Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 127 of 333
- Friedrich's Ataxia (Friedreich Ataxia, FRDA)
- A rare inherited neurological disorder that causes progressive damage to the nervous system, resulting in impaired muscle coordination (ataxia), speech difficulties, and loss of sensation in the limbs…
- Friendsourcing
- A practice where people with disabilities turn to friends, family members, or social network contacts to obtain assistance with accessibility-related tasks, such as describing images, identifying obje…
- Fringe Vocabulary (Fringe Words, Context-Specific Vocabulary)
- Topic-specific or situation-specific words in an AAC system, typically nouns and other content words that are needed in particular contexts but not used frequently across all conversations. Examples i…
- Frisson (Aesthetic Chills, Musical Chills, Piloerection)
- A psychophysiological response to music, art, or other aesthetic stimuli characterised by a pleasurable shiver or chills sensation accompanied by piloerection (goosebumps) and transient increases in h…
- Front-end Development (Client-side Development, Front-end Engineering)
- The practice of building the user-facing portion of websites and applications using HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Front-end developers create visual interfaces, handle user interactions, and ensure respo…
- Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD, Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration, Pick's Disease)
- A group of disorders caused by progressive degeneration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, primarily affecting personality, behavior, and language. Unlike Alzheimer's disease, frontotempo…
- Fully Autonomous Vehicle (FAV, Level 5 Autonomous Vehicle, Self-Driving Car, Driverless Vehicle)
- A vehicle capable of performing all driving functions without any human intervention, classified as SAE Level 5 automation. Unlike semi-autonomous vehicles that require a human driver as backup, FAVs …
- Function-Centered Design (Function-Based Design, Functional Profile Design)
- A design approach that organizes user needs around observed functional characteristics — such as attention span, motor control, sensory sensitivities, and communication abilities — rather than diagnos…
- Functiona11ity Error (Functionality Error, Functiona11ity)
- A term coined by Zhong et al. (2026) — a portmanteau of 'functionality' and 'a11y' (accessibility) — for an accessibility barrier that only manifests through interaction. The static state of the UI ap…
- Functional Assessment (Functional Capability Assessment, FA)
- A systematic process for evaluating an individual's ability to perform specific tasks or activities, focusing on what a person can actually do rather than their medical diagnosis. In assistive technol…
- Functional Capacity (Functional Ability)
- The maximum level at which a person can perform a given physical or cognitive activity under standardised conditions. Functional capacity represents what a person is capable of doing, as opposed to wh…
- Functional Classification (Sport Classification, Player Classification)
- A system used in adaptive and Paralympic sports to group athletes into categories based on their physical functional abilities rather than their specific medical diagnosis. In wheelchair basketball, p…
- Functional Cognitive Disability (Functional Cognitive Limitation)
- An approach to categorizing cognitive disabilities based on the functional limitations they produce rather than clinical diagnoses. Categories typically include difficulties with memory, problem-solvi…
- Functional Colour (Functional Color)
- Functional colour is a design technique for auditory interfaces where visual colour distinctions are replaced with alternative identifiers — typically numbers or mnemonic labels — that convey the same…
- Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES)
- A rehabilitation technique that uses low-level electrical currents to activate paralyzed or weakened muscles in people with neurological conditions such as spinal cord injury, stroke, or multiple scle…
- Functional Equivalency (Functional Equivalence, Communication Equivalence)
- The principle that accommodations and alternative formats should provide people with disabilities an experience that is comparable in quality, timeliness, and completeness to that of non-disabled user…
- 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…
- Functional Image
- An image that serves as an interactive control, such as a link, button, or form input, rather than simply conveying information. When an image is used as a link or button, its alternative text must de…
- Functional Independence (Functional Autonomy, Independent Functioning)
- The ability to perform daily living activities without assistance from others, encompassing both basic self-care tasks (eating, dressing, bathing) and more complex instrumental activities (shopping, m…
- Functional Limitation (Functional Restriction)
- A restriction or lack of ability to perform a physical or cognitive action in the manner or within the range considered typical. In the context of accessibility and rehabilitation, functional limitati…