Glossary of Accessibility Terms

A11Y: Stands for Accessibility - there are 11 letters between the "A" and "Y".
Accessibility: Accessibility is the design of products, devices, services, vehicles, or environments to be usable by people with disabilities. The concept of accessible design and practice of accessible development ensures both "direct access" and "indirect access" meaning compatibility with a person's assistive technology.
ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law in 1990. The ADA is a civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including jobs, schools, transportation, and all public and private places that are open to the public. The purpose of the law is to make sure that people with disabilities have the same rights and opportunities as everyone else. The ADA gives civil rights protections to individuals with disabilities like those provided to individuals based on race, color, sex, national origin, age, and religion. It guarantees equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities in public accommodations, employment, transportation, state and local government services, and telecommunications. The ADA is divided into five titles (or sections) that relate to different areas of public life.
ADS (Accessible Document Specialist): This is a technical credential for accessibility professionals who have regular hands-on experience with creating accessible electronic documents and remediating inaccessible electronic documents. Electronic documents in this case refer to ones that are created in word processing, spreadsheets, presentations, or desktop publishing programs.
Alternative Navigation: Alternative navigation is any type of assistive technology that replaces a standard keyboard or mouse. It is primarily used by those with physical mobility challenges.
Alternative Text: Alternative text ("alt text”) is an accessibility feature within image editors that makes image description text legible to screen readers.
ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications): See WAI-ARIA
Assistive Listening Device: An assistive listening device is a piece of technology that aids in audio comprehension or enhances hearing aid functionality, most often used by people with hearing difficulties or partial deafness.
AT (Assistive Technology): Assistive technology is any item, piece of equipment, software program, or product system that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of persons with disabilities.
ATAG (Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines): Authoring tools are software and services that “authors” (web developers, designers, writers, etc.) use to produce web content (static web pages, dynamic web applications, etc.). ATAG is primarily for developers of authoring tools, including the following types of authoring tools: web page authoring tools, for example, what-you-see-is-what-you-get (WYSIWYG) HTML editors; software for generating websites, for example, content management systems (CMS) and learning management systems (LMS), courseware tools, content aggregators; software that converts to web content technologies, for example, word processors and other office document applications with Save as HTML or EPUB; multimedia authoring tools; websites that let users add content, such as blogs, wikis, photo sharing sites, online forums, and social networking sites.
Audio Description: Audio Description is a method of describing the visuals in multimedia presentations, primarily used by those who are blind.

Braille: Braille is a method of writing that uses dots punched into paper to represent letters, numbers, and words instead of using flat ink letters, primarily used by those who are blind.
Braille Display: A Braille display is a method of outputting text from a computer screen in Braille, used by those who are blind.
Braille Note Taker: A Braille Note Taker is a specialized computer that can both accept input or commands in Braille and output the results in Speech and Braille. It is primarily used by those who are blind.
Braille Printer: A Braille printer prints Braille documents from a computer, and is used by those who are blind, or anyone needing to produce Braille documents for the blind.
Brailler: A Brailler is a specialized typewriter that allows the quick and convenient hand production of Braille.

Captions: Captions are a text version of speech that provide information to people who are Deaf or hard-of-hearing, or by people who process written content better than audio. Captions are also useful for people who can’t turn audio on or are in a loud environment.
Chin Switches: Chin switches are a type of chin-operated input device. They are primarily used by those with physical challenges making it difficult for them to use a keyboard or voice control.
Cochlear Implant: A Cochlear implant is a small device that stimulates the cochlear nerve to improve hearing capabilities, most often used by those with severe hearing loss or partial deafness.
Color Contrast: Color contrast is the difference in brightness, saturation, and pigment of different elements of an image that make it more (or less) difficult to see.
CPACC (Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies): This credential is IAAP's foundational certification, representing broad, cross-disciplinary conceptual knowledge about 1) disabilities, 2) accessibility and universal design, and 3) accessibility-related standards, laws, and management strategies.

Dragon Naturally Speaking: Dragon Naturally Speaking is voice recognition, dictation, and control software primarily used by those with physical challenges that make typing difficult.

GAAD (Global Accessibility Awareness Day): Global Accessibility Awareness Day is an awareness day focusing on digital access and inclusion for the more than one billion people alive today who live with disabilities or impairments. It is marked annually on the third Thursday of May.
Grid 3: Grid 3 is a type of assistive software that allows users to control a computer via eye gaze, a head mouse, or a switch system. It is primarily used by those with physical challenges who find it difficult to use a keyboard and mouse or voice control software.

IAAP (International Association of Accessibility Professionals): The International Association of Accessibility Professionals (IAAP) is a not-for-profit membership-based organization for individuals and organizations that are focused on accessibility or are in the process of building their accessibility skills and strategies. The objective is to help accessibility professionals develop and advance their careers and to support organizations integrating accessibility into their services, products, and infrastructure.

JAWS (Job Access With Speech): JAWS is a type of screen reader, primarily used by blind Windows users in a corporate environment.

Narrator: Narrator is the name of the screen reader functionality built-in to Windows, primarily used by those who are blind.
NVDA (Nonvisual Desktop Access): NVDA is a type of screen reader, primarily used by blind Windows users in their home environments.

Optical Character Recognition: Optical character recognition is a method of recognizing written text and turning it into a digital document on a computer, primarily used by those who are blind and unable to read printed text.
Orca: Orca is the primary screen reader technology on the Linux platform, primarily used by those who are blind.

POUR (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust): POUR is an acronym for four high-level principles that describe functional accessibility. Accessible technology is Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. In addition to websites, most other information technology can be made accessible by applying the POUR principles. Many of the technological challenges faced by people with disabilities can be described using one of the POUR principles.
POUR: Perceivable: Perceivability means the user can identify content and interface elements by means of the senses. For many users, this means perceiving a system primarily visually, while for others, perceivability may be a matter of sound or touch. New and emerging technologies may include sensory cues for smell and taste; these would also be considered examples of "perceivable" technology.
POUR: Operable: Operability means that a user can successfully use controls, buttons, navigation, and other necessary interactive elements. For many users, this means identifying an interface control visually, and then clicking, tapping, or swiping. For other users, using a computer keyboard or voice commands may be the only means by which they can operate and control the interface.
POUR: Understandable: Understandable technology is consistent in its presentation and format, predictable in its design and usage patterns, concise, multimodal, and appropriate to the audience in its voice and tone. Users should be able to comprehend the content and learn and remember how to use the interface.
POUR: Robust: Robust I.T (Information Technology). is standards-compliant and designed to function on all appropriate technologies. Users should be able to choose the technology they use to interact with websites, online documents, multimedia, and other information formats.

Screen Magnifier (also written as: Screen Magnification Software or Software Magnifier): A screen magnifier is a type of assistive technology that magnifies the contents of a screen, increases color contrast, and performs other visual modifications to the screen making it easier to see for people who have low vision.
Screen Reader (also written as: Screenreader or Screen-reader): A screen reader is a type of assistive technology that outputs on-screen text using text-to-speech, primarily used by those who are blind.
Seeing AI: Seeing AI is a free assistive application developed by Microsoft to recognize text and objects, primarily used by those who are blind.
Semantic markup: Semantic Markup refers to marking up documents in ways that provide information about the content itself rather than information about the visual styling of the content. It is critical to ensure that assistive technology users can understand your document.
Service Animal: A Service Animal is any animal that is trained to help humans with a disability accomplish a specific task.
Sign Language: Sign language is a natural language where people communicate using hands and bodily gestures instead of their mouth, primarily used by people who are deaf, hard of hearing, have hearing difficulty, or are unable to vocalize speech.
Sip and puff: This assistive technology is a form of switch system that sends signals through air pressure by having users sip (inhale) or puff (exhale) through a tube, straw or wand.
Speech synthesizer: A speech synthesizer (also known as Text-To-Speech) is a technology that turns written text into speech. It is used by those who are blind as part of a screen reader and as an assistive technology by those who are unable to speak.
Subtitles: Subtitles are written words on a screen that share dialogue of an audiovisual program (TV show, movie etc.) in real time, used by those unable to understand the spoken language of a video.
Switch system: This assistive technology is a category of alternative navigation where users can use a switch device (a device that has two states - on and off) to navigate a piece of technology (for example, a screen), and is primarily used by those with movement-limiting disabilities.

Tactile Sign Language: Tactile sign language is a form of communication that uses touch as the key mode of understanding and comprehension, most often used by those who are deafblind.
TalkBack: TalkBack is the primary screen reader on Android devices and is most often used by those who are blind.
Tecla: Tecla is a company that makes a range of switches, joysticks, and other controls primarily used by those with physical challenges that make movement and speaking difficult.

Video Magnifier: A video magnifier is a tool that enlarges content on a screen to make it easier to read text or view an image, most often used by people with vision difficulties or low vision.
Voice Control: This assistive technology is a voice recognition software for Apple products that allows users to control a computer using their voice and is primarily used by those who cannot use a keyboard or mouse.
Voice recognition: Voice recognition is a type of assistive technology, primarily used by those who are unable to use a keyboard or mouse due to physical challenges.
VoiceOver: VoiceOver is the name of the screen reader functionality on Apple products, primarily used by those who are blind.

W3C (World Wide Web Consortium): The World Wide Web Consortium is the main international standards organization for the World Wide Web. Founded in 1994 and currently led by Tim Berners-Lee, the consortium is made up of member organizations that maintain full-time staff working together in the development of standards for the World Wide Web.
WAI-ARIA (Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications): A technical specification published by the World Wide Web Consortium that specifies how to increase the accessibility of web pages dynamic content, and user interface components developed with Ajax, HTML, JavaScript, and related technologies. Note: Usually just referred to as ARIA.
WAS (Web Accessibility Specialist): This is a technical credential for people with detailed knowledge of web accessibility standards and guidelines. It is intendedfor accessibility professionals responsible for evaluating the accessibility of existing content or objects according to pulished technical standards and guidelines and providing detailed remediation recommendations. Candidates should know and use relevant technologies.
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines): The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines are part of a series of web accessibility guidelines published by the Web Accessibility Initiative of the World Wide Web Consortium, the main international standards organization for the Internet.

ZoomText: ZoomText is a type of screen magnification technology primarily used by those with low vision.