Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
6660 terms — page 88 of 333
- Deconvolution
- A computational process that reverses the blurring effects of convolution in an optical or imaging system. In the context of visual accessibility, deconvolution is used to pre-process images displayed…
- Decorative Image (Decorative Graphic, Presentational Image)
- An image that serves a purely aesthetic or visual design purpose and does not convey meaningful information to the user. According to WCAG guidelines, decorative images should receive empty alt text (…
- Decreased Sound Tolerance (DST, Sound Intolerance)
- Decreased sound tolerance (DST) is an umbrella term for conditions in which everyday sounds are perceived as uncomfortably loud, threatening, or emotionally distressing. It encompasses hyperacusis (ab…
- Deep Learning (DL)
- Deep learning is a subset of machine learning that uses artificial neural networks with multiple layers to learn complex patterns from large amounts of data. In accessibility contexts, deep learning p…
- Deep Pressure Therapy (DPT, Deep Pressure Stimulation, Deep Touch Pressure)
- A therapeutic approach that uses firm, distributed tactile pressure — such as from weighted blankets, compression garments, or inflatable vests — to reduce anxiety, stress, and physiological arousal. …
- Deepfake (Synthetic Media, AI-Generated Media)
- AI-generated or AI-manipulated media (images, video, audio, or text) designed to convincingly depict events, people, or statements that never occurred. Deepfakes pose specific risks for people with di…
- Default Delivery Context (DDC)
- A baseline set of device capabilities defined by the W3C Mobile Web Best Practices specification, used as a reference point for evaluating mobile web content. The Default Delivery Context specifies mi…
- Deficit Narrative (Deficit-Based Framing, Deficit Model)
- A framing approach that characterizes disability or neurodivergence primarily in terms of what individuals lack, cannot do, or do poorly compared to a non-disabled norm. Deficit narratives are embedde…
- Deficit-Based Approach (Deficit Model, Deficit Framing, Deficit Perspective)
- An approach that focuses primarily on what individuals cannot do, what skills they lack, or what is "wrong" with them, rather than their strengths, abilities, and potential. In disability and accessib…
- Deficit-Oriented Research (Deficit Model, Deficit-Based Approach)
- A research approach that frames its subjects primarily in terms of what they lack, cannot do, or need to have fixed, rather than recognizing their strengths, agency, and lived expertise. In disability…
- Defluffing (Content Defluffing, Clutter Removal)
- The process of removing non-essential visual elements from a web page — such as banners, advertisements, decorative images, and sidebar content — to expose the core information content more directly t…
- Deformable Input (Flexible Input Surface)
- An input method that uses physically flexible or pressure-sensitive surfaces that can be bent, squeezed, twisted, or otherwise deformed to generate control signals. Deformable input devices can provid…
- Degrees of Freedom (DoF, 3DoF, 6DoF)
- In virtual and extended reality, degrees of freedom refers to the number of independent movement axes available to a user within a virtual environment. Three degrees of freedom (3DoF) allows rotationa…
- Deictic Gesture (Pointing Gesture)
- A deictic gesture is a pointing or indicating motion (typically with a finger, but also with gaze, head, or tool) that directs another person's attention to a specific referent in the shared environme…
- Deictic Reference (Deixis, Pointing Reference)
- Communication that refers to something by pointing or indicating rather than describing it explicitly—words like "this," "that," "here," and "there." In face-to-face communication, deictic references …
- Deinstitutionalisation (Deinstitutionalization)
- The process of transitioning people with disabilities — particularly intellectual disabilities and mental health conditions — from large, segregated residential institutions into community-based livin…
- Deinstitutionalization
- The process of transitioning disabled people from large, segregated residential institutions to community-based living settings, along with the development of community support services. In the United…
- Delegated Agency (Delegated Technical Agency)
- Delegated agency occurs in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) when a close conversation partner (such as a parent or aide) acts on behalf of an augmented communicator to advance the comm…
- Delegation (Human-Robot Interaction) (Delegation, Task delegation to robot)
- In human-robot interaction, the explicit transfer of a task or decision from a human to a robot. Delegation is a form of shared control in which authority for a specific subtask — for example, asking …
- Delivery Context
- Delivery context is a term defined by the W3C Device Independence Working Group to describe the set of attributes that characterize the environment in which web content is delivered and consumed. This…