Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
18 results found in Assistive technology.
- Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)
- A family of in-vehicle technologies that partially automate driving tasks — adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping, automatic emergency braking, parking assistance, blind-spot monitoring — while a huma…
- Audification
- A sonification technique that directly translates a data series into sound by mapping data values to audio waveform amplitudes, effectively "playing" the data as an audio signal. Unlike parameter mapp…
- BATE Principle (Beyond Accessibility to Efficiency)
- A design principle for assistive technology stating that devices should not merely provide basic access to a task but should enable a person with a disability to perform that task with the same effici…
- Dual Channel Audio (Dual Audio Channel, Two-Channel Audio)
- An audio configuration that provides two independent, simultaneous audio streams to a user, typically through separate channels in a headset. In assistive technology, dual channel audio is important f…
- Electrical Muscle Stimulation (EMS, Neuromuscular Electrical Stimulation, NMES)
- A technique that uses electrical impulses delivered through surface electrodes to elicit muscle contractions. EMS is used therapeutically for muscle re-education, spasticity management, and rehabilita…
- Flatbed Scanner (Desktop Scanner, Document Scanner)
- A device that uses a flat glass surface on which documents or books are placed face-down to be digitised by a sensor that moves beneath the glass. In assistive technology, flatbed scanners have been u…
- Graphics Tablet (Drawing Tablet, Pen Tablet, Digitiser Tablet)
- An input device consisting of a flat surface on which a user draws or points with a stylus to interact with a computer. Graphics tablets translate the position and pressure of the stylus into cursor m…
- Haptic Magnetism (Force Attraction, Haptic Gravity)
- A technique used in haptic interfaces where virtual attractive forces pull a haptic device (such as a stylus) toward nearby virtual objects, simulating a magnetic or gravitational effect. In accessibl…
- Indirect Text Entry (Indirect Selection, Indirect Text Composition)
- A text input method where the number of available input controls (such as switches or keys) is significantly smaller than the number of characters that can be entered. The user selects characters thro…
- Model-Based Sonification (MBS)
- A sonification approach in which a virtual model or simulation is constructed from the data, and sound is produced through the user's interaction with that model. Rather than passively mapping data to…
- Music Visualisation (Music Visualization, Sound Visualisation, Audio Visualisation)
- The representation of musical or audio content through visual media such as drawings, animations, colour changes, or motion graphics. Music visualisation is an important accessibility strategy for dea…
- Object Localisation (Object Localization, Spatial Localisation)
- The process of determining the position and location of an object within a physical or virtual space. In accessibility, object localisation is a key challenge for blind and visually impaired users int…
- Portable Reader (Portable Reading Device, Portable Reading Machine)
- An assistive technology device that combines a camera or scanner with optical character recognition and text-to-speech output to enable blind or visually impaired users to read printed text independen…
- Scanning (Switch Scanning, Automatic Scanning)
- An indirect selection method used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and assistive technology where items (letters, words, or commands) are highlighted sequentially by the system, and…
- Sony Access Controller (PlayStation Access Controller, Project Leonardo)
- A customisable game controller released by Sony in 2023 for the PlayStation 5, designed for players with limited motor control. The Access Controller is a circular unit with swappable button caps, lon…
- Surface Electromyography (sEMG, Surface EMG)
- A non-invasive technique for measuring the electrical activity produced by skeletal muscles, using electrodes placed on the skin over the muscle. Surface EMG is used in biomechanics, prosthetic contro…
- Switch (Adaptive Switch, Accessibility Switch)
- An assistive technology input device that is activated by a single action such as pressing, squeezing, blowing, blinking, or moving a body part. Switches are designed for people with significant motor…
- Transparent Video Overlay (Transparent Video, Video Overlay, Translucent Video)
- A display technique where a live video feed is rendered as a semi-transparent layer on top of another application, allowing users to see both the video content and the underlying application simultane…