Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
840 results found in assistive technology.
- Activity schedule (Visual schedule, Picture schedule)
- A visual support tool that breaks down tasks or routines into sequential steps represented by photographs, pictograms, or text, enabling individuals with autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabil…
- Adaptive Cursor (Adaptive Navigation Cursor)
- A cursor or navigation pointer whose speed, sensitivity, or behavior dynamically adjusts based on context such as the amount of content, the current navigation granularity, or user preferences. In tex…
- Adaptive Environment (Adaptive System, Responsive Environment)
- A physical or digital space that automatically adjusts its properties and behaviours in response to the people within it. Adaptive environments use sensors, machine learning, and actuators to modify l…
- Adaptive Gameplay (Adaptive Difficulty, Dynamic Difficulty Adjustment)
- A game design approach in which the system automatically adjusts difficulty, pacing, or content based on the player's real-time performance and behaviour. In accessibility and therapeutic contexts, ad…
- Adaptive Instrument (Adapted Musical Instrument, Accessible Musical Instrument)
- A musical instrument that has been specifically designed or modified to be playable by people with disabilities. Adaptive instruments may use alternative input methods such as touch sensors, breath co…
- Adaptive Interface (Adaptive User Interface, Self-Adapting Interface)
- A user interface that automatically modifies its presentation, behaviour, or content based on detected user characteristics, capabilities, preferences, or environmental conditions. In accessibility, a…
- Adaptive User Interface (Adaptive UI, Self-Adapting Interface, Intelligent User Interface)
- A user interface that automatically modifies its behavior, presentation, or content based on observed user characteristics, interaction patterns, or context of use. In accessibility, adaptive interfac…
- Affordable Assistive Technology (Low-Cost AT, Frugal Assistive Technology)
- Assistive devices and technologies designed to be financially accessible to people with disabilities in low-resource settings, where the cost of commercially available assistive technology from the Gl…
- Aging in place (Ageing in place)
- The ability to live in one's own home and community safely, independently, and comfortably regardless of age, income, or ability level. AI-assisted aging-in-place technologies include monitoring syste…
- Aira
- A visual assistance service that connects blind and low vision users with trained human agents who provide real-time visual information through a smartphone camera or smart glasses. Unlike AI-only sol…
- Ambient Intelligence (AmI)
- An environment enriched with networked, sensor-equipped devices that are sensitive and responsive to the presence and needs of people within it. Ambient intelligence systems anticipate user requiremen…
- Ambient assisted living (AAL, Smart home assistive living)
- Technology systems embedded in the home environment — including sensors, microphones, and smart devices — that monitor and support older adults or people with disabilities to live independently and sa…
- Ambiguous keyboard (T9 input, Multi-tap disambiguation)
- A text entry method in which multiple letters are mapped to each physical key, requiring disambiguation algorithms (typically dictionary-based) to determine the intended word from the sequence of key …
- Ambisonics (Ambisonic audio, Ambisonic sound)
- A full-sphere surround sound technique that captures and reproduces audio from all directions — including above and below the listener — using a spherical harmonic representation of the sound field. O…
- Arabic Accessibility (Arabic Language Accessibility, RTL Accessibility)
- Accessibility considerations specific to Arabic language content and Arabic-speaking users. Arabic presents unique challenges for digital accessibility: the script is written right-to-left (RTL), requ…
- AsTeR (Audio System for Technical Readings)
- An interactive computing system developed by T. V. Raman in his 1994 PhD thesis at Cornell University that converts LaTeX documents into navigable audio documents. AsTeR parses electronic documents in…
- Aspect-Based Sentiment Analysis (ABSA, Aspect-Level Sentiment Classification)
- A natural language processing technique that identifies both the specific topics or aspects being discussed in text (such as food quality, customer service, or pricing in a restaurant review) and the …
- Assessment Descriptor (Visual Attribute Descriptor)
- Brief visual attributes of objects — such as color, size, dimensions, and distance from the user — provided alongside obfuscated or spotlighted content to help users verify whether privacy techniques …
- Assistive Device (Assistive Aid, Low-Vision Aid)
- Any device, tool, or technology that helps a person with a disability perform tasks that might otherwise be difficult or impossible. In low-vision contexts, assistive devices range from optical aids (…
- Assistive Device Design (AT Design)
- The process of developing assistive technologies and devices to meet the needs of people with disabilities. Effective assistive device design requires involving end users as active participants throug…