Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
27 results found in content.
- Alt text (Alternative text, Text alternative)
- A textual description of non-text content (primarily images) provided via the HTML alt attribute, read by screen readers and displayed when images cannot be loaded. Required by WCAG Success Criterion …
- Annotation (Web Annotation, Content Annotation)
- The practice of adding supplementary information, notes, or metadata to existing digital content, typically without modifying the original source. In accessibility, annotation is used to add alternati…
- Audio description (AD, Described video, Video description)
- Narration added to a media soundtrack that describes important visual information — such as actions, characters, scene changes, and on-screen text — that cannot be understood from the main audio alone…
- Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC, Alternative communication, Aided communication)
- A range of strategies, tools, and technologies used to supplement or replace spoken or written communication for people who have difficulty producing or understanding speech. AAC encompasses unaided m…
- Captioning (Captions, Closed captions, Subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing, SDH)
- The conversion of spoken dialogue, sound effects, and other auditory information into synchronised text displayed alongside audiovisual content. Captioning makes audio content accessible to people who…
- Content Adaptation (Content Transformation, Web Adaptation)
- The process of modifying web content to make it more accessible or usable in different contexts, including for users with disabilities, users of assistive technologies, or users on constrained devices…
- Content Author (Content Editor, Content Creator, Web Author)
- A person who creates, edits, and publishes content on a website or digital platform, typically using a content management system rather than writing code directly. Content authors are responsible for …
- Content Management System (CMS)
- Software that enables users to create, edit, and publish digital content — typically web pages — without requiring direct coding knowledge. Popular examples include WordPress, Drupal, and SharePoint. …
- Controlled Language (CL, Controlled Natural Language)
- A restricted subset of a natural language that limits vocabulary, grammar, and style to reduce ambiguity and improve clarity and consistency in writing. In accessibility, controlled language rules can…
- Curation (Content Curation, Accessibility Curation)
- The process of selecting, organizing, and presenting digital content or resources to serve a particular audience or purpose. In accessibility contexts, curation refers to the proactive work of identif…
- Data visualization accessibility (Chart accessibility, Accessible data visualizations, Graph accessibility)
- The practice of making charts, graphs, maps, dashboards, and other visual representations of data perceivable and understandable by people with disabilities, particularly screen-reader users and peopl…
- Easy-to-Read (E2R, Easy Read, ETR)
- A content-simplification approach that presents information in short sentences, plain vocabulary, and clear structure to support readers with cognitive disabilities, learning difficulties, low literac…
- Flesch Reading Ease (Flesch Readability Score, Flesch Score, FRE)
- A readability formula developed by Rudolf Flesch in 1948 that rates text on a 100-point scale based on average sentence length and average number of syllables per word. Higher scores indicate easier-t…
- Heading Structure (Header Hierarchy, Heading Levels, Document Outline)
- The hierarchical organization of headings (H1 through H6 in HTML) used to define the logical structure and sections of a document or web page. Proper heading structure is one of the most critical acce…
- Image description (Long description, Extended image description, Image alt)
- A detailed textual representation of an image's content, typically longer and more comprehensive than alt text. While alt text is a concise attribute embedded in HTML for screen readers, image descrip…
- Learning Object (LO, Reusable Learning Object, RLO)
- A self-contained, reusable unit of educational content that can be independently accessed, combined with other learning objects, and delivered across different learning management systems. Learning ob…
- Metadata
- Data that provides structured information about other data or digital content. In accessibility, metadata plays a critical role in describing the accessibility features and characteristics of digital …
- Plain Language (Plain English, Clear Language, Simple Language)
- Plain language is communication that is clear, concise, and well-organized so that the intended audience can easily find, understand, and use the information. In accessibility, plain language is essen…
- Presentation video (Lecture recording, Recorded lecture)
- A video recording of an instructor delivering content alongside visual materials such as slides, whiteboards, or demonstrations. Presentation videos present unique accessibility challenges because the…
- Readability (Text Readability)
- The ease with which written text can be read and understood, determined by factors including vocabulary complexity, sentence length, grammatical structure, and text organisation. Readability is distin…