Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 66 of 333
- Communication Breakdown (Conversational Breakdown, Communication Failure)
- A disruption in conversation where the intended message is not successfully conveyed or understood, leading to confusion, misunderstanding, or loss of conversational coherence. In AAC communication, b…
- Communication Burden (Burden of Communication, Conversational Burden)
- The disproportionate effort that people with communication-related disabilities must exert to participate in conversations, particularly in mixed-ability groups. In the context of Deaf and Hard of Hea…
- Communication Diary (Communication Notebook, Communication Book)
- A low-tech, typically paper-based personal resource used by individuals with communication difficulties to support daily interactions. Communication diaries may contain written keywords, names, drawin…
- Communication Disability (Communication Impairment, Complex Communication Needs)
- A condition that significantly limits a person's ability to communicate through speech, language, or other conventional means. Communication disabilities can result from neurological conditions (cereb…
- Communication Impairment (CI, Communication Disorder, Communication Disability)
- Damage to brain functions responsible for language and memory that impairs the expression and understanding of spoken and written language. Communication impairments can result from neurological disea…
- Communication Partner (Conversational Partner, Interaction Partner)
- A person who regularly interacts with an AAC user and supports their communication, including family members, caregivers, teachers, therapists, and peers. Communication partners play a critical role i…
- Communication Partner (CP, Conversation Partner)
- A person who communicates with an AAC user, whether through speech, sign, or other means. Communication partners play a critical role in the success of AAC interactions — their willingness to wait, th…
- Communication Partner Training (Conversation Partner Training)
- Structured training for the people who regularly communicate with an AAC user — including family members, caregivers, teachers, and peers — to help them support effective communication. Communication …
- Communication Privacy Management Theory (CPM, CPM Theory)
- A communication theory developed by Sandra Petronio that treats private information as something people own and collectively manage through negotiated rules about boundaries, co-ownership, and turbule…
- Communication Rate (Communication Speed)
- The speed at which a person can convey messages, typically measured in words per minute (WPM). For AAC users, communication rate is often significantly slower than natural speech (100-200 WPM)—unaided…
- Communicational Accessibility (Communicative Accessibility)
- An approach to accessible design that goes beyond providing access to raw content (content accessibility) to preserving the designer's intended communicative strategy across all modalities and for all…
- Communitas
- A sense of community, solidarity, and mutual support that emerges among people sharing a liminal or transitional experience. Coined by anthropologist Victor Turner, communitas describes the bonds form…
- Communities of Practice (CoP)
- Groups of people who share a concern or passion for something they do and learn how to do it better through regular interaction. In accessibility, communities of practice form around shared experience…
- Community Advocate (Peer Advocate, AT Champion)
- An individual, often a person with a disability or caregiver, who voluntarily promotes awareness of assistive technology programs and resources within their community. Community advocates play a cruci…
- Community Based Participatory Research (CBPR, Participatory Action Research)
- A research methodology that creates equitable partnerships between researchers and community members throughout the entire research process, from defining research questions to disseminating findings.…
- Community Care (Community-Based Care, Care in the Community)
- A policy and practice model in which health and social care services are provided to disabled and elderly people in their own homes or local communities rather than in residential institutions. Commun…
- Community Center (Community Space, Community Hub)
- A physical or virtual space where members of a particular community gather for social support, resources, education, and shared activities. In the context of marginalized communities such as LGBTQIA+ …
- Community Health Worker (CHW, Lay Health Worker)
- A frontline healthcare provider who is a trusted member of the community they serve and who delivers basic health services, education, and referrals, typically with limited formal training. Community …
- Community Navigation (Community Travel, Community Mobility)
- The ability to plan, initiate, and complete trips within one's community, including getting to transit points on time, using public transportation, and accessing services at destinations. For people w…
- Community Sourcing (Community-Driven Accessibility)
- An approach to creating accessible content by drawing on community members who have domain expertise or vested interest in the content, rather than relying on professional describers or general crowdw…