Glossary Terms
Roving Tabindex
A technique for managing keyboard focus inside composite widgets like toolbars or menus, where only one item is in the Tab order at a time and arrow keys move focus between the rest.
Read moreRPwD Act (Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act)
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016 (RPwD Act) is India's core disability rights law, and its accessibility rules are the legal foundation for WCAG-based compliance requirements on Indian government and increasingly private-sector websites.
Read moreSafe Harbor Provision
A safe harbor provision, where one exists in accessibility law, is a rule that limits or removes liability for organizations that meet specific conditions, such as already conforming to a named technical standard.
Read moreScreen Magnifier
A screen magnifier is software or an operating-system feature that enlarges part or all of a screen for users with low vision, often used alongside high-contrast display settings rather than a screen reader.
Read moreScreen Reader
A screen reader is software that reads a screen's content aloud, or outputs it to a braille display, letting blind and low-vision users navigate and operate websites, apps, and documents without seeing them.
Read moreScreen Reader Testing
Manually navigating a website using a real screen reader, like NVDA, JAWS, or VoiceOver, to verify that content is announced correctly and every function is operable without sight.
Read moreSection 508
Section 508 is the U.S. federal law requiring federal agencies, and often their contractors and grant recipients, to make their electronic and information technology accessible.
Read moreSemantic HTML
Semantic HTML means using elements for their intended meaning, such as a real button for buttons and real heading tags for headings, instead of generic div and span elements styled to look the part.
Read moreSensory Characteristics
A WCAG success criterion (1.3.3, Level A) prohibiting instructions that rely solely on shape, size, color, sound, or position to identify content or controls.
Read moreSerial Plaintiff (ADA Litigation)
A serial plaintiff, in ADA litigation, is an individual (often working with a small number of law firms) who has filed a large number of similar accessibility lawsuits against different businesses.
Read moreShift-Left Accessibility Testing
The practice of catching accessibility issues as early as possible in the design and development process, rather than only auditing a finished product right before launch.
Read moreSip-and-Puff Switch
An assistive input device operated by inhaling or exhaling through a straw-like tube, converting sips and puffs into switch activations for people with limited or no hand movement.
Read moreSituational Disability
Situational disability describes a temporary, context-driven limitation caused by someone's environment or circumstances rather than a lasting condition, such as being unable to use audio in a quiet meeting or one hand being full while holding a baby.
Read moreSpeech-to-Text
Technology that converts spoken words into written text, used both for dictation software and increasingly for real-time captioning of live audio and video.
Read moreStatus Messages
A WCAG 2.1 success criterion (4.1.3, Level AA) requiring that status updates, like form success or error messages, be announced to screen readers without moving keyboard focus.
Read moreSticky Keys
An operating system accessibility feature that lets modifier keys, like Shift, Control, or Alt, be pressed one at a time in sequence instead of held down simultaneously.
Read moreStructured Negotiation
Structured negotiation is a collaborative, non-litigation process for resolving accessibility complaints, where the disabled individual and the business agree to work toward a fix together instead of going straight to a lawsuit.
Read moreSuccess Criterion
A success criterion is a single, individually testable requirement within WCAG, numbered like 1.4.3 or 2.4.7, that a page either passes or fails.
Read moreSwitch Access
Switch access is a method of operating a computer or device using one or a small number of physical buttons (switches), typically paired with on-screen scanning, for users with significant motor disabilities who cannot use a standard keyboard or mouse.
Read moreTarget Size
Target size refers to the minimum clickable or tappable area of an interactive element like a button or link, which WCAG 2.2 requires be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels to accommodate users with limited fine motor control.
Read more