Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- Dialog Act (Dialogue Act, Speech Act)
- A classification label representing the communicative intention behind a spoken or written utterance in a conversational system. In the context of accessible technology, dialog acts are used to interp…
- Digital Art Accessibility (Accessible Digital Art Tools)
- The design and availability of digital creative tools—including drawing software, graphic input devices, and editing platforms—that can be effectively used by artists with disabilities. Key accessibil…
- Digital Assistive Technology (Digital AT, Software-Based AT)
- Assistive technologies delivered through software, applications, and digital platforms rather than dedicated physical devices. Digital AT includes screen readers, speech-to-text tools, magnification s…
- Digital Intervention (Digital Health Intervention, Technology-Based Intervention)
- A health or behavioural support programme delivered through digital technology such as apps, games, or web platforms. Digital interventions for accessibility include cognitive training tools for peopl…
- Digital Phenotyping (Active Digital Phenotyping, Passive Digital Phenotyping, Behavioral Phenotyping)
- The use of data from digital devices (smartphones, computers, wearables) to quantify behavioral and physiological characteristics relevant to health or ability. Passive digital phenotyping collects da…
- Digital Sheet Music (Electronic Sheet Music)
- Musical scores displayed on electronic devices such as tablets, computers, or head-mounted displays rather than printed on paper. Digital sheet music offers accessibility advantages over print includi…
- Digital Talking Book (DTB, DAISY Digital Talking Book, Talking book)
- A multimedia document format that synchronises text, audio narration, and navigation structure to provide accessible reading experiences for people who are blind, have low vision, or have print disabi…
- Digital Twin
- A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical object, space, or system that is updated in real time to mirror its real-world counterpart. In accessibility contexts, digital twins of physical envir…
- Digital mental health (E-mental health, Digital therapeutics)
- The use of digital technologies including AI chatbots, mood tracking apps, and online therapeutic platforms to support mental health assessment, monitoring, and intervention. Designing accessible and …
- Direct Touch Mapping (DTM, Touch-to-Audio Mapping)
- An interaction technique in accessible touchscreen interfaces where the physical position of a user's finger on the screen corresponds directly to a position within the underlying content, such as a d…
- Directional Guidance (Navigation Guidance, Orientation Feedback)
- Real-time feedback that helps users maintain correct positioning or navigate toward a target, commonly provided through audio cues (such as pitch changes) or haptic signals (such as vibration patterns…
- Disability Dongle
- A term coined by disability advocate Liz Jackson describing a well-intentioned but ultimately useless technology solution created for disabled people by non-disabled people who have not engaged with t…
- Disability dongle
- A well-intentioned but impractical accessibility invention, typically created by non-disabled people, that fails to address the actual needs of disabled users. The term, coined by disability advocate …
- Disabled innovator (Disability-led innovation)
- A disabled person who creates, develops, and disseminates technology or solutions that address accessibility needs, drawing on their lived experience and situated knowledge. Disabled innovators challe…
- Discreet AAC (Discreet Assistive Communication, Wearable AAC)
- Augmentative and alternative communication devices designed to be socially unobtrusive and visually inconspicuous, in contrast to traditional tablet-based AAC systems that are physically prominent and…
- Disordered Speech (Pathological Speech, Atypical Speech)
- Speech that differs from typical patterns due to motor, neurological, structural, or developmental conditions. Disordered speech encompasses conditions like dysarthria, apraxia, stuttering, and speech…
- Distant speech recognition (Far-field ASR, Far-field speech recognition)
- Automatic speech recognition performed on audio captured by microphones positioned at a distance from the speaker (typically 2+ meters), rather than close-talk input from headsets or handheld devices.…
- Distraction Management (Distraction Reduction, Attention Support)
- Strategies, tools, and design approaches that help users minimize unwanted interruptions and maintain focus on their intended tasks, particularly in digital environments. For people with ADHD, distrac…
- Document Analysis (Document Image Analysis, DIA)
- The process of automatically extracting structure, content, and meaning from document images or files, including layout detection, text recognition, and logical structure identification. In accessibil…
- Dwell Control (Dwell Click, Dwell Selection, Dwell-Time Activation)
- An input method in which a user activates a target — such as a button, link, or key — by holding a pointer or gaze over it for a specified period of time rather than clicking or tapping. Dwell control…