Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
899 results found in Assistive Technology.
- Symbol Selection Set (Symbol Board, Communication Board)
- A structured collection of graphic symbols, words, or phrases arranged in a grid or other layout for use in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Users select symbols to compose messages, …
- Symbol-Based Communication (Picture-Based Communication, Graphic Symbol Communication)
- A form of augmentative communication that uses visual symbols — including pictures, photographs, line drawings, or icons — to represent words, concepts, or messages. Symbol-based communication is part…
- Symbol-based AAC (Picture-based AAC, Pictographic AAC, Picture Communication Symbols)
- Symbol-based AAC refers to augmentative and alternative communication systems whose vocabulary is represented by graphic symbols, line drawings, photographs, or pictograms rather than (or alongside) w…
- Synthesized Speech (Synthetic Speech, Speech Synthesis, TTS Output)
- Computer-generated speech produced by text-to-speech (TTS) engines that convert written text into spoken audio output. Synthesized speech is the primary means by which screen readers convey on-screen …
- Synthesized Video Description (TTS Video Description, Text-to-Speech Description, Synthesized Audio Description)
- An audio description for video content that is generated using text-to-speech (TTS) technology rather than recorded by a human narrator. A describer writes a text script describing the visual elements…
- Synthetic Speech (Artificial Speech, Computer-generated Speech)
- Speech that is artificially produced by computer systems rather than recorded from human speakers. Synthetic speech is the output of text-to-speech systems and is fundamental to screen readers and voi…
- System Access (SA, System Access to Go, SA To Go)
- A screen reader for Windows developed by Serotek Corporation that was notable for offering a free version and a portable "To Go" edition that could run from a USB drive without installation. System Ac…
- T9 (Text on 9 Keys, Tegic T9)
- T9 (Text on 9 Keys) is a dictionary-based predictive text-entry method developed by Tegic Communications in the 1990s for mobile phone keypads with multiple letters assigned to each numeric key. Rathe…
- Table Navigation Mode (Table Navigation)
- A screen reader feature that allows users to navigate within data tables by moving a virtual cursor cell-by-cell in two dimensions — by row and by column — rather than reading content linearly. Introd…
- Table-to-Prose (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 transform…
- Tablet Input (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 (s…
- Tactile Animation (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…
- Tactile Authoring (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. Ta…
- Tactile Graphics Assistant (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…
- Tactile Image Exploration (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…
- Tactile Imaging (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 in…
- Tactile Printer (Braille Embosser, Tactile Embosser)
- A device that produces raised-line graphics and text on paper or other media, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access visual information through touch. Tactile printers work by embo…
- Tactile Stimulation (Tactile Feedback, Cutaneous Stimulation)
- Tactile stimulation refers to the use of physical sensations delivered to the skin to convey information, typically through vibrations, pin arrays, textures, or pressure changes. In assistive technolo…
- Tactile Working Memory (Haptic Working Memory, Touch Working Memory)
- The cognitive system responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating tactile information received through the sense of touch. Similar to visual and auditory working memory, tactile working memory…
- Tactile learning (Haptic learning, Touch-based learning)
- An educational approach that uses the sense of touch as a primary channel for acquiring knowledge, developing skills, and understanding concepts. For BLV students, tactile learning is essential — brai…