Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
10 results found in Disability Types.
- Aging (Ageing)
- Aging is the biological, psychological, and social process of growing older, which in accessibility practice is associated with a predictable cluster of changes: declining near and low-contrast vision…
- 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…
- Cognitive Disability (Cognitive Impairment, Intellectual and Developmental Disability)
- A broad category of disabilities affecting cognitive functions such as memory, attention, problem-solving, learning, and information processing. Cognitive disabilities may be developmental (present fr…
- Laryngectomy (Larynx Removal, Voice Box Removal)
- A surgical procedure to remove all or part of the larynx (voice box), most commonly performed as treatment for laryngeal cancer. Total laryngectomy removes the entire larynx and separates the airway f…
- Motor Impairment (Motor Disability, Physical Impairment, Movement Disorder)
- A condition that affects a person's ability to control physical movements, including fine motor skills (precise movements of hands and fingers) and gross motor skills (larger movements involving arms,…
- Postlingual Deafness (Postlingually Deaf, Acquired Hearing Loss)
- Hearing loss that occurs after a person has acquired spoken language, typically after about age three to five. Postlingually deaf people usually retain spoken-language fluency, literacy, and memory of…
- Sensorineural Hearing Loss (SNHL, Nerve Deafness)
- Sensorineural hearing loss is hearing loss caused by damage to the hair cells of the inner ear (cochlea) or the auditory nerve, in contrast to conductive hearing loss, which involves the outer or midd…
- Sloping Hearing Loss (High-frequency Hearing Loss, Sloping SNHL)
- Sloping hearing loss is a common audiogram shape in which hearing thresholds are relatively preserved at low frequencies and progressively worse at higher frequencies, producing a downward slope on th…
- Visible Disability (Apparent Disability)
- A disability that is readily apparent to outside observers through physical characteristics, mobility aids, or other visible indicators. Examples include amputations, paralysis, use of a wheelchair, o…
- Vision Impairment (Visual Impairment, VI)
- An umbrella term for any reduction in visual function — including low vision, blindness, and functional limitations that affect everyday tasks — regardless of cause. The World Health Organization dist…