Glossary

Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.

6660 terms — page 287 of 333

Tactile Drawing (Tactile Picture Making)
The process of creating raised-line images that can be perceived through touch rather than vision. Tactile drawing can be done by blind or sighted people using methods such as drawing on swell paper w…
Tactile Exhibit (Touch Exhibit, Hands-On Exhibit, Tactile Display)
A museum or gallery exhibit designed to be explored through touch rather than sight, allowing visitors to physically interact with objects, models, or replicas. Tactile exhibits are particularly impor…
Tactile Exploration (Haptic Exploration, Touch-Based Exploration)
The process of perceiving and understanding objects, surfaces, or spatial layouts through systematic touch. For blind and low vision users, tactile exploration is a primary means of gathering spatial …
Tactile Exploration Strategy (Haptic Exploration Strategy, Touch Exploration Pattern)
A systematic approach or pattern that a person uses when exploring tactile graphics, maps, or other touch-based representations. Research has identified several distinct strategies: "following outline…
Tactile Feedback (Haptic Feedback, Touch Feedback)
Physical sensations provided to a user through touch, including vibrations, textures, pressure, or resistance, that communicate information or confirm interactions. In accessibility, tactile feedback …
Tactile Fidelity
The degree of detail and accuracy in a tactile representation compared to the real object or concept it represents. High-fidelity tactile models include fine details, textures, and proportional accura…
Tactile Graphic (Tactile Image, Raised-Line Graphic, Tactile Diagram)
A physical representation of visual information that uses raised lines, textures, and relief to convey images, diagrams, maps, and other visual content through touch. Tactile graphics are essential fo…
Tactile Graphic Reader (Tactile Graphic Display, Tactile Image Reader)
A device that combines physical tactile graphics (raised-line images on paper) with digital audio feedback, enabling blind and visually impaired users to explore graphical content through touch while …
Tactile Graphicacy (Tactile Literacy, Tactile Reading Skills)
The learned ability to read, interpret, and create meaning from tactile images, maps, diagrams, and graphics through touch. Just as visual graphicacy is developed through exposure to visual images, ta…
Tactile Graphics (Tactile Diagrams, Raised Graphics)
Visual information represented in a raised or textured format that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and low vision users to access charts, maps, diagrams, and illustrations. Tactile grap…
Tactile Graphics (Tactile Images, Tactile Diagrams, Raised-Line Graphics)
Visual information represented in a form that can be perceived through touch, enabling people who are blind or have low vision to access images, diagrams, maps, charts, and spatial layouts. Tactile gr…
Tactile Graphics Assistant (TGA)
A software tool developed at the University of Washington that automates parts of the tactile graphics translation process to help specialists more efficiently convert printed images into tactile form…
Tactile Guide (Tactile Jig, Tactile Fixture)
A physical modification attached to equipment or tools that provides tactile directional feedback to guide a user through a task without relying on vision. In manufacturing and assembly settings, tact…
Tactile Icon (Tactile Symbol, 3D Icon, Raised Icon)
A small raised or three-dimensional symbol placed on a tactile map or diagram that represents a real-world object, location, or concept through touch. Tactile icons can be abstract (geometric shapes r…
Tactile Ideation (Tactile Design Workshop, Non-Visual Ideation)
A design methodology adapted for people with visual disabilities that replaces visual ideation techniques (such as sketching, post-it notes, and ideation cards) with tactile and auditory alternatives.…
Tactile Image (Tactile Graphic, Tactile Picture, Touch Image)
A tactile image is a raised or textured representation of a visual image designed to be perceived through touch rather than sight. Tactile images can be produced through various methods including embo…
Tactile Image Exploration (Tactile Graphics Exploration, Haptic Image Exploration)
Tactile image exploration is the process by which blind or visually impaired users perceive and interpret graphical content through touch, typically by moving their fingers across raised-line drawings…
Tactile Imaging (Tactile Image, Tactile Image Conversion, Visual-to-Tactile Conversion)
The process of converting visual images into tactile representations that can be perceived through touch, enabling blind and visually impaired users to access graphical information. Tactile imaging in…
Tactile Interface (Haptic interface, Touch-based interface)
An input/output interface that conveys information through the sense of touch — using vibration, pressure, skin stretch, temperature, or physical shape change. In navigation for blind people, tactile …
Tactile Learning (Haptic Learning, Touch-Based Learning)
An educational approach that uses the sense of touch to convey information, explore concepts, and develop understanding. For blind and low vision learners, tactile learning encompasses reading Braille…