Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- Perceptual User Interface (PUI, Natural User Interface)
- A human-computer interaction paradigm that uses natural human capabilities such as vision, speech, gestures, and body movement as input modalities rather than relying on traditional devices like keybo…
- Perkins Brailler (Brailler, Braille Writer)
- A mechanical device for writing braille, manufactured by the Perkins School for the Blind since 1951. The Perkins Brailler has six keys corresponding to the six dots of a braille cell, a space bar, a …
- Personal Assistant (Virtual Assistant, Digital Assistant, Voice Assistant, Smart Assistant)
- A software agent that can perform tasks or provide services based on user commands or queries, typically through voice interaction. Popular examples include Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, Apple Siri,…
- Personal Object Recognizer (Teachable Object Recognizer, Custom Object Classifier)
- A computer vision system that allows individual users to train their own object recognition models by providing a small number of example photos and custom labels. Unlike generic object recognizers th…
- Personal Voice (Voice Banking, AI Voice Clone)
- A technology that creates a synthetic replica of a person's voice from recorded speech samples, enabling text-to-speech output that sounds like the individual rather than a generic electronic voice. A…
- Personal emergency response system (PERS, PER system, Medical alert system, Life alert)
- A device, typically a wearable pendant or wristband with a button, that allows a person to summon help in an emergency. Despite being the mainstream solution for older adults living alone, PERS device…
- Personal-Scale Manufacturing (Desktop Manufacturing, Personal Fabrication)
- The use of affordable, accessible manufacturing tools such as 3D printers, laser cutters, and CNC machines by individuals or small groups to produce custom physical objects, as opposed to relying on i…
- Personalized accessibility (Customizable accessibility, Adaptive accessibility)
- An approach to accessibility that allows users to configure assistive features according to their individual needs, preferences, and abilities rather than providing a single fixed accommodation. Perso…
- Pet Robot (Robotic Pet, Zoomorphic Robot, Companion Pet Robot)
- A socially interactive robot designed to resemble and behave like an animal companion — most famously PARO (a baby harp seal) and AIBO (a robotic dog) — used to provide emotional comfort, reduce lonel…
- Physical Crowdsourcing (Spatial Crowdsourcing, Physical World Crowdsourcing)
- A form of crowdsourcing in which tasks require participants to perform actions in the physical world rather than completing digital tasks online. In an accessibility context, physical crowdsourcing ha…
- Physical Rehabilitation (Physiotherapy, Physical Therapy)
- A therapeutic process aimed at restoring, maintaining, or improving physical function, mobility, and strength through structured exercises and interventions. Physical rehabilitation is essential for p…
- Physiological Computing (Biometric Computing, Biosignal-based Computing)
- A computing paradigm that uses real-time physiological signals from the body to inform system responses and adaptations. Common signals include heart rate (via photoplethysmography), skin conductance …
- Pico Projection (Pico Projector, Pocket Projector, Mini Projection)
- A compact projection technology that enables small, portable devices to project images and information onto nearby surfaces. In accessibility contexts, pico projection offers an alternative to screen-…
- Pictograms (Pictogram, Picture Symbols, PCS)
- Simplified pictorial symbols that represent concepts, objects, activities, emotions, or places, widely used as a form of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and as a visual support for au…
- Pin Array Display (Pin Matrix Display, Tactile Pin Display)
- A type of tactile display technology that uses an array of individually controllable pins that can be raised or lowered to create tactile patterns, textures, and graphics. Pin array displays are used …
- Plan Recognition (Intent Prediction, Action Prediction)
- A technique in human-computer interaction where a system predicts the user's intended action based on patterns in their input behaviour and the current interaction context. By anticipating what the us…
- Pluggable User Interface (Pluggable UI, Alternative User Interface)
- A pluggable user interface is an interchangeable interface component that can be swapped in or out of an application without changing the application's core functionality. In the Universal Remote Cons…
- Power Wheelchair (Electric Wheelchair, Motorized Wheelchair, Power Chair)
- A wheelchair propelled by an electric motor rather than manual pushing, essential for people with severe motor disabilities who lack the upper body strength or dexterity to operate a manual wheelchair…
- Pre-Programmed Message (Stored Message, Canned Response, Pre-Set Phrase)
- A message or phrase stored in an AAC device that can be quickly retrieved and spoken without requiring real-time composition. Pre-programmed messages trade expressiveness for speed—they enable faster …
- Prediction Utilization (PU)
- The percentage of opportunities where a user accepts a word prediction rather than continuing to type the word manually. Prediction utilization reflects user trust in a prediction system—higher qualit…