Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

104 results found in Education.

Graphical Model (Visual Model, Graphical Representation)
In educational and accessibility contexts, a visual representation system that uses shapes, colours, spatial relationships, and physical manipulation to convey abstract concepts. Graphical models for …
Guided Participation
Guided participation is a concept from Barbara Rogoff's developmental psychology describing how children learn through engaged collaboration with more experienced partners in everyday shared activitie…
Hyperstory (Interactive Story, Branching Narrative, Hypertext Story)
A hyperstory is an interactive, non-linear narrative structure in which users make choices that influence the direction and outcome of the story. Adapted from hypertext concepts, hyperstories combine …
IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act)
A United States federal law enacted in 1990 (reauthorized in 2004) that guarantees students with disabilities the right to a free appropriate public education (FAPE) in the least restrictive environme…
Inclusive Education (Inclusive Schooling, Mainstreaming)
An educational approach where students with disabilities learn alongside their non-disabled peers in mainstream classrooms, with appropriate supports, accommodations, and modifications to curriculum a…
Inclusive Learning (Inclusive Education Design, Accessible Learning)
An educational approach that ensures all learners, including those with disabilities, can fully participate in and benefit from learning activities and materials. Inclusive learning involves designing…
Institutional Barriers (Organizational Barriers, Systemic Barriers)
Obstacles to accessibility, technology adoption, or inclusion that arise from organizational policies, practices, norms, and cultures rather than from individual limitations or technology design. In s…
Intelligent Tutoring System (ITS, AI Tutor)
An AI-powered educational system that provides personalized instruction, feedback, and scaffolding adapted to individual learners' needs, knowledge levels, and learning patterns. Modern intelligent tu…
Language Acquisition (Language Development, Language Learning)
The process by which humans develop the ability to perceive, produce, and use language to communicate. In deaf children, language acquisition presents unique challenges: 90% of deaf children are born …
Language Immersion
An approach to language learning in which the learner is surrounded by and continuously exposed to the target language in natural, meaningful contexts rather than through isolated instruction. In the …
Lecture Captioning (Classroom Captioning, Lecture Transcription)
The real-time or post-production conversion of spoken lecture content into text, displayed to students during or after a class session. Lecture captioning can be performed by human captioners (such as…
Lecture Capture (Lecture Recording, Classroom Recording)
The process of recording classroom lectures, presentations, or educational sessions using video, audio, and screen capture technology for later review by students. Lecture capture systems range from s…
Lexile Framework (Lexile, Lexile Measure)
A commercial readability framework developed by MetaMetrics that places both texts and readers on a common scale — the Lexile measure — to support matching readers with materials at an appropriate lev…
Literacy Development (Literacy Learning, Reading Development)
The process of acquiring reading and writing skills, from early phonological awareness through fluent reading comprehension. Literacy development is a key focus of reading support technology research,…
Low Literacy (Limited Literacy, Functional Illiteracy)
A level of reading and writing ability that is below what is typically needed to function effectively in everyday situations requiring text comprehension. Low literacy may result from limited educatio…
Mainstream Education (Mainstreaming, Inclusive Education, Integrated Classroom)
The practice of educating students with disabilities in general education classrooms alongside non-disabled peers, rather than in separate special education settings. Mainstreaming emerged from disabi…
Mathematical Braille (Braille Mathematics, Math Braille)
Specialised braille notation systems used to represent mathematical symbols, expressions, and equations. Because standard literary braille has only 64 possible characters (from 6-dot cells), mathemati…
Mathematics Learning Disability (Math Disability, Mathematical Disability, Mathematics Disorder)
A specific learning disability that affects a person's ability to understand, learn, or perform mathematical operations. Mathematics learning disabilities can manifest as difficulty with number sense,…
Multi-Grade Classroom (Multi-Grade Teaching, Combined Classroom)
A classroom setting where a single teacher instructs students from multiple grade levels simultaneously. Multi-grade classrooms are common in schools for the blind in India, where teacher shortages re…
NGO Intervention (Non-Governmental Organization Intervention, Civil Society Intervention)
Programs and initiatives led by non-governmental organizations to address gaps in public services, including education, healthcare, and assistive technology provision for people with disabilities. In …