Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
86 results found in disability rights.
- Normative Commonplaces (Workplace Norms)
- Standards, expectations, and unwritten rules in workplaces that are based on the assumed abilities and behaviors of non-disabled workers, creating barriers for employees with disabilities. These norms…
- Nothing About Us Without Us (NAUWU, Nihil de nobis sine nobis)
- A foundational principle of the disability rights movement asserting that people with disabilities must be meaningfully involved in decisions, policies, research, and design processes that affect thei…
- Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD, OPDs, Disabled Persons Organizations, DPO, DPOs)
- Organizations that are led, directed, and governed by people with disabilities, where the majority of members and leadership positions are held by disabled people. OPDs are distinct from organizations…
- Paternalism (Paternalistic Approach)
- The practice of making decisions for others based on the assumption that one knows what is best for them, without adequately consulting or empowering them to make their own choices. In disability cont…
- Personal Independence Payment (PIP)
- A UK non-means-tested, points-based disability benefit for working-age adults that helps with the extra costs of long-term physical or mental health conditions. PIP has two components — Daily Living a…
- Pleasure Activism
- A framework articulated by adrienne maree brown that centers pleasure, joy, and satisfaction as essential components of social justice and liberation movements. In disability contexts, pleasure activi…
- Reasonable Accommodation (Workplace Accommodation, Job Accommodation)
- A modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or the way work is typically performed that enables a qualified individual with a disability to perform essential job functions and enjoy equal…
- Reasonable accommodation (Reasonable adjustment, Workplace accommodation)
- A modification or adjustment to a job, work environment, or workplace process that enables an employee with a disability to perform essential job functions and enjoy equal employment opportunities. Re…
- Recreational Accessibility (Leisure Accessibility)
- The design and provision of recreational activities, spaces, and experiences that are inclusive of people with disabilities. Recreational accessibility extends beyond basic physical access to encompas…
- Right to Repair
- A movement advocating for consumers' ability to repair, modify, and maintain their own devices and equipment, including access to diagnostic information, repair manuals, and replacement parts. For peo…
- Section 504 (Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act)
- Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 is a US federal civil rights law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability in any program or activity receiving federal financial assistanc…
- Self-Advocacy
- The ability and practice of speaking up for one's own needs, rights, and interests, particularly in contexts where those needs may be overlooked, dismissed, or actively opposed. In disability contexts…
- Self-Advocate
- A person with a disability who speaks up for themselves and their rights, makes their own decisions, and works to ensure their voice is heard in matters affecting their life. In the disability rights …
- Self-Determination (Autonomy, Self-Determination Theory)
- The right and ability of individuals to make choices and decisions about their own lives, bodies, and futures without external coercion or control. In disability rights, self-determination is a core p…
- Sheltered Employment (Sheltered Workshop, Sheltered Work)
- A form of employment in which people with disabilities work in a segregated setting, separate from the general labour market, typically under supervised conditions and often for below-minimum wage. Sh…
- Social Model of Disability (social model, barriers model)
- A framework that distinguishes between impairment (a physical, sensory, or cognitive difference) and disability (the social barriers and exclusion that result from society not accommodating that diffe…
- Social Model of Disability (Social Construction of Disability)
- A framework that locates disability not in an individual's body or mind but in the barriers created by society — including physical environments, attitudes, policies, and systems that exclude people w…
- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, Global Goals)
- A collection of 17 interlinked global goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 as a shared blueprint for peace and prosperity by 2030. Several SDGs are directly relevant to disability inclusion: SD…
- Technology Empowerment (User Empowerment, Disability Technology Empowerment)
- An approach to accessibility that goes beyond user-centered design to actively train and support people with disabilities to become technology creators, developers, and researchers rather than solely …
- Transformative Access
- A concept from disability justice that redefines accessibility beyond structural adjustments or compliance with standards. Introduced by the disability justice group Sins Invalid, transformative acces…