Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
178 results found in web accessibility.
- Alternative Text (Alt Text, Alt Attribute)
- Text associated with an image that serves the same purpose and conveys the same essential information as the image. Alternative text is a fundamental web accessibility requirement specified in WCAG, e…
- Arabic Accessibility (Arabic Language Accessibility, RTL Accessibility)
- Accessibility considerations specific to Arabic language content and Arabic-speaking users. Arabic presents unique challenges for digital accessibility: the script is written right-to-left (RTL), requ…
- 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…
- Aural Glancing
- The auditory equivalent of visually glancing at a web page — the ability for screen reader users to quickly get a sense of what sections and content are available on a page without being forced to lis…
- Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines (ATAG) (ATAG, ATAG 2.0)
- A W3C Web Accessibility Initiative standard that provides guidelines for designing authoring tools — such as content management systems, website builders, and code editors — that are both accessible t…
- Automated Accessibility Testing (Automated A11y Testing, Accessibility Scanning)
- The use of software tools to programmatically check web content against accessibility guidelines such as WCAG. Tools like Axe, WAVE, Google Lighthouse, and AChecker translate accessibility rules into …
- Automated Web GUI Testing (AWGT, Automated GUI Testing, Web Crawler Testing)
- Automated Web GUI Testing (AWGT) refers to software testing approaches that automatically explore web applications by performing GUI interactions such as clicking and form input, without requiring man…
- Automatic Alt Text (AI-generated Alt Text, Auto Alt Text, Machine-generated Alt Text)
- Alternative text for images that is automatically generated by artificial intelligence systems using computer vision and natural language processing. Platforms like Microsoft PowerPoint, Facebook, and…
- Axe (axe-core, Deque Axe)
- An open-source accessibility testing engine developed by Deque Systems that checks web content against WCAG and other accessibility standards. Axe can be integrated into browsers (via browser extensio…
- BS 8878 (British Standard 8878, Web Accessibility Code of Practice)
- A British Standard published in 2010 that provides a code of practice for web accessibility. BS 8878 defines a 16-step process for implementing web accessibility within organisations, taking a user-ce…
- Barrier Impact Factor (BIF, Accessibility Barrier Impact)
- A metric for measuring the severity of web accessibility barriers by weighting detected errors according to which assistive technologies and disability groups they affect. The BIF is calculated by sum…
- Bidirectional Interface (BiDi Interface, RTL Interface)
- A user interface designed to support both left-to-right (LTR) and right-to-left (RTL) text directions, essential for languages such as Arabic, Hebrew, Farsi, and Urdu. Bidirectional interfaces must ha…
- Breadcrumb (Breadcrumb Navigation, Breadcrumb Trail, Breadcrumbs)
- A secondary navigation pattern that displays the user's current location within a site or application hierarchy as a series of linked steps, typically separated by arrows or slashes. Breadcrumbs help …
- Brightness Contrast (Luminance Contrast, Perceived Brightness Difference)
- The difference in perceived brightness between two colors, typically between text and its background. Brightness contrast is a key factor in readability, especially for people with low vision, color v…
- Browser Extension Accessibility (Accessible Browser Extension, Assistive Browser Extension)
- The design and development of web browser extensions that either enhance the accessibility of existing web content or are themselves fully accessible to users of assistive technologies. Assistive brow…
- Browsing Fatigue (Navigation Fatigue, Screen Reader Fatigue)
- Physical and cognitive exhaustion experienced by users — particularly screen reader users and those with motor impairments — when navigating web content through repetitive, effortful interactions. For…
- CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart)
- A challenge-response test used on websites to determine whether a user is human, typically requiring users to identify distorted text, select images, or solve puzzles. CAPTCHAs present significant acc…
- CSS Media Queries (Media Queries, Responsive Breakpoints)
- A CSS feature that allows stylesheets to apply different rules based on characteristics of the user's device or viewport, such as screen width, resolution, color capability, or user preferences like r…
- Cloud Accessibility (Cloud-Based Accessibility)
- The use of cloud computing technologies to deliver, manage, and personalize accessibility features and assistive technologies. Cloud accessibility enables users to store their accessibility preference…
- Color Contrast (Colour Contrast, Contrast Ratio)
- The difference in luminance between foreground text (or UI components) and their background, measured as a ratio. WCAG 2.1 requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large …