CPACC key terms

A biological, physiological, or anatomical condition affecting a person's body or mind, such as vision loss or a chronic illness. It describes the underlying condition itself, separate from how society responds to it.

The outcome that occurs when a person's impairment interacts with environmental, attitudinal, or systemic barriers that restrict participation. It is shaped by context, not solely by a medical condition, and varies across people and settings.

A framework that locates disability within the individual as a defect to be diagnosed, treated, or cured. It emphasizes clinical intervention and often treats the person as the problem rather than the environment.

A framework holding that people are disabled primarily by societal barriers such as inaccessible design, prejudice, and exclusionary policies, not by their impairments. It shifts responsibility for change from the individual to society.

An integrated framework that considers biological, psychological, and social factors together when understanding health and disability. It underlies the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health.

The World Health Organization's framework for describing health and functioning across body functions, activities, participation, environmental factors, and personal factors. It classifies functioning rather than disease and is widely used in disability research and policy.

Attitudes, assumptions, and practices that treat non-disabled people as the norm and devalue people with disabilities. It appears in language, hiring practices, product design, and everyday expectations about how bodies and minds should work.

Media that portrays people with disabilities as heroic simply for living ordinary lives, framing them as objects of pity or admiration. Disability advocates criticize it because it centers non-disabled feelings and obscures real barriers.

A disability rights principle asserting that people with disabilities must be directly involved in decisions, policies, and designs that affect them. It underpins participatory approaches and the disability community's demand for self-determination.

The diverse collective of people with disabilities, including those with physical, sensory, cognitive, and mental health conditions, along with their advocates and organizations. It is not monolithic and includes distinct cultural and political identities.

A distinct cultural and linguistic community built around sign languages, shared norms, and a positive identity as Deaf people. Members often distinguish being Deaf, a cultural identity, from having a hearing loss as a medical condition.

A brief, everyday comment or behavior that communicates a hostile or dismissive message toward a marginalized group, often unintentionally. Repeated microaggressions accumulate into real harm and contribute to exclusion in workplaces and services.

The design of products, environments, and services to be usable by all people, to the greatest extent possible, without the need for adaptation or specialized design. It was articulated by architect Ron Mace and applied first to the built environment.

A set of design guidelines covering equitable use, flexibility in use, simple and intuitive use, perceptible information, tolerance for error, low physical effort, and size and space for approach and use. They guide designers in reducing barriers for diverse users.

An educational framework that provides multiple means of engagement, representation, and action and expression so diverse learners can access content and demonstrate knowledge. It applies universal design thinking to curriculum and instruction.

A design approach that deliberately considers the full range of human diversity, including ability, age, culture, and context, from the start of a project. It often emphasizes designing with affected users rather than for them.

A collaborative process in which end users, including people with disabilities, work as partners with designers and developers to shape products and services. It improves relevance and usability and supports the principle of nothing about us without us.

The World Wide Web Consortium's standards for making web content accessible, organized around the principles of perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. They define success criteria at levels A, AA, and AAA.

The four foundational principles of WCAG: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust. Each principle contains guidelines and testable success criteria that guide accessible web development.

The degree to which content satisfies WCAG success criteria, expressed as Level A, AA, or AAA. Level AA is the most commonly required target in laws and organizational accessibility policies.

The European accessibility standard for information and communication technology, harmonized under the European Accessibility Act. It incorporates WCAG for web content and adds requirements for hardware, software, and support services.

A United States federal law requiring federal agencies to make electronic and information technology accessible, including for employees and members of the public. It incorporates WCAG 2.0 Level AA by reference for web content.

A United States civil rights law prohibiting discrimination against people with disabilities in employment, public services, public accommodations, and telecommunications. Title III is frequently applied to commercial websites in litigation.

A European Union directive requiring many products and services, such as e-commerce, banking, transport, and e-books, to be accessible to people with disabilities. Member states implement it through national law, with compliance dates in the mid-2020s.

A modification or adjustment to a job, service, or environment that enables a qualified person with a disability to participate, without imposing undue hardship on the provider. Examples include flexible schedules, modified equipment, or alternate formats.

A legal standard describing a significant difficulty or expense that may make an otherwise required accommodation unreasonable. It is assessed case by case, considering factors such as cost, resources, and the nature of the organization.

Any device, software, or system that increases, maintains, or improves the functional capabilities of a person with a disability. Examples range from screen readers and switch controls to wheelchairs and hearing loops.

Software that converts on-screen text and interface elements into synthesized speech or braille output. It relies on properly structured content, such as headings and labels, to convey meaning and navigation.

A device with raised pins that dynamically represent text in braille, allowing a person who is deafblind or blind to read output from a computer or mobile device. It often pairs with a screen reader or braille notetaker.

Hardware that lets a person operate a computer without a standard mouse or keyboard, such as a switch, head pointer, eye tracker, or sip-and-puff device. These support users with limited mobility or dexterity.

An interaction method in which a user activates one or more switches, often with a body part, to scan and select items on a screen. It is used by people with significant motor impairments who cannot use a standard keyboard.

Text that displays spoken dialogue and relevant sounds in synchronized time with audio or video. Captions benefit people who are deaf or hard of hearing and also support language learners and noisy environments.

Narration that describes important visual elements of video or live performance during pauses in dialogue. It makes visual content accessible to people who are blind or have low vision.

A technique or workaround a person uses to accomplish tasks in environments not designed for their needs, such as using keyboard shortcuts or arranging a workspace. It complements formal assistive technology.

The programmatically determined label that identifies a user interface element to assistive technology, such as a button or link. A clear accessible name is essential for screen reader users to understand controls.

Markup that uses elements for their intended meaning, such as headings, lists, and buttons, so browsers and assistive technology can interpret structure. It provides accessibility benefits without extra scripting.

A framework describing stages of organizational accessibility capability, from ad hoc efforts to fully embedded and continuously improved practice. It helps leaders assess current state and plan progressive improvements.

A coordinated organizational effort with governance, standards, roles, training, and metrics to deliver accessible products and services. It typically spans design, development, content, procurement, and customer support.

A prioritized plan that sequences accessibility improvements over time, including milestones, owners, and dependencies. It connects strategic goals with concrete remediation and prevention work.

A public document describing an organization's accessibility commitments, conformance status, known limitations, and a way to report problems. It sets expectations and provides a feedback channel for users.

A document, often based on the Voluntary Product Accessibility Template, that records how a product meets specific accessibility criteria. Vendors use it to communicate conformance to buyers and procurement teams.