Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 182 of 333
- Menu-Driven Interface (Menu-Based Interface, Menu Selection Interface)
- A user interface style in which the available actions at each point in the interaction are presented to the user as an on-screen list, and the user selects an option by number, letter, keystroke, or p…
- Mercator
- A research screen reader system developed at the Georgia Institute of Technology by W. Keith Edwards and Elizabeth Mynatt for the X Window System on Unix workstations. Mercator pioneered the approach …
- Mermaid (Mermaid.js)
- An open-source JavaScript-based diagramming and charting tool that renders diagrams from a Markdown-inspired text specification language. Mermaid supports flowcharts, sequence diagrams, class diagrams…
- Meta Ray-Ban Smart Glasses (Ray-Ban Meta, Meta Smart Glasses)
- Consumer smart glasses produced through a partnership between Meta and Ray-Ban that integrate cameras, speakers, and microphones into a conventional eyewear form factor. When paired with Meta's Live A…
- Meta-Research (Research on research, Metascience)
- The systematic study of research itself — the tools, workflows, norms, infrastructures, and institutional practices through which scholarly knowledge is produced, evaluated, and disseminated. Meta-res…
- Meta-learning (Learning to Learn)
- A branch of machine learning where models are trained to learn new tasks from very few examples by leveraging knowledge gained from previous tasks. In accessibility applications, meta-learning enables…
- Metacognition (Thinking About Thinking, Meta-Cognitive Awareness)
- The awareness and understanding of one's own thought processes, including the ability to plan, monitor, and evaluate one's cognitive strategies during learning or problem-solving. In accessibility, su…
- Metacommunication (Designer-User Metacommunication)
- In semiotic engineering, metacommunication refers to the overarching communication that takes place between a software designer and a user through the medium of the computer interface. The interface a…
- Metadata
- Data that provides structured information about other data or digital content. In accessibility, metadata plays a critical role in describing the accessibility features and characteristics of digital …
- Metadata Repository (Metadata Store, Metadata Registry)
- A server-side system that stores and serves descriptive data about other resources — in accessibility contexts, typically information about web pages or their elements that helps assistive technology …
- Metamessage (Designer's Metamessage)
- In Semiotic Engineering theory, the overarching one-way message that a designer sends to users through the system's interface, communicating who the system is for, what it can do, how to use it, and w…
- Metaverse
- The metaverse refers to a persistent, interconnected network of virtual and mixed-reality spaces where users can interact, collaborate, and engage with digital content and each other in real time. It …
- Method cards (Design method cards, Ideation cards)
- Structured design tools consisting of cards that present scenarios, questions, or prompts to guide designers through specific aspects of the design process. In accessibility contexts, method cards pre…
- Micro Assistive Technology (Micro-AT, Accessibility Plugins)
- Small, single-feature assistive technology components that address specific accessibility needs, analogous to browser plugins or app add-ons in mainstream software. Unlike full assistive technology su…
- Micro-Culture (Communication Micro-Culture, Subculture)
- A distinct set of communication norms, practices, and shared understandings that develop within a specific community or group of individuals. In AAC communication, micro-culture refers to the unique "…
- Micro-Navigation (Micro Navigation)
- The process of navigating the immediate environment — detecting and avoiding obstacles, following the edge of a pavement, identifying surface changes, and maintaining a safe path. For blind and visual…
- Micro-Prompting (Step Prompting, Task Segmentation)
- An assistive technology approach that breaks complex multi-step tasks into individual sub-steps, presenting each step one at a time to guide users through completion. Originally developed to support p…
- Micro-task (Microtask, HIT, Human Intelligence Task)
- A small, self-contained unit of work that can be completed independently, typically in seconds to minutes, often distributed through crowdsourcing platforms. In accessibility contexts, micro-tasks suc…
- Microaggression
- A subtle, often automatic remark, question, or action that communicates prejudice or negative stereotypes toward a member of a marginalized group. Originally coined by psychiatrist Chester Pierce in t…
- Microcapsule Paper (Swell Paper, Capsule Paper, Swell Touch Paper)
- A specialized paper used to create raised tactile graphics, containing heat-sensitive microcapsules of alcohol embedded in its surface. When black carbon-based ink is printed on the paper and then pas…