Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
259 results found in cognitive accessibility.
- Co-Presence (Copresence)
- The sense of being together with another person in a shared space, whether physical or virtual, where individuals are aware of each other's presence and are "accessible, available, and subject to one …
- Cognitive Accessibility Guidelines (COGA, Making Content Usable for People with Cognitive and Learning Disabilities)
- W3C guidance for making web content accessible to people with cognitive and learning disabilities, including intellectual disabilities, autism, dementia, ADHD, dyslexia, and dyscalculia. Published as …
- Cognitive Aging (Age-Related Cognitive Decline)
- Cognitive aging refers to the normal, gradual changes in cognitive function that occur as people grow older. These changes typically include declines in processing speed, working memory capacity, sele…
- Cognitive Assistance (Cognitive Aid, AI-Powered Assistance, Assisted Cognition)
- Technology that uses artificial intelligence and machine learning to supplement or expand human cognitive and perceptual abilities. In accessibility contexts, cognitive assistance systems recognise pe…
- Cognitive Dysfunction (Cognitive Impairment, Cognitive Disability)
- A broad term encompassing conditions that affect cognitive functions such as memory, attention, problem-solving, learning, language, and executive function. Cognitive dysfunction ranges from mild impa…
- Cognitive Flexibility (Mental Flexibility, Set Shifting, Task Switching)
- The executive function that allows a person to adapt their thinking and behavior in response to changing demands, switch between tasks, or consider multiple perspectives simultaneously. Cognitive flex…
- Cognitive Interviewing
- A qualitative research technique used to explore how survey respondents understand and mentally process assessment questions. Cognitive interviewing involves asking participants to think aloud as they…
- Cognitive Load (Mental Load, Cognitive Demand)
- The total amount of mental effort required to complete a task, encompassing the processing, storage, and management of information in working memory. Cognitive load theory distinguishes between intrin…
- Cognitive Load Theory (CLT)
- An instructional design theory proposing that learning is hindered when too much information is processed at once, overwhelming working memory. In sign language learning, cognitive load is particularl…
- Cognitive Overload (Information Overload, Cognitive Load)
- A state in which the amount of information or the complexity of a task exceeds a person's processing capacity, leading to reduced performance, comprehension, or decision-making ability. In accessibili…
- Cognitive Rehabilitation (Cognitive Rehab, Neuropsychological Rehabilitation)
- A structured program of therapeutic activities designed to restore or compensate for cognitive functions impaired by brain injury, stroke, or other neurological conditions. Cognitive rehabilitation ta…
- Cognitive Scaffolding (Scaffolded Support, Guided Task Support)
- External supports or structures that help a person complete cognitive tasks they might not be able to manage independently. In education, scaffolding refers to temporary supports removed as competence…
- Cognitive Theory of Multimedia Learning (CTML, multimedia learning theory)
- A theory developed by Richard E. Mayer proposing that people learn more effectively from words and pictures together than from words alone, because the brain processes visual and auditory information …
- Cognitive Training (Brain Training, Cognitive Remediation)
- Structured programs or applications that use repeated practice on standardized tasks to improve specific cognitive functions such as working memory, attention, or processing speed. In accessibility co…
- Cognitive mapping (Mental mapping, Spatial cognitive map)
- Cognitive mapping refers to the mental process by which individuals construct, store, recall, and apply internal representations of their spatial environment to navigate and orient themselves. These m…
- Cognitive-Communication Needs (CCN, Cognitive-Communication Disorders)
- Difficulties in communication that arise from underlying cognitive deficits in areas such as attention, memory, organization, problem-solving, and executive function, rather than from primary language…
- Community Navigation (Community Travel, Community Mobility)
- The ability to plan, initiate, and complete trips within one's community, including getting to transit points on time, using public transportation, and accessing services at destinations. For people w…
- Compassion Fatigue (secondary traumatic stress, empathy fatigue)
- A state of emotional and physical exhaustion that results from the prolonged exposure to others' suffering, particularly in caregiving contexts. Unlike burnout, which develops gradually from chronic w…
- Competency-Based Design (Competency-Based Approach)
- An accessible design methodology that extends ability-based design by focusing on "competencies"—the representative practical skills people develop through participation in everyday activities, partic…
- Computer Anxiety (Technophobia, Computer Phobia, Technology Anxiety)
- Negative emotions and cognition processes — including fear, intimidation, apprehension, and hostility — evoked during actual or imagined interaction with computer-based technology. Computer Anxiety is…