Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

63 results found in blind and low vision.

IBM Home Page Reader (Home Page Reader, HPR)
IBM Home Page Reader (HPR) was a pioneering voice browser developed by IBM that provided audio-based web browsing for people with visual disabilities. Unlike screen readers that operate as an overlay …
IDE Accessibility (Accessible IDE, Development Environment Accessibility)
IDE accessibility refers to making integrated development environments — the software applications used for writing, testing, and debugging code — usable by developers with disabilities. IDEs like Vis…
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…
Kinesthetic Awareness (Kinesthesia, Movement Awareness)
The conscious perception of body position, movement, and muscle tension derived from internal sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints. For sighted people, kinesthetic awareness is reinforced…
Last-Few-Metres Problem (Last Few Meters Problem)
The difficulty that blind and low-vision pedestrians face in the final short distance (roughly the last several metres) of a trip, where GPS accuracy degrades, building entrances are ambiguous, and di…
Meal Assistance Technology (Dining Assistance Technology, Food Accessibility Technology)
Assistive technologies designed to help people with disabilities identify, locate, and consume food independently during mealtimes. For people with visual impairments, these systems may use computer v…
Mobility and Orientation Trainer (MOT, Orientation and Mobility Specialist, O&M Specialist, O&M Instructor, Habilitation Specialist)
A qualified professional who teaches orientation and mobility (O&M) skills to blind and partially sighted people, enabling safe and independent travel. MOTs assess individual needs and deliver persona…
Moderate-to-Vigorous Physical Activity (MVPA)
A classification of exercise intensity used in public health guidelines that encompasses physical activity raising heart rate to 60-80% or more of heart rate reserve. MVPA is the threshold recommended…
Monarch (Monarch Tactile Display, Dynamic Tactile Device)
The Monarch is a multi-line refreshable tactile display developed by HumanWare and the American Printing House for the Blind, representing a significant advancement in tactile display technology. Unli…
Movement Sonification (Motion Sonification)
The practice of mapping qualities of physical movement - such as speed, direction, duration, or weight - to non-verbal sound cues so that movement can be perceived auditorily. In accessibility context…
Music Haptics (Musical Haptics, Haptic Music)
The use of touch-based feedback — including vibrations, textures, and force — to convey musical information such as pitch, tempo, timbre, articulation, dynamics, and rhythm. Music haptics draws on the…
Music Pedagogy (Music Education, Music Teaching)
The theory and practice of teaching and learning music, including methods for instruction, curriculum design, and assessment. In accessibility contexts, music pedagogy for blind and low vision learner…
Nemeth Braille Code (Nemeth Code, Nemeth Mathematics Braille)
A system of Braille encoding developed by Abraham Nemeth in 1946 for representing mathematical and scientific notation, widely used in the United States and some other English-speaking countries. The …
Nomadic Text Entry (Mobile Text Entry, On-the-Go Texting)
The practice of inputting text on a mobile device while moving through or actively engaging with the physical environment, as opposed to typing while stationary. For people who are blind or visually i…
Non-Visual Cooking (Blind Cooking, Cooking Without Vision)
The practice of preparing food without relying on visual information, as performed by blind and low vision individuals. Non-visual cooking involves distinctive strategies including tactile exploration…
Non-Visual Makeup (Blind Makeup Application, Accessible Makeup)
The practice and process of applying cosmetics without relying on visual feedback, as performed by people who are blind or have low vision. Non-visual makeup involves embodied, tactile-first strategie…
Non-Visual Web Browser (Self-Voicing Browser, Audio Web Browser, Talking Browser)
A web browser specifically designed for users who cannot see the screen, providing audio-based or haptic interfaces for navigating and interacting with web content. Unlike standard screen readers that…
Nonvisual Programming (Non-Visual Programming, Blind Programming)
The practice of writing, navigating, debugging, and managing software code without relying on visual display, typically using screen readers, braille displays, and audio cues. Nonvisual programmers fa…
Pedestrian Detection (Person Detection, Human Detection)
A computer vision task that identifies and locates people in images or video frames, typically using deep learning models such as convolutional neural networks. In accessibility applications, pedestri…
Personal Space (Interpersonal Distance, Personal Distance Zone)
The invisible boundary surrounding a person that they consider their own territory, the violation of which can cause discomfort or stress. Research by Edward T. Hall defined four distance zones: intim…