Glossary

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

63 results found in blind and low vision.

Physical Guidance (Hands-On Guidance, Physical Assistance)
A body movement teaching technique in which an instructor physically moves or positions a student's body to demonstrate correct form, rhythm, or placement. Physical guidance is widely used in teaching…
Presentation Accessibility (Slide Accessibility, Accessible Presentations)
The practice of designing and delivering slide-based presentations so that all audience members, including those with disabilities, can access the content. Key principles include verbally describing a…
Procedural Feedback System (Process-Oriented Guidance System)
An assistive technology paradigm that provides dynamic, step-by-step support throughout complex multi-step tasks rather than addressing isolated moments of need. Unlike traditional assistive tools tha…
Proprioception (Proprioceptive Sense, Body Position Sense)
The body's ability to sense its own position, movement, and orientation in space without relying on vision. Proprioceptive information comes from sensory receptors in muscles, tendons, and joints that…
Refreshable Graphics Display (Tactile Graphics Display, Dynamic Tactile Display)
A device that presents tactile graphics and diagrams through an array of pins that can be individually raised or lowered to create dynamic, changeable tactile patterns. Unlike static tactile graphics …
SMILES (Simplified Molecular-Input Line-Entry System)
A text-based notation system that represents chemical molecular structures as short character strings, making them both machine-readable and human-readable. For accessibility, SMILES is significant be…
Sighted Assistance (Visual Interpreting, Remote Sighted Assistance)
Sighted assistance refers to services that connect blind or low-vision individuals with sighted people who can provide visual information on demand, typically through a live video call from a smartpho…
Sighted Guide (Sighted Guide Technique, Human Guide)
A technique in which a sighted person assists a blind or low vision individual with navigation and orientation by serving as a visual reference and mobility aid. In physical settings, the blind person…
Sighted Memory (Visual Memory, Sighted Recall)
A mental representation of a physical environment developed through past visual experience, used by people who lose their sight later in life to navigate and understand spaces they previously knew vis…
Social Distancing (Physical Distancing)
The practice of maintaining a minimum physical distance from other people to reduce the transmission of infectious diseases, widely adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic with recommended distances of a…
Spatial Memorization (Spatial Memory Strategy, Kitchen Layout Memory)
A compensatory strategy used by blind and low vision individuals to navigate and interact with environments by memorizing the spatial layout of objects, tools, and landmarks. In cooking, spatial memor…
Tactile Ballot (Tactile Voting Device, Tactile Template, Tactile Sleeve, Braille Sleeve)
A physical overlay, sleeve, or template placed over a paper ballot that provides raised, cut-out, or braille markings aligned with ballot boxes so that blind and low-vision voters can locate candidate…
Tactile Learning (Haptic Learning, Touch-Based Learning)
An educational approach that uses the sense of touch to convey information, explore concepts, and develop understanding. For blind and low vision learners, tactile learning encompasses reading Braille…
Tactile Literacy (Tactile Reading Skills)
The ability to interpret, understand, and create information conveyed through the sense of touch, including the skills needed to read tactile graphics, maps, diagrams, braille, and other raised repres…
Tactile Modeling (Tactile Demonstration, Touch Demonstration)
A body movement teaching technique where a blind or low vision student explores and inspects a demonstrator's body position through touch, allowing them to understand poses, movements, and form that w…
Tactile Replica (3D Replica, Touchable Replica, Haptic Replica)
A physical reproduction of an artwork or exhibit object, often created using 3D printing or traditional sculpting techniques, designed to be touched and explored by hand. Tactile replicas are a key ac…
Tactile-First Strategy (Touch-Based Strategy, Tactile-First Approach)
An approach to completing tasks that prioritizes touch and physical sensation as the primary sensory channel for guidance, feedback, and assessment. In accessibility contexts, tactile-first strategies…
Teachable Object Recognition (Teachable Object Recognizer, TOR, Personalized Object Recognition)
A machine learning approach that allows users to train an object recognition system to identify their own personal items by providing a small number of training examples, typically photos or videos. T…
Touch Reader (Tactile Reader, Tactile Graphics Reader)
A person who reads and interprets information through touch, particularly tactile graphics, raised line drawings, and braille. Touch readers include blind and low-vision individuals who access spatial…
Vibro-Audio (Vibrotactile Audio, Vibro-Tactile)
Vibro-audio is a multimodal interaction technique that combines vibration feedback from a device's built-in motor with auditory cues to convey information non-visually. On touchscreen devices, vibro-a…