Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 209 of 333
- Option Repertoire
- A type of technology repertoire where a person has multiple tools that can each independently address the same access barrier, choosing between them based on context. For example, a person might use f…
- OrCam (OrCam MyEye, OrCam Read)
- A family of wearable assistive devices made by OrCam Technologies that use a camera and on-device AI to read printed text aloud, identify faces and products, and recognize colors and banknotes for bli…
- Oral Language (Expressive Oral Language, Spoken Language)
- Oral language is the system of spoken communication comprising articulation (producing speech sounds), vocabulary (tact or naming), grammar and linguistic structure, and pragmatic or conversational us…
- Oral Motor Impairment (Oral-Motor Dysfunction, Oromotor Impairment)
- A condition affecting the muscles and movements of the mouth, jaw, lips, and tongue that are involved in speech production, feeding, and swallowing. Oral motor impairments can result from neurological…
- Oralism (Oral Method, Oral Education)
- An educational philosophy and approach for deaf and hard of hearing individuals that emphasizes spoken language and lip-reading over the use of sign language. Historically, oralism dominated deaf educ…
- Orca (GNOME Orca)
- A free, open source screen reader for the GNOME desktop environment on Linux and Unix-like operating systems. Orca provides access to graphical applications through speech synthesis, braille output, a…
- Order-Irrelevance Principle
- The counting principle that the order in which objects are counted does not affect the total — counting the same set of objects in any sequence will yield the same number. This concept, while intuitiv…
- Organizations of Persons with Disabilities (OPD, OPDs, Disabled Persons Organizations, DPO, DPOs)
- Organizations that are led, directed, and governed by people with disabilities, where the majority of members and leadership positions are held by disabled people. OPDs are distinct from organizations…
- Orientation and Mobility (O&M)
- A professional field and set of skills that enable blind and visually impaired people to travel safely and independently in their environments. Orientation refers to understanding one's position in sp…
- Orientation and mobility (O&M)
- A professional discipline and set of skills that enable people with visual impairments to travel safely and independently through their environment. Orientation refers to understanding one's position …
- Orthographic Depth (Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)
- A measure of how consistently a written language maps between its spelling (graphemes) and pronunciation (phonemes). Shallow or transparent orthographies like Spanish, Finnish, and Italian have highly…
- Orthographic Depth (Orthographic Transparency, Spelling Transparency)
- The degree of consistency in the relationship between letters (graphemes) and sounds (phonemes) in a writing system. Languages with shallow or transparent orthography — like Finnish, Spanish, and Ital…
- Orthographic Projection (Parallel Projection)
- A method of representing a three-dimensional object in two dimensions by projecting its features onto a flat plane using parallel lines perpendicular to that plane, eliminating perspective distortion.…
- Orthography (Spelling System, Writing System)
- The conventional spelling system of a language, including the rules and patterns that govern how sounds (phonemes) are represented by written symbols (graphemes). Languages vary in orthographic depth:…
- Orthosis (Orthotic, Orthotic Device, Brace)
- An externally applied medical device used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal system. Orthoses support, align, prevent, or correct deformities and…
- Orthotics (Orthosis, Orthoses, Orthotic Device)
- Externally applied devices used to modify the structural and functional characteristics of the neuromuscular and skeletal systems — including braces, splints, and supports for the spine, limbs, hands,…
- Osteoarthritis (OA, Degenerative Joint Disease)
- The most common form of arthritis, caused by progressive breakdown of the cartilage that cushions the ends of bones. Osteoarthritis produces joint pain, stiffness, swelling, and reduced range of motio…
- Outcome-Based Education (OBE, Standards-Based Education)
- An educational approach that focuses on measuring student achievement through specific, predetermined outcomes or competencies rather than on the process of learning itself. In disability and special …
- Outlier detection (Anomaly detection, Novelty detection)
- An algorithmic technique that identifies data points or behaviors that deviate significantly from expected patterns, used in fraud detection, quality assurance, CAPTCHAs, and crowd labor platforms. Pe…
- Over-Assistance (Over-Helping, Excessive Assistance)
- The tendency of caregivers, family members, or support providers to complete tasks for a person with a disability rather than allowing them to perform the tasks independently, even when the person is …