Glossary

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

6660 terms — page 313 of 333

Violation Severity (Accessibility Violation Severity, Barrier Severity)
A measure of how significantly an accessibility violation impacts users with disabilities, typically rated on a scale from no violation to critical barrier. In accessibility evaluation, violation seve…
Virtual Acoustic Environment (Audio Virtual Environment, Acoustic Virtual Environment)
A computer-generated environment that uses audio as the primary medium for representing spaces, objects, and interactions, enabling users to navigate and interact with a virtual world through sound. V…
Virtual Auditing (Remote Auditing, Virtual Accessibility Audit)
Virtual auditing is a method of assessing the accessibility of physical environments by remotely examining street-level imagery, such as Google Street View, rather than conducting in-person inspection…
Virtual Collaboration (remote collaboration, virtual teamwork)
Working together across distance using digital tools—synchronous meetings on platforms like Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet, and asynchronous channels like shared documents, Slack, and issue tra…
Virtual Cursor (Browse Mode Cursor, Virtual PC Cursor)
A navigation mechanism used by screen readers that creates a linearized, text-based representation of a web page through which users can move sequentially. Unlike a visual cursor that points to a loca…
Virtual Exploration (Virtual Navigation, Virtual Travel)
The use of technology to simulate the experience of navigating or exploring a real-world environment without physically being there. For people with visual impairments, virtual exploration typically r…
Virtual Human (Embodied Agent, Animated Character)
A computer-generated human character used in accessibility applications to convey information through human-like movements, gestures, and expressions. In sign language accessibility, virtual humans se…
Virtual Keyboard (On-screen keyboard, Soft keyboard, OSK)
A software-rendered keyboard displayed on screen that allows users to input text by clicking, tapping, or hovering over virtual keys using a mouse, trackball, touchscreen, eye tracker, or other pointi…
Virtual Learning Environment (VLE, Learning Management System, LMS, Online Learning Platform)
A web-based platform designed to support teaching and learning by providing tools for content delivery, communication, assessment, and course management. Virtual learning environments typically includ…
Virtual Patient (Virtual Client, Simulated Patient, Virtual Standardized Patient)
A virtual patient is a computer-generated simulation of a person with specific health conditions or disabilities, used in clinical education to allow healthcare students to practise assessment, diagno…
Virtual Peer (VP, Virtual Agent, Animated Conversational Agent)
A computer-animated character designed to simulate peer interaction, typically used in educational or therapeutic settings. Virtual peers can engage in conversation, model social behaviors, and provid…
Virtual Reality (VR)
An immersive technology that creates a fully computer-generated environment, replacing the user's view of the real world with a simulated one. VR is typically experienced through a head-mounted displa…
Virtual Reality (VR, Immersive Virtual Environment)
A computer-generated simulation of a three-dimensional environment that users can interact with using specialized hardware such as headsets, motion controllers, or body tracking sensors. In accessibil…
Virtual Reality Accessibility (VR Accessibility)
The practice of designing Virtual Reality systems, applications, and experiences to be usable by people with disabilities. VR accessibility encompasses three interconnected layers: the physical layer …
Virtual Signing (Avatar Signing, Synthetic Signing)
Virtual signing is the use of computer-generated animated characters (avatars) to present sign language, as an alternative to pre-recorded video of human signers. Virtual signing systems typically inv…
Virtual Texture (Simulated Texture, Haptic Texture)
A virtual texture is a computer-generated tactile surface property rendered through a haptic device, simulating the feel of roughness, smoothness, or other surface characteristics without a physical m…
Virtual Tour (3D Virtual Tour, Digital Walkthrough)
A digital replica of a physical environment, typically captured using 360-degree cameras and depth sensors, that allows users to remotely explore and navigate through a space in a semi-immersive exper…
Virtual Wall (Haptic Wall, Haptic Boundary)
A simulated physical boundary in a haptic interface that the user can feel through a force-feedback device, modelled as a massless plate backed by a spring with stiffness and a damper with viscosity. …
Virtual World (Virtual Environment, Online Virtual World)
A computer-simulated environment where users interact with each other and digital objects through graphical representations, often in real time. Virtual worlds range from 2D browser-based platforms to…
Virtual World Accessibility (Metaverse Accessibility, VR Accessibility for Blind Users)
Virtual world accessibility refers to the design and implementation of techniques that enable people with disabilities, particularly blind and visually impaired users, to participate in 3D virtual env…