Glossary of terms

Accessibility: it is the degree to which a product, service, or environment is accessible to as many people as possible. The term refers to the possibility for people with limited abilities to access physical environments (physical accessibility). In other cases, for people to be able to enjoy cultural content independently (cultural accessibility).

Architectural barriers: These are obstacles that make it difficult to access all spaces.

Audio description: It is a system that explains the images in words.

Braille system: it is a tactile literacy system based on combinations of 6 points on a matrix of three rows and two columns. The visual impaired people use it to read.

Down syndrome: It is a genetic disorder caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 (or part) instead of both. For this reason, it is also named trisomy 21. People with this syndrome can have a variable degree of intellectual disability. People with this syndrome have characteristic physical features.

Guide dog: it is a dog trained to help people with visual disabilities.

Haptic location maps: A haptic plan is a type of plan that informs about the architectural distribution of a certain space. They use references in large print and Braille. “Haptic” comes from Greek and means “tactile” so it is a plane “to touch”.

Hearing loss or deafness: It is a person who has difficulty hearing. You may hear a little bit or you may not hear a sound at all.

Images in relief: They are images that stand out on a plane or surface.

Induction loop system: unique sound systems used by hearing aid users. An induction loop system or hearing loop consists of one or more wire loops. This device amplifies sound and blocks out ambient noise.

Optical aids: They help to view objects and images.

Podotactil floor: marked in relief on the pavement that helps people with visual disabilities because it warns of dangers, and changes of direction… They use colors that contrast with the color of the pavement.

Sign language:  People with hearing or visual difficulties use this communication system to communicate. This communication system uses a gesture-viso-spatial channel.

Visually impaired people:  we speak in general of blindness or severe visual problems. We refer to total or serious visual limitations.

Art: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. Painting or sculpture, music, literature, and dance.

Physical barriers: Physical barriers are those barriers that prevent us from certain actions or movements in space. Depending on individual conditions, different elements can be physical barriers. For example, steps, the height of an object, the bumpy road, etc.

Cultural barriers: Cultural barriers are given by everyone’s membership and knowledge of some cultures and not others. Thus, cultural values that are not part of our cultural sphere can become barriers.

Background barriers: Background barriers are those barriers that result from our family background. For example, socioeconomic status.

Sensory barriers: Sensory barriers are those barriers that can have effects on our senses.

Inclusivity: The practice or policy of providing equal access to opportunities and resources for people who might otherwise be excluded or marginalized, such as those having physical or intellectual disabilities or belonging to other minority groups.

Art: The expression or application of human creative skill and imagination. Painting or sculpture, music, literature, and dance.

Inclusive: Including all the services or items expected or required. Not excluding any of the parties or groups involved in something.

Workshop: A meeting of people. They engage in intensive discussion and activity on a particular subject or project.

Augmented reality: a type of technology to show digital images in physical environment.

Digital exhibition: a collection of museum objects and art gallery works shown online.

Hypermedia: an extension to a hypertext, or the ability to open new Web pages by clicking text links on a Web browser.

Image Description: a way to describe an object, image, photograph, etc. to someone with low vision. This can be Audio Description, Verbal Description and Integrated Audio Description.

Virtual accessibility: to make museum objects accessible online.

Virtual reality: digital environment which we can feel through sights and sounds done on a computer.

Visual accessibility: a way all users can see and read the screen content. It includes Web content and Mobile application accessibility.

Accessibility: the feature of a device, a service, a resource or an environment of being easily usable by any type of user; the term is commonly associated with the possibility for people with reduced or impaired capabilities to access physical environments (physical accessibility), to independently enjoy cultural content (cultural accessibility) or to use information systems through the use of Assistive Technologies or through compliance with accessibility requirements of products.

ARIA (Accessible Rich Internet Applications): a set of roles and attributes that define ways to make web content and web applications more accessible to people with disabilities.

ACE – Accessibility Checker for EPUB: a tool to run automated accessibility checks for EPUB Publications, in order to assist in the evaluation of conformance to the EPUB Accessibility specification.

Bookalope: a book formatting and conversion tool streamlining book production process – from raw manuscript to final product.

E-book (short for electronic book): a book publication made available in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, readable on the flat-panel display of computers or other electronic devices.

EPUB3: the most recent accessible format which provides everything to build an accessible e-book. EPUB (short for electronic publication) is an open standard, based on XML, for publishing e-books. As EPUB is built on Open Web Platform technologies like HTML, the EPUB Accessibility specification builds on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) to define accessibility conformance for EPUB publications.

EPUBCheck / EPUB Checker tool: a tool to validate the conformance of EPUB publications against the EPUB specifications. It’s open source software, maintained by the DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) Consortium on behalf of the W3C.

HTML5 (Hypertext Markup Language): a markup language used for structuring and presenting content on the World Wide Web. It is the fifth and final[3] major HTML version that is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) recommendation.

Markup: the process of marking the key elements of a book using a set of standard tags. It’s the first step in the conversion to an e-book, once a manuscript has been through the usual editing, fact-checking and proofing stages. The markup will be used to guide the conversion program as it takes the manuscript and converts it into an e-book.

MOBI: a file format for digital publications which was originally an extension of the PalmDOC HTML format supplemented with its own data tags.

Cognitive disability: a term used when a person has certain limitations in mental functioning and in skills such as communication, self-help, and social skills.

Hearing loop: hearing Loops also known as induction loop systems, are unique sound systems used by those who wear hearing aids.

Sensory sensitivity: a biologically-based trait characterized by increased awareness and sensitivity to the environment.

Visual impairment: is a broad term that is used to refer to any degree of vision loss that affects a person’s ability to perform the usual activities of daily life.

Accessibility Chain: It is the ability to approach, enter, use and leave any space in an independent and easy way.  The person is “autonomous” if the movement is continuous from start to finish. In other words, from origin to destination.

Autism spectrum condition (ASC): “Autism is a complex, lifelong developmental disability that typically appears during early childhood and can impact a person’s social skills, communication, relationships, and self-regulation. Autism is defined by a certain set of behaviours and is a “spectrum condition” that affects people differently and to varying degrees” (Autism Society, 2021).

Easy-to-read: A text presented in an accessible way. A text with an easy-to-understand format is often useful for people with disabilities.

Induction loop system: Unique sound systems used by hearing aid users. An induction loop system or hearing loop consists of one or more wire loops. This device amplifies sound and blocks out ambient noise.  

Reduced mobility: A Person with Reduced Mobility (PRM) is someone with diminished mobility. The disability can be the product of a physical or sensory disability or the result of any other illness or age. A PRM sometimes needs special attention. Also, he/she may need adaptation to services made available to all people. For example, when using public transportation.

Sensory disability: A disability that affects the senses (sight, hearing, smell, touch, taste). For example  low vision or blindness; hearing loss or deafness; autism spectrum disorder or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

Social Stories: These are a tool that help people on the autism spectrum prepare for their visit. This tool helps them know in advance what to expect when visiting a museum.