Glossary

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

6660 terms — page 330 of 333

Word Retrieval (Word Finding, Lexical Retrieval)
The cognitive process of accessing and selecting the correct word from memory to express an intended meaning during writing or speech. People with dyslexia frequently experience word retrieval difficu…
Word deafness (Pure word deafness, Auditory verbal agnosia)
A specific type of auditory agnosia in which a person can hear speech sounds but cannot comprehend spoken words, despite having normal hearing and the ability to read, write, and speak. People with wo…
Word error rate (WER)
The standard metric for evaluating automatic speech recognition accuracy, calculated as the number of substitutions, deletions, and insertions divided by the total number of words in the reference tra…
Word importance (Lexical importance, Information content)
A measure of how critical a specific word is to the overall meaning of a sentence, typically computed using neural language models that estimate how predictable a word is from its context. In captioni…
Word sense disambiguation (WSD)
A natural language processing task that determines which meaning of a word is being used in a given context when the word has multiple possible meanings (polysemy). In accessibility applications, part…
Word-Finding Difficulty (Anomia, Word Retrieval Difficulty, Tip-of-the-Tongue)
A common symptom of aphasia where a person knows what they want to say but cannot retrieve the correct word. Word-finding difficulties can range from occasional pauses to severe impairment where even …
Word-Finding Difficulty (Word-Finding Deficit, Word Retrieval Difficulty)
A language impairment characterised by difficulty retrieving specific words during conversation or communication, despite the person knowing the word and its meaning. Word-finding difficulties are a h…
WordNet
A large-scale electronic lexical database of the English language developed at Princeton University, in which nouns, verbs, adjectives, and adverbs are grouped into sets of cognitive synonyms (synsets…
Words Per Minute (WPM)
A standard measure of speech or reading speed, representing the number of words produced or comprehended in one minute. Typical human speech occurs at 120-180 WPM, average reading speed is 200-250 WPM…
Workaround (Hack, Alternative Strategy)
A method or technique used to bypass or overcome a limitation, barrier, or deficiency in a system, particularly when the intended functionality is inaccessible or broken. In accessibility, workarounds…
Worker Assistance System (Digital Worker Assistance, Cognitive Assistance System)
Technology systems that support workers during the execution of work processes by providing interactive step-by-step instructions through text, images, videos, audio, and spatial hints. These systems …
Workflow Accessibility (Accessible Workflow, End-to-End Accessibility)
The principle that every step in a multi-step process or workflow must be accessible for the entire process to be usable by people with disabilities. Workflow accessibility recognizes that a single in…
Working Memory
The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information needed for complex tasks such as learning, reasoning, and comprehension. Working memory is a core executive functi…
Working memory (Short-term memory)
The cognitive system responsible for temporarily holding and manipulating information during complex tasks such as language comprehension, reasoning, and decision-making. Working memory has limited ca…
Workplace Accessibility
The degree to which work environments, processes, tools, and cultures enable disabled employees to perform their jobs effectively and participate fully in workplace life. Workplace accessibility exten…
Workplace Accommodation (Reasonable Accommodation, Job Accommodation)
Modifications or adjustments to a job, work environment, or work processes that enable a person with a disability to perform their job duties and participate equally in the workplace. Accommodations c…
Workplace Accommodation (Reasonable Accommodation, Job Accommodation, Work Adjustment)
Modifications or adjustments to a job, work environment, or the way work is performed that enable a qualified person with a disability to perform essential job functions and enjoy equal employment opp…
Workplace Inclusion (Inclusive Workplace)
The practice of creating work environments where all employees, including those with disabilities, can participate fully, contribute their skills, and access the same opportunities for development and…
Workplace accessibility (Employment accessibility, Accessible workplace)
The design of work environments, tools, processes, and practices that enable people with disabilities to participate fully and effectively in employment. Workplace accessibility encompasses physical a…
Workplace disclosure model (Disclosure decision model, Joachim and Acorn framework)
A theoretical framework for understanding how individuals with invisible disabilities decide whether, when, and how to disclose their condition at work, and the outcomes that follow. The Joachim and A…