Glossary

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

4 results found in systems design.

Cascading Access Barriers (Compounding Barriers, Barrier Cascades)
A pattern where an initial accessibility barrier triggers a chain of subsequent barriers, each compounding the difficulty of the previous one. For example, missing a pharmacy notification (first barri…
Complex Adaptive System (CAS)
A system composed of many interconnected, diverse components that interact and adapt in response to each other and their environment, producing emergent behaviors that cannot be predicted from the pro…
Disabling by Design (Designed Disability, Systemic Disablement)
A critical framework describing how systems, policies, and processes create disability through their design rather than through malicious intent. When a system requires cognitive, physical, or sensory…
Wicked Problem
A problem that is difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory, and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize. Wicked problems resist traditional problem-sol…