Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 178 of 333
- Manual Sign (MS, Hand Sign)
- The hand shapes, movements, and locations that form the primary visible component of sign language vocabulary. Manual signs are what most hearing people think of as "sign language," but they represent…
- Manual Signs (Hand Signs)
- The hand-based components of sign language communication, consisting of four parameters: hand shape (configuration of fingers), location (where the sign is made relative to the body), movement (how th…
- Manual Wheelchair (Self-propelled wheelchair)
- A wheelchair propelled by the user pushing on handrims attached to the rear wheels, or by an attendant pushing from behind. Manual wheelchairs are the most common type of wheelchair used for personal …
- Map Accessibility (Accessible maps)
- The practice and field of making maps — digital geovisualizations, online navigation maps, tactile maps, and physical signage — perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust for users with disabil…
- Map-less Navigation (Mapless navigation, Infrastructure-free navigation)
- A class of robotic and assistive navigation techniques that do not require a pre-built environmental map or installed infrastructure such as Bluetooth Low Energy beacons, ultra-wideband anchors, or vi…
- Mapping by Demonstration
- A personalisation technique for gestural and sensor-based interfaces in which the system learns the relationship between user input (movement, breath, gaze) and output (sound, visuals, commands) from …
- Marburg Notation (Marburg Mathematical Notation, Marburg Braille)
- A Braille-based mathematical notation system developed at the Deutsche Blindenstudienanstalt (German Institute for the Blind) in Marburg, Germany, and widely used in German-speaking countries for read…
- Marginalization (Social Marginalization, Social Exclusion)
- The process by which individuals or groups are pushed to the edges of society, denied equal access to resources, opportunities, and power. People with disabilities, particularly those with communicati…
- Marginalized Communities (Marginalized Populations)
- Groups of people who are systematically excluded from full participation in society due to factors such as disability, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, immigration stat…
- Mark
- An elementary entity capable of perception within a spatial substrate. In the visual design space, marks include points, lines, circles, and areas — the basic building blocks from which all visual rep…
- Marking Menu (Pie Menu, Radial Menu)
- A marking menu is a radial (pie-shaped) menu that can be operated in two modes: a beginner mode that displays labelled wedges around the cursor for the user to aim at, and an expert mode that lets an …
- Markov Decision Process (MDP)
- A mathematical framework for modelling decision-making in situations where outcomes are partly random and partly under the control of a decision-maker. In accessibility and assistive technology, Marko…
- Markov Logic Networks (MLN, MLNs)
- A machine learning framework that combines first-order logic with probabilistic graphical models to handle uncertainty in rule-based reasoning. In assistive technology contexts, MLNs enable context-aw…
- Markup Language
- A system of annotations or tags embedded within text that define the structure, presentation, or semantics of content without being displayed as visible text themselves. In web accessibility, markup l…
- Marrakesh Treaty (Marrakesh VIP Treaty, WIPO Marrakesh Treaty)
- An international treaty adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2013 that requires signatory countries to create copyright exceptions allowing the production and distribution…
- Mashup (Web mashup)
- A web application or page that combines data, functionality, or presentation from two or more external sources to create a new service. Mashups use APIs or data feeds to seamlessly blend content from …
- Masking (Camouflaging, Social camouflage, Neurotypical passing)
- The conscious or unconscious process by which neurodivergent individuals — particularly autistic people — suppress their natural behaviours, communication styles, and reactions to conform to neurotypi…
- Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs (Maslow's Hierarchy, Hierarchy of Needs)
- A motivational theory in psychology proposed by Abraham Maslow that organises human needs into a hierarchical pyramid, from basic physiological needs at the base through safety, social belonging, este…
- Matching Person and Technology (MPT Model)
- A framework for understanding assistive technology adoption that considers the match between a person's characteristics (preferences, needs, lifestyle), the environmental context, and the technology's…
- Material Culture
- The physical objects, artefacts, and environments that a community produces, uses, and inhabits, along with the meanings and practices embedded in them. In AI and accessibility research, material cult…