Glossary
Accessible: In the case of a facility, readily usable by a particular individual; in the case of a program or activity, presented or provided in such a way that a particular individual can participate, with or without auxiliary aid(s); in the case of electronic resources, accessible with or without assistive computer technology. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Accommodation: An adjustment to make a program, facility, or resource accessible to a person with
a disability.(DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms, https://www.washington.edu/doit/glossary-disability-related-terms)
Adaptive Technology: Hardware or software products that provide access to a computer that is otherwise
inaccessible to an individual with a disability. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Adjustable Table: Tables move up and down to accommodate students with limitation needs.
Assistive Technology: Technology used to assist a person with a disability, e.g., wheelchair, hand splints,
computer-based equipment. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Braille: System of embossed characters formed by using a Braille cell, a combination of six
dots consisting of two vertical columns of three dots each. Each simple Braille character
is formed by one or more of these dots and occupies a full cell or space. Some Braille
may use eight dots. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Dictation: An assistive technology tool that can help individuals who have writing limitations.
With dictation technology, individuals can write words by speaking them aloud. Dictation
is sometimes called “speech-to-text.” (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Captioned film or videos: Transcription of the verbal portion of films or videos displayed to make them accessible
to people who are deaf. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Captioning: Text that is included with video presentations or broadcasts that enables the viewer
with hearing impairments to have access to the audio portion of the material.
Closed Circuit TV Magnifier (CCTV): Camera used to magnify books or other materials to a monitor or television. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Communication device: Hardware that allows a person who has difficulty using their voice clearly to use words or symbols for communication. May range in complexity from a simple picture board to complex electronic devices that allow personalized, unique construction of ideas. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Compensatory tools: Assistive computing systems that allow people with disabilities to use computers to complete tasks that they would have difficulty doing without a computer, e.g., reading, writing, communicating, accessing information. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Disability: Physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more major life activities; a record of such an impairment; or being regarded as having such an impairment (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990). Discrimination: Act of making a difference in treatment or favor on a basis other than individual merit. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Dragon Naturally Speak (DNS): A voice recognition software. Students can navigate the computer by using voice
commands.This software is useful for those who type less than 20 words a minute. It
can dictate into most word processing programs at 50+ wpm.
E-Agreements: Students are required to sign E-Agreement(s) every semester, for accommodations
on MyAEC. E-Agreement signatures are determined based on a student's prescribed accommodations.
Student signatures ensure that the student is aware of AEC policies and will abide
by them.
Faculty Notification Letter: Faculty receive a notification letter via email outlining a student's accommodations,
with detailed information, following the student's accommodation requests for the
semester. Faculty notification letters are emailed throughout the semester.
JAWS: A computer screen reader program for Microsoft Windows. It allows blind and visually
impaired users to read the screen using a text-to-speech output, and can be navigated
using keyboard shortcuts.
Glean: Glean is a notetaking program that allows students to record lectures and presentations.
Glean can also be used while using Zoom.
Hearing impairments: Complete or partial loss of ability to hear caused by a variety of injuries or diseases
including congenital defects. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Large print books: Most ordinary print is six to ten points in height (about 1/16 to 1/8 of an inch). Large type is fourteen to eighteen points (about 1/8 to 1/4 of an inch) and sometimes larger. The format of large print books is also proportionately larger (usually 8 1/2 x 11 inches). (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Major life activities: Functions such as caring for oneself, performing manual tasks, walking, seeing, hearing, speaking, breathing, learning, working, and participating in community activities (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990). (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Mobility impairment: Disability that affects movement ranging from gross motor skills such as walking to fine motor movement involving manipulation of objects by hand. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Multimedia: In terms of electronic information, any data which is presented through several formats including text, graphics, moving pictures and sound. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
MyAEC: The student portal allows students to apply to the AEC view their accommodations,
schedule all their exams, and view their notes from their notetaker. The Notetaker
Portal allows notetakers to apply online, register their courses, and upload notes
for students utilizing notetaking accommodations.The Faculty Portal allows professors
to manage accommodations for all courses and all students in a single location.
Notetaking: Notetaking services are provided for students whose disability impairment(s) prevent
the student from taking notes during course lecture. Notetakers take notes during
lectures or any discussions related to class learning including online and face-to-face.
Optical character recognition (OCR): Technology system that scans and converts printed materials into electronic text.
(DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Physical or mental impairment: Any physiological disorder or condition, cosmetic disfigurement, or anatomical loss
affecting one or more of the following body systems: neurological; musculoskeletal;
special sense organs; respiratory, including speech organs; cardiovascular; reproductive;
digestive; genito-urinary; hemic and lymphatic; skin; and endocrine; or any mental
or psychological disorder, such as mental retardation, organic brain syndrome, emotional
or mental illness, and specific learning disabilities (Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990). (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Private Room: Situated room in a distraction reduced environment where only one student is testing. For example in AEC’s Testing Center there are 5 private rooms in which a maximum of 1 student/per room is used, 4 walls, and a floor to ceiling door that closes.
Qualified individual with a disability: An individual with a disability who, with or without reasonable modification to rules,
policies, or practices, the removal of architectural, communication, or transportation
barriers, or the provision of auxiliary aids and services, meets the essential eligibility
requirements for the receipt of services or the participation in programs or activities
provided by a public entity (Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990). (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Read & Write: A text-to-speech software. E-text books, websites, and documents can be spoken aloud.
Read & Write provides tools that can be used to better strengthen learning which include
highlighting text, spell check, screen tint, and more. Read & Write can be installed
on PC, Mac and Tablet devices.
Reader: Volunteer or employee of an individual with a disability (e.g., visual impairment,
learning disability) who reads printed material in person or records to audiotape.
(DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Reading system: Hardware and software designed to provide access to printed text for people with visual impairments, mobility impairments, or learning disabilities. Character recognition software controls a scanner that takes an image of a printed page, converts it to computer text using recognition software and then reads the text using a synthesized voice. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Real-time Captioner:
- A Captioner’s main function is to facilitate communication between the instructor, Deaf or Hard of Hearing student and their classmates.
- A Captioners logistics in the classroom depend on the aesthetics in the classroom. It is important to have the most advantageous location, to optimally hear and see the lecture.
- Real-time Captioner’s adhere to the same strict code of ethics as Interpreters.
Screen enlargement: Hardware and/or software that increases the size of characters and text on a computer screen. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Screen reader: Software used to echo text on a computer screen to audio output, often used by people who are blind, with visual impairments, or with learning disabilities. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Semi Private Room: A room with more privacy to aid in providing a distraction reduced environment. Semi Private rooms may be a large space where two students are seated apart with sufficient space. AEC's Testing Center semi-private spaces are cubical style with clear sliding doors.
Sensory impairment: A disability that affects touch, sight and/or hearing. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Sign language: Manual communication commonly used by deaf . The gestures or symbols in sign language
are organized in a linguistic way. Each individual gesture is called a sign. Each
sign has three distinct parts; the handshape, the position of the hands, and the movement
of the hands. American Sign Language (ASL) is the most commonly used sign language
in the United States. Deaf people from different countries speak different sign languages.
(DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Sign Language Interpreter:
- An Interpreters’ main function is to facilitate communication between the instructor, Deaf or Hard of Hearing student and their classmates, when said student uses sign language.
- An Interpreters’ logistics in the classroom depend on subject matter.
- Interpreters adhere to a strict code of ethics pertaining to the delivery of effective and exact communication. This code of ethics is incorporated into the AEC’s Required Procedures. AEC interpreters are bound by these Required Procedures.
Sonocent: Sonocent helps students Capture by recording the lecture, Annotate by color coding
recordings and adding slides, Review by listening back and adding notes in text pane
and Engage by exporting lectures or text notes. Sonocent can be installed on PC, Mac,
iOS and Android devices.
Specific Learning Disability: Disorder in one or more of the basic psychological processes involved in understanding
or in using language, spoken or written, which may manifest itself in difficulties
listening, thinking, speaking, reading, writing, spelling, or doing mathematical calculations.
Frequent limitations include hyperactivity, distractibility, emotional instability,
visual and/or auditory perception difficulties and/or motor limitations, depending
on the type(s) of learning disability. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Speech impairment: Problems in communication and related areas such as oral motor function, ranging from simple sound substitutions to the inability to understand or use language or use the oral-motor mechanism for functional speech. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Speech input or speech recognition: A method of controlling a computer and creating text by dictation. Speech input software is combined with a microphone. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Telecommunications Device for the Deaf (TDD) or Teletypewriter (TTY): A device which enables someone who has a speech or hearing impairment to use a telephone when communicating with someone else who has a TDD/TTY. TDD/TTYs can be used with any telephone, and one needs only a basic typing ability to use them. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI): Open and closed head injuries resulting in impairments in one or more areas, including cognition; language; memory; attention; reasoning; abstract thinking; judgment; problem-solving; sensory, perceptual, and motor abilities; psychosocial behavior; physical functions; information processing; and speech. The term does not apply to brain injuries that are congenital, degenerative, or induced by birth trauma. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Universal design: Designing programs, services, tools, and facilities so that they are useable, without modification, by the widest range of users possible, taking into account a variety of abilities and disabilities. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Universal design of instruction: The design of instructional materials and activities that make learning achievable by students with a wide variety of abilities and disabilities. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
Vision impairments: Complete or partial loss of ability to see, caused by a variety of injuries or diseases including congenital defects. Legal blindness is defined as visual acuity of 20/200 or less in the better eye with correcting lenses, or widest diameter of visual field subtending an angular distance no greater than 20 degrees. (DO-IT, Glossary of Disability-Related Terms)
