Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- Image Captioning (Automatic Image Description, AI Image Description)
- A computer vision task in which an AI model generates a natural language description of the content of an image. In accessibility contexts, image captioning technology enables visually impaired users …
- Image Recognition (Image Classification, Computer Vision Recognition)
- The use of computer vision algorithms to identify and classify objects, text, faces, scenes, and other visual content in images or video. In accessibility applications, image recognition enables tools…
- Image Retrieval (Content-Based Image Retrieval, CBIR, Visual Search)
- A computer vision technique that searches a database of images to find ones similar to a query image based on visual features rather than text metadata. In accessibility applications, image retrieval …
- Image Stitching (Photo Stitching, Panoramic Stitching)
- A computer vision technique that combines multiple overlapping photographs into a single wider or panoramic image. In accessibility contexts, image stitching enables blind users to capture more visual…
- Imagined Device (Imaginary Device, Imagined Input Device)
- An input device that exists only in the user's imagination, with no physical form, operated through gestures that draw on mental models of a real counterpart such as a smartphone, remote control, or j…
- Immersive Reader (Reading Mode, Reader View)
- A built-in feature in web browsers, learning management systems, and productivity applications (such as Microsoft Immersive Reader) that simplifies the visual presentation of content by stripping away…
- Immersive Video (Immersive Media, VR Video)
- Video content viewed through head-mounted displays or surrounding screens that creates a sense of being present within the recorded environment. Immersive video includes 360-degree video captured with…
- Immersive Virtual Reality (IVR, Immersive VR)
- A form of virtual reality that uses head-mounted displays (HMDs) with near-full field of view, positional tracking, and often gesture-based controllers to create a sense of being physically present in…
- Individual Sign Language Recognition (ISLR, Word-Level Sign Recognition, Isolated Sign Recognition)
- A machine learning task focused on recognizing individual signs from a sign language, translating single signs independently without considering surrounding context. Unlike continuous sign language re…
- Indoor Navigation (Indoor Wayfinding, Indoor Positioning)
- Technologies and systems that help users find their way within indoor environments such as museums, shopping centers, airports, and public buildings where GPS signals are unreliable. Indoor navigation…
- Indoor Positioning (Indoor Localization, Indoor Location)
- Technology that determines a person's location within an indoor environment where GPS signals are unavailable or unreliable. Indoor positioning systems use various technologies including BLE beacons, …
- Indoor Wayfinding (Indoor Navigation Wayfinding)
- The process of navigating within enclosed spaces such as buildings, airports, shopping centers, and hospitals. Indoor wayfinding presents unique accessibility challenges because GPS signals are unavai…
- Information Transfer Rate (ITR, Data Transfer Rate)
- A measure of the speed and accuracy with which a user can communicate information to a computer through an input device, typically expressed in bits per second. Information transfer rate accounts for …
- Infrared Beacon (IR Beacon, IR Tag)
- A device that transmits identification signals using infrared light, used in indoor navigation and wayfinding systems to help locate users within buildings. When a user's receiver detects the beacon's…
- Input Rate (Keystroke Rate)
- The speed at which a user can produce individual keystrokes or character inputs, typically measured in seconds per keystroke. Input rate varies dramatically across access methods: touch typists may ac…
- Intelligent Personal Assistant (IPA, Virtual Assistant, AI Assistant, Digital Assistant)
- A software agent that uses natural language processing and speech recognition to perform tasks, answer questions, and control devices on behalf of a user. Examples include Amazon Alexa, Google Assista…
- Interactive Description (Dynamic Description)
- A design approach for providing accessible descriptions of interactive digital content that updates in real time as users navigate and manipulate elements. Unlike static alternative text, interactive …
- Interdependence Framework (Interdependence in Assistive Technology)
- A theoretical framework in assistive technology design that challenges the traditional emphasis on individual independence as the primary goal of accessibility. The Interdependence Framework, introduc…
- Internet Voting (E-Voting, Electronic Voting, i-Voting, Online Voting, Remote Electronic Voting)
- Internet voting (also known as e-voting or i-voting) is the casting and counting of votes via internet-connected systems, enabling voters to participate in elections from any location without attendin…
- JAWS (Job Access With Speech)
- A commercial screen reader for Windows developed by Freedom Scientific (now part of Vispero). JAWS is one of the most widely used screen readers in professional and enterprise settings, providing text…