Accessibility Glossary
Digital accessibility is full of jargon. Here it is in plain English — what each term means, why it matters, and a real example. No legalese, no fluff.
Screen reader
A screen reader is software that reads what's on a screen out loud (or sends it to a…
Assistive technology
Assistive technology is any tool that helps a person with a disability use a device — screen readers,…
Voice control
Voice control lets people operate a device by speaking commands instead of using a mouse or keyboard —…
Switch access
Switch access lets someone operate a device with one or two simple buttons (switches) instead of a keyboard…
Alt text
Alt text is a short written description of an image that a screen reader reads out loud, so…
Plain language
Plain language means writing so your reader understands it the first time — short sentences, everyday words, and…
Descriptive link text
Descriptive link text is wording that makes clear where a link goes on its own — so "Download…
ARIA
ARIA is a set of extra HTML attributes that tell screen readers what a custom component is and…
Semantic HTML
Semantic HTML means using the right HTML element for the job — a for buttons, headings for headings…
Landmark regions
Landmark regions are the major sections of a page — header, navigation, main content, footer — marked up…
Accessible name
An accessible name is the text a screen reader announces for a control — like a button or…
Live region
A live region is a part of the page that a screen reader announces automatically when its content…
Heading structure
Heading structure is the outline of a page made from to tags. Screen-reader users rely on it to…
Form label
A form label is the visible text tied to an input field that tells everyone — including screen…
Keyboard navigation
Keyboard navigation means every part of a site can be used with the keyboard alone — no mouse…
Focus indicator
A focus indicator is the visible outline that shows which element the keyboard is currently on, so keyboard…
Skip link
A skip link is a hidden link at the very top of a page that lets keyboard users…
Focus order
Focus order is the sequence in which the keyboard moves through a page as you press Tab. It…
Error identification
Error identification means clearly telling users which form field went wrong and why — in text, not just…
Captions
Captions are the synchronised text of everything spoken (and important sounds) in a video, so people who are…
Audio description
Audio description is an extra narration track that describes the important things happening on screen in a video,…
Transcript
A transcript is the full text version of an audio or video file, so people can read it…
WCAG
WCAG is the international rulebook for making websites and apps accessible. Almost every accessibility law in the world…
Conformance level
Conformance levels are WCAG's three tiers — A, AA and AAA. Level AA is the one almost every…
POUR
POUR is the four core principles WCAG is built on: content must be Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust.
Automated testing
Automated testing uses tools to scan a page for accessibility problems in seconds — but it only catches…
Manual testing
Manual testing is a trained person checking a site by hand — with a keyboard, a screen reader…
Accessibility audit
An accessibility audit is a thorough check of a website or app against a standard like WCAG, combining…
Remediation
Remediation is the work of actually fixing the accessibility problems an audit found — changing the code, content…
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