Accessibility glossary
A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
- A-Prompt: software tool that identifies barriers to accessibility and provides a way to make necessary repairs. Get A-Prompt
- Accessibility: the quality of a Web site (or any other entity) that makes it usable by as many people as possible regardless of disability.
- AccVerify: software program used to evaluate and repair the accessibility of Web pages; free download for UW employees. Get AccVerify
- ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act): a United States law passed in 1990 that prohibits discrimination against people with disabilities.
- ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease): a degenerative disease that prevents neurons from sending impulses to the muscles, causing slowness in either movement or speech.
- Alt text: descriptive text inserted into HTML that describes the content of an image so that those using screen readers know what information the image contains.
- Arthritis: a condition that may make it difficult to click on small links or use a computer for extended periods of time due to joint fatigue. Some people with severe arthritis may use a trackball mouse, voice recognition software or foot pedals.
- Blindness: people who are blind do not use their eyes to access the Web because the limited degree of vision they have is not adequate for this task.
- Cerebral palsy: an injury to the brain resulting in decreased muscle control, usually occurring before or around birth, that makes it difficult to use a mouse or standard keyboard.
- Clinical cognitive disabilities: conditions such as autism, Down Syndrome, traumatic brain injury, dementia, attention deficit disorder (ADD), dyslexia and other learning disabilities. Understanding the actual symptoms rather than the disabilities themselves may be more helpful to Web developers.
- Colorblindness: a condition that makes it difficult to distinguish colors, most often red and green.
- CSS (cascading stylesheets): a means of applying style/formatting to a Web page.
- Disability: a mental or physical impairment that makes certain tasks more difficult or impossible to perform.
- Dragon Naturally Speaking: speech recognition software that both responds to dictated commands and reads information on the screen aloud. Get Dragon Naturally Speaking
- Essential tremor: a nerve disorder that can result in uncontrollable tremors, most often in the upper body.
- Frames: an HTML feature that divides a page into two or more seperate windows. Some browsers do not support frames and their use should be avoided.
- Functional cognitive disabilities: difficulties with tasks such as memory, problem-solving, attention and reading/verbal/linguistic/math/visual comprehension.
- Headings: text on a Web page, word document or PDF file that indicate a new section and should be coded using <h1-h6> tags.
- Hearing loss: deafness is not an all or nothing condition. Mild hearing loss may make speech difficult to understand, moderate hearing loss may require use of hearing aids, and severe or profound hearing loss can be classified as deafness.
- Hi-Caption: video captioning program; free download for UW employees. Get Hi-Caption
- HTML: the markup language that is used to create Web pages.
- Image map: an image with multiple active regions, each of which takes the user to a different location. Client-side image maps: the image map allows users relying on a keyboard for navigation to easily access the desired link. Server-side image maps: the image is inaccessible to users relying on a keyboard for navigation because it requires positioning a mouse on a specific area to access the link.
- JAWS: software that reads information on the screen aloud or outputs refreshable Braille displays. Get JAWS
- Linearization: the way a screen reader reads a page - putting every element in order from left to right, top to bottom. Without proper coding, certain elements such as graphics and tables may appear out of context or get lost entirely.
- Multiple sclerosis: a condition that prevents the central nervous system from sending signals to the muscles, resulting in weakness, tremors, slurred speech, muscle stiffness, impaired memory, numbness and other symptoms. Adaptive technologies can be used for computer access.
- Muscular dystrophy: a genetic disorder that causes progressive degeneration of the muscles, making it necessary to use adaptive technologies for computer access.
- Navigation: the links on a Web page that allow you to access other parts of the Web site, usually appearing as a list on the left-hand side of the page.
- Parkinson's disease: a central nervous system disorder that causes uncontrollable tremors and/or muscle stiffness, making it difficult to use a mouse or keyboard.
- Photosensitive epilepsy: a form of epilepsy in which seizures are triggered by visual stimuli such as flashing light and moving patterns, affecting approximately two out of every 10,000 people.
- PDF: an Adobe product used to publish electronic documents with standard formatting for printing and security. Get Adobe Reader
- Quadriplegia: paralysis of the arms and legs that makes it necessary to use assistive technologies such as head wands, mouth sticks or voice recognition software instead of the standard keyboard or mouse.
- Screen reader: a software application for visually-impaired individuals that either reads the content on a computer screen aloud to the user or interprets it into Braille.
- Section 508: the section of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 that requires Federal agencies that develop, procure, maintain or use electronic and information technologies to do so in a way that allows individuals with disabilities to access the same information without undue burden.
- Spina bifida: a congenital condition affecting formation of the spine that may result in motor deficiencies, paralysis or possible brain damage.
- Text equivalent: the technique of providing a text alternative that is the same in both content and function as a non-text object on the page. In essence this creates parallel pages that both need to be updated simultaneously, costing time and money.
- Universal design: designing products and services that can be used by as many people as possible regardless of age, ability or situation.
- WAI (Web Accessibility Initiative): started by W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) and its members, WAI addresses Web accessibility issues. Learn more about WAI
- WebXACT: free online service that tests single Web pages for quality, accessibility and privacy issues. Access WebXACT
- WebXM: online risk management software that audits Web sites for compliance and effectiveness. Get WebXM
- Wisconsin Idea: a 100-year-old philosophy asserting that the boundaries of the university should be the boundaries of the state and that research conducted at the university should be used to help all Wisconsin residents.
