Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 222 of 333
- Pictograph (Pictogram, Picture Symbol, Graphic Symbol)
- A simplified visual symbol or image that represents a word, concept, or action, used as an alternative or supplement to written text. Pictograph systems such as Sclera, Beta, and Widgit are widely use…
- Picture Communication Symbols (PCS, Boardmaker Symbols)
- A widely used graphic symbol system for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), consisting of simple, colorful line drawings representing words, phrases, and concepts. Developed by Mayer-Joh…
- Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS)
- A structured augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) system that teaches individuals to use pictures to communicate with others. Developed by Andrew Bondy and Lori Frost in 1985, PECS uses a …
- Picture Prompting (Visual prompting, Pictorial instruction)
- An instructional strategy that uses photographs or illustrations to depict how to complete each step of a task, providing visual guidance for people with developmental or intellectual disabilities. Pi…
- Picture Smart AI (JAWS Picture Smart AI)
- Picture Smart AI is a feature of the JAWS screen reader (Freedom Scientific/Vispero) that uses multimodal AI models to describe images, charts, and on-screen content on demand. It can describe a photo…
- Picture-in-Picture (PiP, PIP)
- A display technique that shows a smaller video or content window overlaid on the main content, allowing viewers to see two sources simultaneously. In accessibility contexts, picture-in-picture is the …
- Pidgin Signed English (PSE, Contact Signing, Sign Supported English)
- A hybrid communication system that combines elements of American Sign Language (ASL) and English. In PSE, signers use ASL signs for the main content words of an English sentence, following English wor…
- Pie Menu (Radial Menu, Circular Menu)
- A pie menu is a circular or ring-shaped menu interface in which command options are arranged radially around a central point, allowing selection by moving the cursor or making a directional gesture to…
- Piezo Vibrator (Piezoelectric Vibrator, Piezoelectric Actuator)
- A device that converts electrical signals into mechanical vibrations using the piezoelectric effect, commonly used in tactile displays and haptic feedback systems for assistive technology. Piezo vibra…
- Piezoelectric Actuator (Piezo Actuator, Piezoelectric Bimorph)
- A device that converts electrical energy into precise mechanical motion using the piezoelectric effect — the property of certain materials to change shape when an electric voltage is applied. In assis…
- Piggyback Prototyping (piggyback prototype, parasitic prototyping)
- Piggyback prototyping is a research methodology in which researchers add new features or interventions to already-deployed, live systems rather than building standalone prototypes, enabling study of u…
- Pilot (Shared Control)
- In shared-control video gaming, the pilot is the primary player — usually a person with a disability — who drives the gameplay and makes strategic decisions, while delegating specific inaccessible inp…
- Pilot-Passenger Model (Pilot/Passenger Framework)
- A model describing household technology dynamics where "pilots" are the users who set up and configure devices, while "passengers" are those who simply use the systems configured for them. In disabili…
- Pin Array (Pin Matrix, Pin-Matrix Display)
- A grid of individually controllable pins used in refreshable tactile displays to create tactile images and text. Each pin can be raised or lowered electronically, and in some displays raised to multip…
- Pin Array Display (Pin Matrix Display, Tactile Pin Display)
- A type of tactile display technology that uses an array of individually controllable pins that can be raised or lowered to create tactile patterns, textures, and graphics. Pin array displays are used …
- Pin-Matrix Display (Tactile Pin Display, Pin Array Display, Two-Dimensional Braille Display)
- A refreshable tactile display technology that uses a grid of individually controllable pins to create two-dimensional tactile images, as opposed to single-line refreshable Braille displays that show o…
- Pitch
- The perceived highness or lowness of a sound, determined primarily by its fundamental frequency (measured in Hertz). Pitch is one of the primary dimensions along which music and speech are organized, …
- Pitch Detection (Pitch Tracking, Fundamental Frequency Detection)
- The computational process of determining the fundamental frequency (pitch) of an audio signal in real time. In accessibility, pitch detection is used in non-speech voice interfaces where changes in hu…
- Pitch Mapping (Pitch-Y Mapping, Frequency Mapping)
- A sonification technique that maps data values to auditory pitch, where higher values produce higher-pitched sounds and lower values produce lower-pitched sounds. In accessibility contexts, pitch mapp…
- Pitch Polarity (Pitch Mapping Direction)
- The direction in which pitch changes correspond to navigation direction in an auditory interface — specifically, whether pitch increases (ascending polarity) or decreases (descending polarity) as a us…