Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
17 results found in literacy.
- Braille (Braille System, Braille Code)
- A tactile writing system used by people who are blind or have low vision, consisting of patterns of raised dots arranged in cells of up to six dots in a 3x2 configuration. Each cell represents a lette…
- Braille Contractions (Braille Short Forms, Braille Abbreviations)
- Abbreviated representations in Grade 2 braille where a single braille cell or short sequence of cells stands for a common word, letter combination, or word fragment. For example, a single cell can rep…
- Braille Literacy (Braille Reading and Writing)
- The ability to read and write using the braille system, a tactile code of raised dots representing letters, numbers, and symbols. Braille literacy is fundamental to educational achievement, employment…
- Braille literacy (Braille fluency)
- The ability to read and write using the Braille tactile writing system of raised dots. Braille literacy rates among blind people have declined significantly — from over 50% in the 1960s to under 10% i…
- English Literacy (Reading Literacy, English Reading Literacy)
- The ability to read, write, and comprehend written English. In the context of deaf and hard-of-hearing accessibility, English literacy is a significant consideration because many DHH individuals — par…
- Functional Illiteracy (Low Literacy, Limited Literacy)
- A condition in which a person has basic reading and writing skills but cannot effectively understand or use written text for everyday tasks such as reading instructions, filling out forms, or comprehe…
- Grade 1 Braille (Uncontracted Braille, Alphabetic Braille)
- The basic level of braille in which each letter, number, and punctuation mark is represented by its own distinct braille cell, with no abbreviations or contractions. Grade 1 braille is typically used …
- Grade 2 Braille (Contracted Braille)
- The standard form of braille used in most published materials, which employs contractions — single braille characters or short groups of characters that represent common words, letter combinations, or…
- Grapheme
- The smallest unit of a writing system, typically a letter or group of letters that represents a single phoneme (sound). For example, the word "ship" contains three graphemes: <sh>, <i>, and <p>. Under…
- Graphicacy (Graph Literacy, Visual Literacy)
- The ability to read, interpret, and communicate information presented in graphs, charts, maps, and other visual representations of data. Graphicacy is considered a foundational literacy alongside read…
- Numeracy (Mathematical Literacy, Quantitative Literacy)
- The ability to understand, use, and reason with numbers and mathematical concepts in everyday contexts. Numeracy skills include counting, arithmetic operations, understanding percentages and proportio…
- Sighted Braille Learner (Visual Braille Learner)
- A person with typical vision who learns to read and write braille, usually for professional or personal reasons such as teaching blind students or supporting a blind family member. Sighted braille lea…
- Sign Language Writing System (Sign Language Script, Sign Language Notation, Sign Language Character System)
- A system of symbols or characters designed to represent sign language in written form. Unlike spoken languages, which have well-established writing systems, sign languages generally lack a standard wr…
- SignWriting
- A writing system for sign languages that uses visual symbols to represent handshapes, movements, facial expressions, and body positions. Created by Valerie Sutton in 1974, SignWriting allows sign lang…
- Tactile Graphicacy (Tactile Literacy, Tactile Reading Skills)
- The learned ability to read, interpret, and create meaning from tactile images, maps, diagrams, and graphics through touch. Just as visual graphicacy is developed through exposure to visual images, ta…
- Tactile Reading (Touch Reading)
- The process of reading text through the sense of touch, primarily using the fingertips to perceive raised characters such as braille. Tactile reading requires distinct perceptual and cognitive skills …
- Unified English Braille (UEB)
- The standard braille code used for English-language literary materials in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and other English-speaking countries. UEB was adopted to replace multipl…