Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
21 results found in built environment.
- ADA Transition Plan (ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, Accessibility Transition Plan)
- A document required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that outlines how a public entity will make its programs, services, activities, and facilities accessible to people with…
- Access aisle
- A marked, level area adjacent to an accessible parking space that provides critical clearance for people with disabilities to deploy wheelchairs, ramps, or other mobility devices when entering and exi…
- Accessible Transportation (Inclusive Transportation, Transportation Accessibility)
- Transportation systems, vehicles, infrastructure, and services designed to be usable by people with disabilities, including those with mobility, vision, hearing, and cognitive impairments. Accessible …
- Accessible parking (Disability parking, Handicapped parking, Reserved parking)
- Designated parking spaces that meet specific design requirements under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and similar regulations to ensure equitable access for people with disabilities. Access…
- Audible Pedestrian Signal (APS, Accessible Pedestrian Signal)
- A device attached to a pedestrian crossing traffic signal that conveys the WALK and DON'T WALK phases through non-visual cues — typically beeps, chirps, speech messages, or a vibrating tactile arrow i…
- Barrier-Free Housing (Accessible Housing, Barrierefrei)
- Housing designed or modified to be usable by people with disabilities, typically addressing physical access features such as step-free entry, wide doorways, accessible bathrooms, and adjustable fixtur…
- Curb Ramp (Curb Cut, Dropped Kerb, Kerb Ramp)
- A small ramp built into or applied to the curb at pedestrian crossings and other transitions between a sidewalk and a roadway, providing a smooth transition for wheelchair users, people with mobility …
- Curb Ramp (Curb Cut, Dropped Kerb, Pram Ramp)
- A sloped transition between a sidewalk and a street that allows wheelchair users, people with strollers, and others to cross without navigating a vertical curb. Curb ramps are essential infrastructure…
- Environmental Legibility (Legibility of the Environment, Spatial Legibility)
- The ease with which people can perceive, understand, and form mental maps of a physical environment in order to orient themselves and navigate through it. Coined by urban planner Kevin Lynch, legibili…
- Micromobility (Shared Micromobility, Micro-Mobility)
- Micromobility refers to small-scale, lightweight, networked transportation vehicles used to travel short distances, typically weighing under 500 kg and traveling at low to moderate speeds. Examples in…
- Public Transport Accessibility (Transit Accessibility, Accessible Public Transportation)
- The design of buses, trains, stations, stops, timetables, and associated services to be usable by people with all types of disabilities. This includes physical features (ramps, lifts, tactile paving, …
- Right-of-Way (Pedestrian Right-of-Way, ROW)
- Right-of-way refers to the legal right of a pedestrian, vehicle, or other entity to proceed with precedence over others in a specific area of public space. In accessibility, pedestrian right-of-way is…
- Sensory Sensitivities (Sensory sensitivity, Sensory processing differences)
- Heightened or reduced responses to everyday sensory input — noise, light, glare, texture, smell, temperature, or movement — that significantly affect attention, regulation, comfort, and participation.…
- Step-Free Access (Level Access, Barrier-Free Access)
- A route or entrance to a building, transport station, or public space that does not require the use of steps or stairs, enabling access for wheelchair users, people with mobility impairments, parents …
- Tactile Paving (Tactile Ground Surface Indicators, TGSI, Detectable Warning Surface, Truncated Domes)
- A system of textured ground surface indicators installed on footpaths, train platforms, and building floors to assist pedestrians who are blind or have low vision with navigation and hazard detection.…
- Travel Chain (Mobility Chain, Journey Chain)
- A travel chain is the complete sequence of connected stages that make up a journey from origin to destination, including planning, leaving the starting point, walking to transport, using public transp…
- Urban Accessibility (City Accessibility, Built Environment Accessibility)
- The degree to which urban environments, including streets, buildings, public spaces, and transportation systems, can be navigated and used by people with disabilities. Urban accessibility encompasses …
- Virtual Tour (3D Virtual Tour, Digital Walkthrough)
- A digital replica of a physical environment, typically captured using 360-degree cameras and depth sensors, that allows users to remotely explore and navigate through a space in a semi-immersive exper…
- Walkability (Walkability Index, Pedestrian Accessibility)
- A measure of how conducive an area is to walking, considering factors such as the presence, quality, and connectivity of sidewalks, pedestrian crossings, street lighting, and proximity to destinations…
- Walkability Index (Walk Score, Walkability Score, Pedestrian Accessibility Index)
- A numerical metric that quantifies how walkable a neighborhood or location is based on the proximity and density of destinations reachable on foot, such as grocery stores, schools, parks, restaurants,…