Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
24 results found in urban accessibility.
- ADA Transition Plan (ADA Self-Evaluation and Transition Plan, Accessibility Transition Plan)
- A document required under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) that outlines how a public entity will make its programs, services, activities, and facilities accessible to people with…
- Accessibility Map (Accessible Route Map, Wheelchair Accessibility Map)
- A map that displays information about the physical accessibility features and barriers of an environment, such as the presence of curb ramps, steps, slopes, surface conditions, and accessible entrance…
- Bus stop accessibility (Accessible bus stops, Bus stop landmarks)
- The design, infrastructure, and information features that make bus stops findable, identifiable, and usable by people with disabilities. For blind and low-vision riders, bus stop accessibility depends…
- Citizen Sensing (Citizen Sensor, Participatory Sensing)
- A data collection approach in which members of the public use mobile devices or other tools to gather and report information about their environment, contributing to collective datasets that can infor…
- Crosswalk detection (Pedestrian crossing detection, Zebra crossing detection)
- The automated identification and localization of marked pedestrian crossings in imagery using computer vision techniques. Crosswalk detection can be performed on satellite images, street-level photogr…
- Crowdsourced Accessibility (Crowdsourced Accessibility Auditing, Citizen-Sourced Accessibility)
- The practice of collecting accessibility information about physical or digital environments through contributions from large numbers of people, rather than relying solely on professional auditors. In …
- Crowdsourced Accessibility Mapping (Collaborative Accessibility Mapping, Citizen-Sourced Accessibility Data)
- The practice of using contributions from members of the public to identify, report, and map accessibility barriers and features in physical or digital environments. In urban contexts, crowdsourced acc…
- Crowdsourced accessibility data (Crowdsourced validation, Accessibility crowdsourcing)
- The collection, verification, or enrichment of accessibility-related geographic or environmental information through the coordinated efforts of many distributed contributors, often via web-based platf…
- Curb Ramp (Curb Cut, Dropped Kerb, Kerb Ramp)
- A small ramp built into or applied to the curb at pedestrian crossings and other transitions between a sidewalk and a roadway, providing a smooth transition for wheelchair users, people with mobility …
- Environmental Legibility (Legibility of the Environment, Spatial Legibility)
- The ease with which people can perceive, understand, and form mental maps of a physical environment in order to orient themselves and navigate through it. Coined by urban planner Kevin Lynch, legibili…
- Geofencing (Geo-Fencing, Virtual Boundary)
- Geofencing is a technology that creates virtual geographic boundaries using GPS, RFID, or other location-based data to trigger actions when a device enters or exits a defined area. In accessibility co…
- Micromobility (Shared Micromobility, Micro-Mobility)
- Micromobility refers to small-scale, lightweight, networked transportation vehicles used to travel short distances, typically weighing under 500 kg and traveling at low to moderate speeds. Examples in…
- Paratransit (Demand-responsive transit, Dial-a-ride)
- A flexible, on-demand public transportation service that provides rides to people with disabilities who are unable to use fixed-route bus or rail systems. In the United States, the Americans with Disa…
- Passive Accessibility Sensing (Automatic Barrier Detection, Breadcrumb Sensing)
- A data collection approach that uses smartphone sensors (GPS, accelerometers, gyroscopes) to automatically detect potential accessibility barriers in the physical environment without requiring active …
- Personal Delivery Device (PDD, Delivery Robot, Autonomous Delivery Robot, Sidewalk Robot)
- Personal delivery devices (PDDs) are small autonomous or semi-autonomous robots that travel on sidewalks and pedestrian pathways to deliver food, packages, and other goods. These devices have been gra…
- Project Sidewalk
- An open-source web-based crowdsourcing tool developed at the University of Washington that enables volunteers to virtually audit sidewalk accessibility using Google Street View panoramas. Contributors…
- Right-of-Way (Pedestrian Right-of-Way, ROW)
- Right-of-way refers to the legal right of a pedestrian, vehicle, or other entity to proceed with precedence over others in a specific area of public space. In accessibility, pedestrian right-of-way is…
- Sustainable Mobility (Sustainable Transportation, Green Mobility)
- Transportation systems and practices that meet current mobility needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet theirs, emphasizing reduced environmental impact, energy efficiency…
- Transit Accessibility (Public Transit Accessibility, Transportation Accessibility)
- The degree to which public transportation systems — including rail, bus, and subway networks — can be used by people with disabilities and others with mobility needs. Transit accessibility encompasses…
- Urban Accessibility (City Accessibility, Built Environment Accessibility)
- The degree to which urban environments, including streets, buildings, public spaces, and transportation systems, can be navigated and used by people with disabilities. Urban accessibility encompasses …