Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
25 results found in screen reader accessibility.
- Accelerated Speech (Time-Compressed Speech, Speed-Up Speech)
- Audio output played at faster than normal speaking rate, commonly used by people with visual impairments when interacting with screen readers and other audio-based assistive technologies. Research sho…
- Accessible Name (Accessible Label, Acc Name)
- The text string that assistive technologies such as screen readers use to identify and announce a user interface element. The accessible name is computed by browsers following the W3C's Accessible Nam…
- Alt Text (Alternative Text, Alt Attribute, Image Description)
- A textual description of an image that is embedded in the HTML code and read aloud by screen readers, providing blind and low vision users with information about visual content. Effective alt text is …
- Aria-Live (ARIA Live Region, Live Region)
- An ARIA attribute (aria-live) used to designate regions of a web page whose content may change dynamically, ensuring that assistive technologies announce updates to users without requiring them to nav…
- Code Folding (Code Collapsing, Outlining)
- Code folding is a feature in text editors and integrated development environments (IDEs) that allows programmers to collapse sections of code (such as functions, classes, or loops) into a single line,…
- Code Navigation (Code Browsing, Codebase Navigation)
- Code navigation refers to the process of moving through, understanding, and locating specific elements within a software codebase. For sighted developers, this is supported by visual cues such as synt…
- Concurrent Exploration (Concurrent Slide Access, Simultaneous Exploration)
- The ability for screen reader users to independently browse and interact with visual content (such as presentation slides) at the same time as a presenter is speaking, mirroring the way sighted audien…
- DOM Tree (Document Object Model, DOM)
- A programming interface that represents an HTML or XML document as a hierarchical tree structure, where each node corresponds to a part of the document such as an element, attribute, or text content. …
- Dashboard Accessibility (Accessible Dashboards)
- The practice of designing data dashboards — visual interfaces combining charts, key performance indicators, filtering widgets, and interactive data querying — so they are usable by people with disabil…
- Descriptive Labels (Descriptive Naming, Semantic Labels)
- Text labels for visual options (such as fonts, colors, and filters) that describe their perceptual or aesthetic qualities rather than simply providing a technical name. For example, labeling a font as…
- Form Label (Input Label, Form Field Label)
- A text label programmatically associated with an interactive form control (such as a text input, button, checkbox, or dropdown) that identifies the purpose or function of that control to all users. In…
- Glanceability (Glanceable, At-a-Glance Access)
- Glanceability refers to the ability of a user to quickly extract key information from a document, interface, or data display with minimal effort. In the context of accessibility, glanceability describ…
- 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…
- Heading hierarchy (Heading structure, Heading levels)
- The logical, nested structure of HTML heading elements (h1 through h6) that organizes web content into a navigable outline. A well-structured heading hierarchy uses heading levels sequentially without…
- Image Editing Accessibility (Accessible Image Editing, Accessible Photo Editing)
- The design of image editing tools and workflows that are usable by people with disabilities, particularly blind and low vision users who rely on screen readers. Key challenges include making spatial e…
- Live Region (ARIA Live Region, aria-live)
- A section of a web page that is dynamically updated and announced by assistive technologies without requiring the user to navigate to it. Live regions are defined using the WAI-ARIA aria-live attribut…
- MathML (Mathematical Markup Language)
- A W3C standard XML-based markup language for describing mathematical notation and its structure, enabling mathematical content to be rendered visually in web browsers and read aloud by screen readers.…
- Non-Visual Interaction (Non-Visual Interface, Eyes-Free Interaction)
- Interaction techniques and interface designs that do not require sight, enabling blind and low vision users to operate software and devices through alternative modalities such as speech, keyboard comm…
- Screen Reader (Screen Reading Software)
- Assistive technology software that converts on-screen text, interface elements, and structured content into synthesized speech or Braille output, enabling blind and low vision users to navigate and in…
- Slide Accessibility (Presentation Accessibility, Accessible Presentations, Accessible Slides)
- The practice of designing and delivering slide presentations so they can be fully accessed and understood by people with disabilities, particularly screen reader users. Key requirements include settin…