Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
259 results found in cognitive accessibility.
- Useful Field of View (UFOV, Functional Visual Field)
- The useful field of view (UFOV) is the area of the visual field from which a person can extract information in a single glance without moving their eyes or head. Unlike the anatomical visual field, th…
- Variable Ability (Fluctuating Ability, Dynamic Disability)
- The characteristic of many chronic illnesses and disabilities where a person's functional abilities change significantly over time — across days, hours, or even minutes. Variable ability includes both…
- Visual Attention Span (VAS, Visual Attention Window)
- The number of distinct visual elements that can be processed simultaneously in a single glance. Visual attention span is a cognitive capacity linked to reading ability — when reading, the eyes fixate …
- Visual Clutter (Visual Noise, Visual Complexity)
- An excess of visual elements in an environment or interface that makes it difficult to locate, identify, or focus on relevant information. Visual clutter is a significant barrier for people with cereb…
- Visual Distraction (Visual Clutter, Visual Noise)
- Visual elements in an interface or content that draw attention away from the primary content or task, including animated advertisements, moving backgrounds, decorative overlays, notification badges, r…
- Visual Search Strategy (Scanning Strategy, Visual Scanning)
- Systematic approaches to visually exploring an environment or scene to locate specific objects, patterns, or information. In low-vision rehabilitation, therapists train clients in efficient search str…
- Visualization Literacy (Data Visualization Literacy, Graphical Literacy, Graph Literacy)
- The ability to read, interpret, and extract meaningful insights from visual data representations such as charts, graphs, maps, and infographics. Visualization literacy encompasses skills like identify…
- Visuospatial Attention (Visual-Spatial Attention, Visuospatial Processing)
- The cognitive ability to attend to, process, and mentally manipulate visual and spatial information in the environment. Visuospatial attention involves orienting to locations in space, tracking object…
- Wayfinding (Navigation, Orientation)
- The process by which people orient themselves and navigate through physical or digital environments. Accessible wayfinding encompasses multiple modalities: visual signage with sufficient contrast and …
- Weak Central Coherence (WCC, Central Coherence Theory)
- A cognitive theory proposing that individuals with autism tend to process information in a detail-focused, piecemeal way rather than integrating it into a coherent whole. In the context of web accessi…
- Web disorientation (Lost in hyperspace, Navigation disorientation)
- The feeling of being lost or confused while navigating websites, characterized by difficulty knowing one's current location within a site, how to return to previously visited pages, or how to find des…
- Williams Syndrome (Williams-Beuren Syndrome, WBS)
- A rare genetic condition caused by the deletion of approximately 26 genes on chromosome 7, characterized by cardiovascular problems, distinctive facial features, and a unique cognitive profile that ty…
- Word Frequency (Lexical Frequency)
- A measure of how often a word occurs in a given language or text corpus. High-frequency words like common function words are encountered regularly and recognized quickly, while low-frequency words are…
- Word Retrieval (Word Finding, Lexical Retrieval)
- The cognitive process of accessing and selecting the correct word from memory to express an intended meaning during writing or speech. People with dyslexia frequently experience word retrieval difficu…
- Word-Finding Difficulty (Anomia, Word Retrieval Difficulty, Tip-of-the-Tongue)
- A common symptom of aphasia where a person knows what they want to say but cannot retrieve the correct word. Word-finding difficulties can range from occasional pauses to severe impairment where even …
- Worker Assistance System (Digital Worker Assistance, Cognitive Assistance System)
- Technology systems that support workers during the execution of work processes by providing interactive step-by-step instructions through text, images, videos, audio, and spatial hints. These systems …
- Working Memory
- The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for complex tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is a core executive functi…
- Working memory (Short-term memory)
- The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information during complex tasks such as language comprehension, reasoning, and decision-making. Working memory has limited ca…
- Written Choice (Written Choice Technique)
- A therapeutic communication technique used with individuals who have aphasia, in which a conversation partner asks a question and then provides anticipated written answers for the person to choose fro…