Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- QuickFire (Quick Phrases, Quick Response Buttons)
- Pre-programmed short phrases or responses stored on AAC devices that can be accessed and played quickly with minimal navigation, typically arranged on a single page for rapid access. QuickFire phrases…
- REAPER (Rapid Environment for Audio Production, Engineering, and Recording)
- A digital audio workstation (DAW) software application developed by Cockos that is known for its relatively strong accessibility support compared to other professional DAWs. When used with the OSARA (…
- RFID (Radio Frequency Identification, RFID Tag)
- A technology that uses electromagnetic fields to automatically identify and track tags attached to objects. RFID tags contain electronically stored information that can be read by RFID readers without…
- RGB-Depth Camera (RGB-D camera, Depth camera)
- A camera that captures both a conventional colour image (RGB) and a per-pixel depth map, usually via structured light, time-of-flight, or stereo sensing. RGB-D cameras are widely used in assistive nav…
- Reach Envelope (Workspace Envelope, Reach Zone, Comfort Zone)
- The three-dimensional volume of space that a person can physically access with their hands or arms from a given position, taking into account their specific motor abilities, range of motion, and comfo…
- Reading Assistance (Reading Assistance Technology, Reading Support Tools)
- Reading assistance refers to technologies and strategies that help people understand written text more easily. This includes tools like text-to-speech, automatic text simplification, screen readers, r…
- Reading Assistant (Reading Aid, Reading Machine)
- An assistive technology device or software application that helps people with visual impairments or reading disabilities access printed or displayed text. Reading assistants may use optical character …
- Real Word Error (Real-Word Spelling Error)
- A spelling error that results in a correctly spelled but unintended word, such as typing "hear" instead of "here" or "their" instead of "there." Real word errors are particularly common among people w…
- Real-Time Captioning (Live Captioning, CART, Communication Access Realtime Translation)
- The process of converting spoken language into text display in real time, typically with only a few seconds of delay. Professional real-time captioning (CART) uses stenographers with specialised short…
- Recipe Progress Tracking (Cooking Progress Monitoring)
- The specific application of procedural task tracking to cooking, where a system monitors which recipe steps have been completed and what remains. For BLV cooks, recipe progress tracking addresses a cr…
- Refreshable Tactile Display (RTD, Refreshable Braille Display, Dynamic Tactile Display)
- An electronic device that presents tactile graphics and content through an array of small pins that can be independently raised or lowered to create dynamic, changeable tactile surfaces. Unlike tradit…
- Rehabilitation Engineering (Rehab Engineering)
- An engineering discipline focused on quantifying, measuring, and modeling human performance to provide better-fitting assistive technology adaptations. Rehabilitation engineering emerged partly as a r…
- Rehabilitation Gaming (Rehab Gaming, Therapeutic Gaming)
- The use of digital games that incorporate physical rehabilitation exercises into gameplay, transforming repetitive therapeutic movements into engaging interactive experiences. Rehabilitation games map…
- Relief Chart (3D Chart, Haptic Chart, Relief Graph)
- A tactile data visualization that uses height (the third dimension) to encode data values, making charts accessible to people with visual impairments through touch. Unlike flat tactile graphics that u…
- Reminiscence Therapy (Reminiscence-Based Therapy, Life Review Therapy)
- A non-pharmacological therapeutic approach for people with dementia that uses artifacts, photographs, music, and other personally meaningful materials to stimulate recall of past experiences and promp…
- Remnant book (remnant scrapbook, memory book)
- An AAC strategy that uses collected physical artifacts—such as ticket stubs, photos, business cards, and other tangible items—organized in a book or album to support communication for people with apha…
- Remote Accessibility Assessment (Virtual Accessibility Assessment, Pre-Visit Accessibility Check)
- The practice of evaluating the physical accessibility of an unfamiliar environment without being physically present. Wheelchair users and others with mobility disabilities routinely assess spaces in a…
- Remote Assistance (Remote Sighted Assistance, Visual Interpreting)
- A service model where people who are blind or have low vision connect with sighted volunteers or trained agents via a live video call to receive real-time visual descriptions and guidance. Services li…
- Remote Desktop Software (Remote Access Software, Remote Control Software)
- Software that allows a user to access and control one computer from another device over a network, displaying the remote computer's screen and relaying input commands. In accessibility contexts, remot…
- Remote Sighted Assistance (Remote Visual Assistance, Visual Interpreting, Remote Sighted Guide)
- A service model in which a sighted person provides real-time visual information to a blind or visually impaired person remotely, typically through a smartphone video call. The blind user points their …