Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- Emotional Design
- A framework developed by Don Norman describing how people evaluate and form attachments to products through three cognitive levels: visceral (immediate sensory and aesthetic responses), behavioral (fu…
- Empathy Lab (Accessibility Lab, Assistive Technology Lab, AT Lab)
- A dedicated physical or virtual space where designers, developers, and other team members can experience digital products using assistive technologies and simulations of various disabilities. Empathy …
- End Effector (Haptic Stylus, Haptic Pen)
- The physical component of a haptic device that the user directly touches or manipulates to interact with a virtual environment. In assistive technology contexts, end effectors translate digital inform…
- Energy Conservation (Energy management)
- Energy conservation refers to a set of self-management strategies designed to help people with chronic conditions, fatigue-related disabilities, or fluctuating energy levels maintain function and inde…
- Enhanced Activities of Daily Living (EADLs, EADL (gerontology), Advanced Activities of Daily Living)
- In gerontology and human-robot interaction research, the highest tier of everyday activities — higher-order social, recreational, and civic pursuits that enable full participation in society, such as …
- Enhanced Area Touch (Area Touch, Expanded Touch Area)
- A touchscreen interaction technique that enlarges the effective touch point from a single pixel to a larger circular area, expanding both the motor space (the physical area the user needs to target) a…
- Environmental Awareness (Situational Awareness, Environmental Sound Awareness)
- The perception and understanding of what is happening in one's physical surroundings, particularly through auditory cues. For Deaf and hard of hearing individuals, environmental awareness is often red…
- Envision AI (Envision)
- An AI-powered visual assistance technology available as a smartphone app and as smart glasses that provides scene descriptions, text reading, and object identification for blind and low vision users. …
- Equalization (EQ, Audio Equalization, Adaptive Equalization)
- The process of adjusting the balance of frequency components in an audio signal by boosting or attenuating specific frequency bands. In accessibility contexts, adaptive equalization can be used to com…
- Exergame (Exercise Game, Active Video Game, Exergaming)
- A video game that requires physical movement or exercise as the primary input mechanism, combining gameplay with physical activity. Exergames have been developed for consoles, virtual reality systems,…
- Exergame (Exercise game, Active video game, Fitness game)
- A video game that requires physical movement or exercise as the primary interaction mechanism, combining gameplay elements like scoring, levels, and achievements with physical activity. Accessible exe…
- Exergaming (Exercise Gaming, Active Gaming, Exergames)
- A category of digital games that require physical movement or exercise as the primary means of interaction, combining gameplay with physical activity. Exergames use motion sensors, pressure pads, came…
- Exoskeleton (Robotic Exoskeleton, Wearable Exoskeleton)
- A wearable mechanical or robotic device that fits around a part of the body — typically the hand, arm, or leg — and provides powered movement assistance, resistance, or guided motion. In rehabilitatio…
- Explore by Touch (Touch Exploration)
- A screen reader interaction mode on touchscreen devices in which users drag their finger across the screen to discover and hear descriptions of interface elements beneath their fingertip. When Explore…
- Extended Reality (XR, Cross Reality)
- An umbrella term encompassing all immersive technologies that blend physical and virtual environments, including virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR). In accessibility,…
- Eye Tracking (Gaze Tracking, Eye-Tracking)
- A research methodology and assistive technology that measures where a person looks (fixation points), how their gaze moves across a display (saccades), and how long they focus on specific areas (dwell…
- Eye Tracking (Gaze Tracking)
- Technology that detects and follows the movement of a user's eyes, enabling gaze-based interaction, attention monitoring, and foveated rendering. In accessibility contexts, eye tracking serves as an a…
- Eye-Gaze Control (Gaze Control, Eye-Controlled Interface, Gaze-Based Input)
- An input method that uses eye-tracking technology to detect where a user is looking and translates gaze direction into control commands for computers, wheelchairs, communication devices, and other sys…
- Eyelid Gesture (Eyelid Interaction, Eyelid-Based Input)
- An eyelid gesture is a deliberate eye movement used as an input method for controlling digital devices, involving intentional opening and closing of one or both eyelids in specific patterns, sequences…
- Eyes-free interaction (Eyes-free interface, Non-visual interaction)
- An interaction paradigm in which users operate technology without relying on visual feedback, instead receiving information through auditory, haptic, or other non-visual channels. Eyes-free interfaces…