Glossary

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

14 results found in Legal and Policy.

ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
A landmark United States civil rights law enacted in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including employment, education, transportati…
Accessible Canada Act (ACA, Canadian Accessibility Act)
Canadian federal legislation (S.C. 2019, c. 10) that aims to make Canada barrier-free by 2040 by requiring federally regulated organisations (banks, telecommunications, transportation, the federal gov…
Automated Decision Making (ADM, Automated Decision System, ADS)
The use of software, statistical models, or AI to make or substantially inform decisions about people — eligibility for loans, jobs, benefits, housing, healthcare, or parole — with limited or no human…
Automated Employment Decision System (AEDS, AEDT, Automated Employment Decision Tool)
A software system that screens, evaluates, categorises, recommends, or otherwise makes or facilitates hiring or employment decisions about job candidates or workers. AEDSs span résumé sorters, persona…
BITV (Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung, Barrier-Free Information Technology Regulation)
BITV (Barrierefreie Informationstechnik-Verordnung) is the German federal regulation on accessible information technology, mandating that federal government websites and applications be accessible to …
Computer Says No (Computer-Says-No)
A pattern in which an organisation invokes an algorithmic or automated decision as justification for an adverse outcome — a rejected application, a denied claim, an adjusted score — thereby deflecting…
EU AI Act (European Union Artificial Intelligence Act, Artificial Intelligence Act (EU))
A European Union regulation, adopted in 2024, that establishes a risk-based framework for AI systems deployed in the EU. High-risk systems — including AI used in employment, hiring, worker management,…
Emergency Preparedness (Disaster Preparedness, Crisis Preparedness)
The planning, policies, and infrastructure put in place to ensure that communities can respond effectively to emergencies such as natural disasters, pandemics, and other crises. In accessibility conte…
Functional Equivalency (Functional Equivalence, Communication Equivalence)
The principle that accommodations and alternative formats should provide people with disabilities an experience that is comparable in quality, timeliness, and completeness to that of non-disabled user…
Help America Vote Act (HAVA)
The Help America Vote Act (HAVA) is a United States federal law enacted in 2002 in response to the voting irregularities of the 2000 Presidential Election. HAVA established mandatory minimum standards…
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…
Multidimensional Poverty (Multidimensional Poverty Index, MPI)
A measure of poverty that goes beyond income alone to encompass multiple overlapping deprivations that people experience simultaneously, including health, education, and living standards. Approximatel…
Stanca Act (Legge Stanca, Italian Accessibility Law, Law 4/2004)
The Stanca Act (Legge Stanca, Law No. 4 of January 9, 2004) is Italy's primary legislation mandating digital accessibility for public sector websites and services. Named after Lucio Stanca, the Minist…
Supplemental Security Income (SSI)
A U.S. federal program administered by the Social Security Administration that provides cash benefits to people with disabilities, blindness, or age-related needs who have limited income and resources…