Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

148 results found in disability studies.

Socio-Technical Infrastructure (Sociotechnical System)
The interconnected combination of social structures (institutions, policies, norms, relationships) and technical systems (software, hardware, platforms) that together shape how people interact with te…
Sociotechnical Identity
The aspect of personal identity that is constructed and expressed through the technologies a person uses. In assistive technology research, sociotechnical identity refers to how AT serves as a vehicle…
Stigma (Social stigma, Disability stigma)
A negative social perception or mark of disgrace associated with a particular attribute, condition, or circumstance. In disability and accessibility contexts, stigma refers to the social devaluation p…
Technoableism
A concept describing how technology is framed as a solution to disability in ways that reinforce ableist assumptions, treating disability primarily as a problem to be fixed rather than a form of human…
Tokenism (Token Inclusion)
The practice of including a small number of individuals from underrepresented groups primarily for the appearance of inclusivity rather than for meaningful participation or impact. In accessibility re…
Visual Epistemology (Sighted Epistemology)
Ways of knowing and understanding the world that are dependent on visual perception. Visual epistemology treats sight as the primary and most reliable sense for gathering information, often positionin…
Workplace disclosure model (Disclosure decision model, Joachim and Acorn framework)
A theoretical framework for understanding how individuals with invisible disabilities decide whether, when, and how to disclose their condition at work, and the outcomes that follow. The Joachim and A…
d/Deaf (Deaf, deaf, Big D Deaf, Little d deaf)
A convention used to distinguish between two meanings of the word deaf. Uppercase "Deaf" refers to people who identify as culturally Deaf and are part of the Deaf community, sharing a common language …