images as the primary medium for conveying meaning, sharing experiences, and supporting conversation. For people with aphasia, intellectual disabiliti…
- Phrase-Based Communication (Phrase-Based AAC, Pre-Stored Phrase Communication)
- An augmentative and alternative communication approach where users select complete pre-composed phrases or sentences rather than constructing messages letter by letter or word by word. Phrase-based sy…
- Picture Communication Symbols (PCS, Boardmaker Symbols)
- A widely used graphic symbol system for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), consisting of simple, colorful line drawings representing words, phrases, and concepts. Developed by Mayer-Joh…
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- A structured augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system that teaches individuals to use pictures to communicate with others. Developed by Andrew Bondy and Lori Frost in 1985, PECS uses a …
- Picture Prompting (Visual prompting, Pictorial instruction)
- An instructional strategy that uses photographs or illustrations to depict how to complete each step of a task, providing visual guidance for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Pi…
- Picture Smart AI (JAWS Picture Smart AI)
- Picture Smart AI is a feature of the JAWS screen reader (Freedom Scientific/Vispero) that uses multimodal AI models to describe images, charts, and on-screen content on demand. It can describe a photo…
- Piezo Vibrator (Piezoelectric Vibrator, Piezoelectric Actuator)
- A device that converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations using the piezoelectric effect, commonly used in tactile displays and haptic feedback systems for assistive technology. Piezo vibra…
- Piezoelectric Actuator (Piezo Actuator, Piezoelectric Bimorph)
- A device that converts electrical energy into precise mechanical motion using the piezoelectric effect — the property of certain materials to change shape when an electric voltage is applied. In assis…
- Piggyback Prototyping (piggyback prototype, parasitic prototyping)
- Piggyback prototyping is a research methodology in which researchers add new features or interventions to already-deployed, live systems rather than building standalone prototypes, enabling study of u…
- Pin Array (Pin Matrix, Pin-Matrix Display)
- A grid of individually controllable pins used in refreshable tactile displays to create tactile images and text. Each pin can be raised or lowered electronically, and in some displays raised to multip…
- Pin-Matrix Display (Tactile Pin Display, Pin Array Display, Two-Dimensional Braille Display)
- A refreshable tactile display technology that uses a grid of individually controllable pins to create two-dimensional tactile images, as opposed to single-line refreshable Braille displays that show o…
- Pitch Detection (Pitch Tracking, Fundamental Frequency Detection)
- The computational process of determining the fundamental frequency (pitch) of an audio signal in real time. In accessibility, pitch detection is used in non-speech voice interfaces where changes in hu…