Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
81 results found in Blindness and Low Vision.
- AI Suitcase (AI-suitcase, Accessibility AI Suitcase)
- A suitcase-shaped autonomous navigation robot for blind and low-vision travellers, developed as an open research platform by IBM Research, Carnegie Mellon University, Miraikan (the Japanese National M…
- Accessible Pedestrian Signal (APS, Audible Pedestrian Signal, Talking Traffic Signal)
- A traffic control device that communicates pedestrian signal information in non-visual formats, typically through audible tones, speech messages, or vibrating surfaces, enabling blind and visually imp…
- Acoustic Vehicle Alerting System (AVAS, Minimum sound requirement, Pedestrian warning sound)
- A class of vehicle systems that emit artificial sound to alert pedestrians and other road users to the presence and movement of quiet vehicles — typically electric and hybrid vehicles at low speeds, w…
- Ambient Audio (Ambient Sound, Environmental Audio, Background Audio)
- The background sound of an environment — voices, traffic, water, wind, music, birdsong — captured incidentally rather than as the main focus of a recording. In accessible photography and audiophotogra…
- Anticipatory Grasp (Pregrasp Planning, Pre-grasp, Pre-shaping, Anticipatory Grasp Planning)
- Anticipatory grasp refers to the pre-shaping of the hand before contact with an object, based on expectations about the object's size, shape, and orientation. In sighted people this planning is driven…
- AppleVis
- A community-driven website and discussion forum dedicated to accessibility on Apple platforms (macOS, iOS, iPadOS, tvOS, watchOS) for blind and low-vision users. It hosts app directories, podcasts, tu…
- Assistive Suitcase (Robotic Suitcase, Smart Suitcase)
- A mobility aid in the form factor of a rolling travel suitcase that has been augmented with sensors, computing, and feedback mechanisms to help blind or low-vision travellers navigate public spaces. T…
- Audio-Based Interface (Audio Interface, Auditory Interface)
- A computer interface that uses sound as the primary means of conveying information and supporting interaction, rather than visual display. Audio-based interfaces are essential for blind and visually i…
- Audio-Based Navigation (Audio Navigation, Auditory Navigation)
- A navigation approach that uses audio output — typically synthesised speech, spatial audio cues, or sonification — as the primary means of providing wayfinding information to users. Audio-based naviga…
- Audiophotography (Audiophotograph, Audio Photograph, Sound Photograph)
- A medium proposed by Frohlich and Tallyn in which a photograph is packaged together with an associated audio recording — typically ambient sound captured at the moment of the shutter, a spoken caption…
- BVI (Blind and Visually Impaired, BLV, Blind and Low Vision)
- A widely used abbreviation in accessibility and HCI research denoting "blind and visually impaired" — the inclusive category that covers people who are totally blind, legally blind, or have any form o…
- Bixby Vision
- Bixby Vision is a visual-assistance feature in Samsung's Bixby assistant, built into Samsung Galaxy phones, that uses the device camera and AI to describe scenes, read text, identify objects and curre…
- Blind and Visually Impaired (BVI, Blind and low vision, BLV, Visually impaired)
- An umbrella term used in accessibility research and practice to encompass people whose vision is significantly reduced, from partial low vision (for example, reduced acuity, contrast sensitivity, or f…
- BlindSquare
- A GPS-based iOS accessibility app designed for people who are blind or have low vision, providing spoken information about the surrounding environment — nearby points of interest, intersections, stree…
- Bone-Conducting Headphones (Bone Conduction Headphones, Bone Conduction Headset)
- Headphones that transmit sound by vibrating the skull bones directly to the inner ear, bypassing the outer and middle ear and leaving the ear canals open. In accessibility contexts they are widely use…
- Bone-Conduction Headset (Bone-conduction headphones, Bone-conduction earphones)
- A headphone that delivers sound by vibrating the bones of the skull and jaw rather than projecting air through the ear canal, leaving the wearer's ears uncovered and able to hear ambient sound. Bone-c…
- CaBot (Carry-on Robot, Carnegie Mellon Suitcase Robot)
- A research project begun in 2017 at Carnegie Mellon University that developed a suitcase-shaped autonomous navigation robot to guide blind and low-vision travellers through indoor public spaces. CaBot…
- Cane Simulation (Virtual Cane, White Cane Simulation)
- A virtual reality application that simulates the experience of using a white cane (long cane) for navigation, allowing blind users to explore virtual environments through haptic feedback. In a cane si…
- Cane Technique (White Cane Technique, Long Cane Technique)
- The set of physical methods a blind or low-vision person uses to manipulate a long white cane while traveling. Common techniques include the two-point touch (side-to-side sweeping, touching ground at …
- Category 3 Blindness (ICD-10 H54 Category 3, WHO Category 3 Visual Impairment)
- A classification of severe visual impairment under the World Health Organization's ICD-10 coding for disorders of the visual system (H54). Category 3 covers blindness in which the better eye has prese…