Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 271 of 333
- Sound Design (Audio Design)
- The craft of creating, selecting, and arranging audio elements - dialogue, music, ambient sound, foley, and effects - to shape the experience of a film, game, broadcast, or interactive product. For ac…
- Sound Effect (SFX, Audio Effect)
- An artificially created or enhanced sound used to emphasize or accompany actions, events, or atmosphere in media. In accessible webtoon and comic production, sound effects are categorized into five ty…
- Sound Event Detection (Audio Tagging, Automatic Sound Recognition)
- A machine learning technique that automatically identifies and classifies sounds within an audio stream, such as music, applause, laughter, environmental noises, and other non-speech audio events. In …
- Sound Localization (Auditory Localization)
- The ability to determine the direction and distance of a sound source using auditory cues such as differences in timing and intensity between the two ears. Blind and visually impaired people often dev…
- Sound Masking (Acoustic Masking, Noise Masking)
- A technique that introduces ambient background sounds to reduce the perceptual prominence of unwanted or disruptive noises, rather than blocking them entirely. Originally used in architectural acousti…
- Sound Pressure Level (SPL, Decibel Level)
- A logarithmic measure of sound intensity expressed in decibels (dB), representing the pressure of a sound wave relative to a reference level. In accessibility, SPL is critical for designing auditory f…
- Sound Prominence (Sound Salience, Auditory Salience)
- The perceptual quality that makes certain sounds stand out from others in an auditory scene, determined by factors such as loudness, distinctiveness, proximity, and relevance to the listener. Sound pr…
- Sound Recognition (Sound Classification, Audio Event Detection, Environmental Sound Recognition)
- Technology that automatically identifies and classifies sounds in a user's environment, typically using machine learning models trained on audio datasets. In accessibility contexts, sound recognition …
- Sound Representation (Sound Depiction)
- The methods and conventions used to convey audio information through text in captions and other written formats. Common approaches include descriptive text (explaining the sound source and quality), o…
- Sound Visualization (Audio Visualization, Sound-to-Visual Mapping)
- The practice of representing audio information through visual means, enabling Deaf or Hard-of-hearing individuals to perceive sound-based information that would otherwise be inaccessible. Sound visual…
- Sound awareness (Sound recognition, Environmental sound detection)
- Technology that detects and identifies sounds in the user's environment and conveys that information through alternative modalities such as visual notifications or haptic alerts. For deaf and hard-of-…
- Sound localization (Auditory localization, Spatial hearing)
- The ability to identify the direction and distance of a sound source, relying on cues such as interaural time differences, intensity differences, and spectral filtering by the outer ear. Sound localiz…
- Soundbeam
- A touchless digital musical instrument that uses ultrasonic sensors to detect movement in space and convert it into sound. Soundbeam allows users to create music through body movements, gestures, or t…
- Soundscape (Auditory Soundscape, Audio Landscape)
- An auditory environment where multiple spatialized sounds represent objects or landmarks in all directions around a listener, creating an acoustic representation of physical space. In accessibility ap…
- South African Sign Language (SASL)
- The primary sign language used by the Deaf community in South Africa, recognized as one of the country's official languages under the Constitution. SASL has its own grammar, syntax, and vocabulary dis…
- Space compaction (Horizontal compaction, White space reduction)
- An accessibility technique used in screen magnification software and browser extensions that reduces excessive white space and adjusts column widths to minimize horizontal scrolling. For low-vision us…
- Spasm (Muscle Spasm, Spasticity)
- A sudden, involuntary contraction of a muscle or group of muscles that can cause uncontrolled movement or a temporary inability to move. Spasms are common in conditions such as cerebral palsy, spinal …
- Spasmodic Dysphonia (Laryngeal Dystonia, SD)
- Spasmodic dysphonia is a neurological voice disorder characterized by involuntary spasms of the laryngeal muscles during speech, causing interruptions in voice production. The most common form, adduct…
- Spastic Cerebral Palsy (Spastic CP)
- The most common subtype of cerebral palsy, characterised by stiff or tight muscles (hypertonia) and exaggerated reflexes, caused by damage to the motor cortex or corticospinal tracts of the developing…
- Spastic Diplegia (Diplegic Cerebral Palsy)
- A form of cerebral palsy characterised by muscle stiffness (spasticity) that primarily affects the lower limbs, though the upper limbs may also be mildly affected. It is one of the most common types o…