Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
61 results found in Reading Accessibility.
- Adaptive Typography (Context-Aware Typography, Dynamic Typography)
- The practice of adjusting text presentation - font size, weight, line spacing, character spacing, contrast, and colour - automatically or semi-automatically in response to the user's current needs and…
- Alexia (Acquired Dyslexia, Word Blindness)
- An acquired inability to read that results from brain damage, typically from stroke or traumatic brain injury, as distinct from developmental dyslexia which is present from childhood. People with alex…
- Aphasia
- A language disorder that affects a person's ability to communicate, including difficulties with speaking, understanding speech, reading, and writing. Aphasia typically results from brain injury, most …
- Automatic Text Simplification (ATS, Automated Simplification)
- The use of computational methods to reduce the complexity of text while preserving its meaning, making it more accessible to readers with disabilities or limited literacy. Automatic text simplificatio…
- Character Recognition
- In the context of reading and cognitive accessibility, character recognition refers to the ability to correctly identify and distinguish individual letters and numbers. People with dyslexia often expe…
- Concurrent Speech (Simultaneous Speech, Parallel Audio)
- The presentation of multiple audio streams simultaneously, leveraging the human ability to selectively attend to one stream while monitoring others — known as the cocktail party effect. In accessibili…
- Content Simplification (Content-Level Simplification)
- Simplification approaches that modify the actual informational content of text, including summarization, removal of non-essential details, and restructuring of information presentation. Content simpli…
- Decoding (Word Decoding, Phonetic Decoding)
- The process of translating written symbols (letters or graphemes) into their corresponding sounds (phonemes) to recognize and read words. Decoding is a foundational reading skill described in the Simp…
- Digital Reading (Electronic Reading, Online Reading)
- The act of reading text on digital devices including computers, tablets, smartphones, and e-readers. Digital reading differs from print reading in that it enables dynamic text modification, multimodal…
- Digital Ruler (Reading Ruler, Line Guide)
- A digital tool that constrains the visible area of text to specific lines or paragraphs, reducing visual crowding and helping readers maintain focus on the current reading position. Digital rulers are…
- Dyslexia (Reading Disability, Developmental Dyslexia)
- A neurologically-based learning disability that primarily affects the acquisition and processing of written language, manifesting as difficulties with reading, writing, spelling, and phonological proc…
- E-Book Accessibility (Electronic Book Accessibility, Digital Book Accessibility)
- The design and implementation of electronic books to be usable by people with disabilities, including proper semantic structure, text resizing, reflowable content, alternative text for images, compati…
- Fixation Problem (Reading Fixation Difficulty, Visual Fixation Issue)
- A difficulty in maintaining stable visual focus on a specific point or line of text during reading. People with fixation problems may lose their place frequently, skip lines, or re-read the same passa…
- Font Accessibility (Accessible Fonts, Dyslexia-Friendly Fonts)
- The selection and design of typefaces to maximize readability for people with disabilities, particularly dyslexia and low vision. Research has evaluated various font properties for accessibility, find…
- Functional Illiteracy (Low Literacy, Limited Literacy)
- A condition in which a person has basic reading and writing skills but cannot effectively understand or use written text for everyday tasks such as reading instructions, filling out forms, or comprehe…
- Functional Literacy (Functional illiteracy)
- The level of reading and writing skill needed to handle everyday tasks — filling out forms, reading medication instructions, understanding a utility bill, using a web service. Adults below this thresh…
- Keyword Reading Strategy (Content Word Strategy)
- The keyword reading strategy is a sentence-comprehension approach in which a reader focuses primarily on high-content words (nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs) to derive the meaning of a sentence,…
- Legibility
- The visual clarity with which individual characters, words, and blocks of text can be distinguished and recognised. Legibility is influenced by font choice (sans-serif fonts are generally more legible…
- Letter Reversal (Mirror Writing, Character Reversal)
- A reading or writing difficulty where visually similar letters are confused or substituted for one another, such as swapping b for d, or p for q. Letter reversal is commonly associated with dyslexia a…
- Lexical Elaboration (Vocabulary Elaboration)
- A text adaptation technique that makes content more accessible by adding explanatory information for complex or unfamiliar words, rather than replacing or removing them. Unlike text simplification, wh…