Official Sync:2026-04-28

A–Z glossary — Digital accessibility in Ireland

Verified definitions of terms drawn from S.I. No. 636/2023 and Directive (EU) 2019/882, with references to the Irish Statute Book and EUR-Lex. Covers Ireland's enforcement authorities (CCPC, ComReg, Central Bank of Ireland, Commission for Aviation Regulation, National Transport Authority and the National Disability Authority), the public-sector framework under S.I. No. 358/2020, and the underlying equality framework in the Disability Act 2005 and the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018.

Last updated: 28 April 2026

A

Accessibility Tree: A hierarchical representation of the accessible objects in a user interface, built from the DOM and CSS by the browser and exposed to assistive technologies via platform accessibility APIs. It contains each element's accessible name, role, state, and properties.
Accessible Description: Additional information associated with a UI element that supplements its accessible name. Exposed via aria-describedby or similar mechanisms and announced by screen readers after the name.
Accessible Name: The label that identifies a UI element to assistive technologies, computed using the accessible name and description computation algorithm. Defined in WCAG 2.2 SC 4.1.2 and ARIA specifications.
Accessible Rich Internet Applications: See ARIA. A W3C specification that provides a set of roles, states, and properties to make dynamic web content accessible to users of assistive technologies.
ACR: Accessibility Conformance Report. A document that explains how a product or service conforms to accessibility standards like WCAG or Section 508. Generated using a VPAT template.
ADA: Americans with Disabilities Act. A US civil rights law that prohibits discrimination against individuals with disabilities in all areas of public life, including digital services.
Advisory Technique: A recommended but optional method for meeting a WCAG success criterion that goes beyond what is strictly required. Advisory techniques improve accessibility but are not needed for conformance.
AEO: Answer Engine Optimization. The practice of optimizing content to be accurately understood and retrieved by AI-powered search and answer engines.
Alt Text: Short for 'alternative text'. Descriptive text assigned to an image via the HTML alt attribute so that screen readers can convey the image content to users who cannot see it. Required by WCAG 2.2 SC 1.1.1.
Annex I: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 that lists the accessibility requirements for products and services covered by the Act, including functional performance criteria.
Annex I (Directive 2019/882) — Accessibility requirements: Annex to Directive (EU) 2019/882 setting out the accessibility requirements applicable to in-scope products and services. It comprises functional performance requirements together with sectoral requirements for specific services including consumer banking, electronic communications, e-books, e-commerce and passenger transport. The Annex is given effect in Irish law by S.I. No. 636/2023 (Schedule 1) and forms the substantive basis against which conformity is assessed. See also EN 301 549, Conformity assessment.
Annex II: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 that lists the products and services subject to the Act's accessibility requirements.
Annex III: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 that sets out examples of accessibility solutions for selected product and service categories.
Annex IV: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 specifying the information to be included in the technical documentation submitted for conformity assessment.
Annex IV (Directive 2019/882) — Technical file, 5-year retention: Annex prescribing the contents of the technical documentation that an economic operator must compile to demonstrate that a product complies with the applicable accessibility requirements. Pursuant to Article 7(3) of Directive (EU) 2019/882 and as transposed in S.I. No. 636/2023, the technical file must be retained for five years after the product has been placed on the market and made available to market surveillance authorities (CCPC) on reasoned request. See also Annex V, Manufacturer obligations.
Annex V: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 providing the template for the EU Declaration of Conformity.
Annex V — EU Declaration of Conformity template: Standard template of the EU Declaration of Conformity by which the manufacturer declares, on its sole responsibility, that the product satisfies the applicable accessibility requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882. The Declaration must be translated into the official language(s) of each Member State in which the product is placed on the market — in Ireland, English (and Irish where appropriate). It must be retained alongside the technical file for five years and underpins the affixing of the CE marking. See also CE Marking.
Annex VI: An annex to EAA Directive 2019/882 setting out the criteria that define microenterprises exempt from some obligations under the Act.
Annex VI — Disproportionate-burden criteria: Annex setting out the criteria by which an economic operator's claim of disproportionate burden under Article 14 of Directive (EU) 2019/882 is to be assessed: the ratio of net costs of compliance to overall costs, the size and resources of the undertaking, and the estimated benefit to persons with disabilities. The assessment must be documented, notified to the relevant market surveillance authority (CCPC) and reviewed at least every five years. Transposed by S.I. No. 636/2023. See also Disproportionate burden, Microenterprise.
APCA: Accessible Perceptual Contrast Algorithm. A modern method for calculating color contrast based on human perception, proposed for WCAG 3.0 as a replacement for the current contrast ratio formula.
APG: ARIA Authoring Practices Guide. A W3C resource that provides guidance on how to build accessible web components using WAI-ARIA, including design patterns for common widgets.
ARIA: Accessible Rich Internet Applications. A set of attributes that define ways to make web content and web applications more accessible by providing semantic information to assistive technologies.
ARIA Properties: ARIA attributes that define characteristics of a UI element that are less likely to change over time than states, such as aria-label, aria-describedby, and aria-required.
ARIA Roles: ARIA attributes that define the type or purpose of a UI element (e.g. role="button", role="dialog"), enabling assistive technologies to understand and convey the element's function to users.
ARIA States: ARIA attributes that express the current condition of a UI element, such as aria-checked, aria-expanded, or aria-disabled. States are dynamic and change in response to user interactions.
Assertive (ARIA): A live region politeness setting (aria-live="assertive") that causes screen readers to interrupt current speech to announce updates immediately. Used for critical alerts; use sparingly to avoid disrupting users.
Assistive Technology: Hardware or software that helps people with disabilities use technology, such as screen readers, magnification software, voice control software, and refreshable Braille displays. Defined in EN 301 549.
ATAG: Authoring Tool Accessibility Guidelines. A W3C standard that defines how authoring tools (e.g. CMS platforms, code editors) should make the authoring interface accessible and help authors produce accessible content.
Audio Description: Narration added to a video's audio track that describes visual information not conveyed by the existing dialogue or sound, enabling blind users to follow video content. Required by WCAG 2.2 SC 1.2.3 and 1.2.5.
Authoring Tool: Software used to create or edit web or non-web content, such as a CMS, HTML editor, or document processor. Authoring tools have their own accessibility standard: ATAG. Also defined in EN 301 549.

B

BITV: Barrierefreie-Informationstechnik-Verordnung. Germany's national regulation implementing web accessibility requirements, based on WCAG and EN 301 549.

C

Captions: Synchronized text transcriptions of the audio content in a video, including speech and relevant non-speech sounds. Required for pre-recorded media by WCAG 2.2 SC 1.2.2 and for live media by SC 1.2.4.
CCPC (Competition and Consumer Protection Commission): Statutory body established under section 9 of the Competition and Consumer Protection Act 2014 (No. 29 of 2014), with functions in competition enforcement and consumer protection. Under the European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 636/2023), the CCPC is designated as a market surveillance authority for products falling within scope of the Regulations and operates in conjunction with sectoral regulators including ComReg, the Central Bank of Ireland and the NTA. Headquartered in Dublin, with public-facing guidance at ccpc.ie.
CE Marking: Marking by which the manufacturer indicates that a product conforms to the applicable requirements set out in Union harmonisation legislation providing for its affixing. For products falling within the scope of Directive (EU) 2019/882, the CE marking is affixed in accordance with the general principles laid down in Article 30 of Regulation (EC) No 765/2008 and Articles 17 to 18 of the Directive, prior to placing on the market. It evidences, together with the EU Declaration of Conformity (Annex V), compliance with the accessibility requirements.
Central Bank of Ireland: Established by the Central Bank Act 1942 (No. 22 of 1942) as restructured by the Central Bank Reform Act 2010 (No. 23 of 2010), the Central Bank is responsible for the prudential supervision and conduct regulation of credit institutions, payment institutions and investment firms. In respect of consumer banking services within scope of S.I. No. 636/2023, the Central Bank acts as the competent sectoral authority alongside the CCPC for accessibility-related market surveillance. See also CCPC.
Closed Captions: Captions that can be toggled on or off by the viewer, typically embedded as a separate data track in the video file rather than burned into the image. Contrasted with open captions.
Closed Functionality: A characteristic of ICT where users cannot attach, install, or use assistive technology. Closed-functionality systems must meet accessibility requirements by other means. Defined in EN 301 549.
Color Contrast: The difference in luminance or colour between two visual elements, typically foreground text and its background. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.3 requires a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text.
Commission for Aviation Regulation: Independent regulator established under the Aviation Regulation Act 2001 (No. 1 of 2001) with responsibility for the economic regulation of Irish aviation, including the licensing of travel trade and the enforcement of EU passenger-rights legislation. The Commission acts as the national enforcement body for Regulation (EC) No. 1107/2006 on the rights of disabled persons and persons with reduced mobility when travelling by air, and supports accessibility supervision under S.I. No. 636/2023 in respect of in-scope passenger transport services.
ComReg (Commission for Communications Regulation): Statutory authority established under section 6 of the Communications Regulation Act 2002 (No. 20 of 2002), with functions including the regulation of electronic communications networks and services and postal services. In the accessibility context, ComReg is the competent authority for electronic communications services and emergency communications (112) under S.I. No. 636/2023, transposing relevant provisions of Directive (EU) 2019/882. It coordinates with the CCPC for market surveillance and publishes accessibility-relevant guidance at comreg.ie.
Conformance Level: One of three tiers (A, AA, AAA) that indicate the degree of WCAG compliance. Level A is the minimum; Level AA is typically required by law; Level AAA represents the highest standard.
Conformity assessment: Process demonstrating whether the accessibility requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882 applicable to a product or service have been fulfilled. For products, the procedure is the internal production control module set out in Annex IV of the Directive (Article 15). For services, conformity is assessed in accordance with Article 13 and Annex V. The outcome is recorded in the technical documentation, retained for five years, and is subject to verification by the CCPC and sectoral regulators under S.I. No. 636/2023.
Conformity Assessment: The process of demonstrating that a product or service meets the accessibility requirements of EAA Directive 2019/882 or a harmonised standard. Per EAA Article 12.
Consistent Navigation: The requirement that navigation mechanisms appearing on multiple pages within a website occur in the same relative order each time. Defined in WCAG 2.2 SC 3.2.3.
Content: Information and sensory experience communicated to the user through software, including code or markup that defines the structure, presentation, and interactions of a web page or application. Defined in EN 301 549.
Content on Hover: Additional content that appears when a user hovers over or focuses a trigger. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.13 requires such content to be dismissible, hoverable, and persistent to support keyboard and pointer users.
Corrective Measures: Actions that an economic operator must take when a product or service is found to be non-compliant with EAA requirements, as directed by a market surveillance authority. Per EAA Article 18.
CPABE: Certified Professional in Accessibility Business Environment. An IAAP certification for professionals who focus on the business and management aspects of digital accessibility programmes.
CPACC: Certified Professional in Accessibility Core Competencies. The foundational IAAP certification covering accessibility principles, disability types, assistive technologies, and relevant standards.
CSS Media Queries: CSS rules that apply styles conditionally based on device characteristics such as screen size, resolution, or user preferences (e.g. prefers-reduced-motion, prefers-color-scheme). Essential for responsive and accessible design.
Cure Period: A defined window of time given to an economic operator to remedy a non-conformity before further enforcement action is taken. Referenced in the enforcement provisions of national EAA transpositions.

D

Declaration of Conformity: A formal document in which an economic operator declares that a product or service meets all applicable accessibility requirements of EAA Directive 2019/882. The template is provided in Annex V.
Declaration of Conformity (EU): Document drawn up and signed by the manufacturer attesting, on its sole responsibility, that the product satisfies the applicable accessibility requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882. The template is set out in Annex V and the Declaration must be translated into English (and Irish where appropriate) for products placed on the Irish market. It must be kept available for the market surveillance authorities for five years after the product has been placed on the market. See also Annex IV, Annex V, CE Marking.
Directive 2019/882: The official legislative reference for the European Accessibility Act, adopted on 17 April 2019, requiring EU member states to transpose its requirements into national law by 28 June 2022, with obligations applying from 28 June 2025.
Disability Act 2005 (sections 25–30): Act of the Oireachtas (No. 14 of 2005) providing a statutory framework for disability services and accessibility in Ireland. Part 3, comprising sections 25 to 30, places obligations on public bodies in relation to access to public buildings, services and information. Section 28 specifically requires that public bodies, where practicable, ensure that information communicated electronically is accessible to persons with a visual impairment. The Act operates in conjunction with the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 and S.I. No. 358/2020. Available on the Irish Statute Book.
Disproportionate burden: Limited derogation provided for in Article 14 of Directive (EU) 2019/882 and transposed by S.I. No. 636/2023, permitting an economic operator to disapply an accessibility requirement where its application would require a significant change in the fundamental nature of the product or service or impose a disproportionate burden on the operator. Reliance on the derogation must be documented in accordance with the criteria in Annex VI, notified to the CCPC and reassessed at least every five years. See also Annex VI, Microenterprise.
Distributor: Any person in the supply chain who makes a product available on the EU market but is not the manufacturer or importer. Distributors have obligations under EAA Directive 2019/882 to ensure products they supply are compliant.
DOM: Document Object Model. A programming interface that represents an HTML or XML document as a tree of objects, which scripts and assistive technologies use to interact with web content.

E

Economic Operator: Any party in the supply or provision chain of a product or service covered by EAA Directive 2019/882, including manufacturers, importers, distributors, and service providers.
EN 301 549 (V3.2.1, 2021-03): European harmonised standard issued jointly by ETSI, CEN and CENELEC setting out accessibility requirements for ICT products and services. Version V3.2.1 of March 2021 is the reference version for Directive (EU) 2019/882; its references have been published in the Official Journal of the European Union pursuant to Article 15 of the Directive. The standard incorporates WCAG 2.1 Level AA for web content. Conformity with EN 301 549 confers a presumption of conformity with the corresponding accessibility requirements. See also Harmonised standard.
Enforcement Authority: A national body designated by each EU member state to monitor and enforce compliance with the EAA. Per EAA Article 21, member states must designate at least one market surveillance authority.
Equal Status Acts 2000–2018: Collective citation of the Equal Status Act 2000 (No. 8 of 2000) as amended by subsequent enactments including the Equality Act 2004 and the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014. The Acts prohibit discrimination on nine grounds, including disability, in the provision of goods and services. Section 4 imposes a duty to provide reasonable accommodation, which is engaged where a service provider's failure to do so would render it impossible or unduly difficult for a person with a disability to avail of the service. Enforced by IHREC and the Workplace Relations Commission.
Equality Authority (legacy — see IHREC): Statutory body originally established under the Employment Equality Act 1998 (No. 21 of 1998) with responsibility for the elimination of discrimination and promotion of equality of opportunity. Pursuant to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (No. 25 of 2014), the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission were dissolved and their functions transferred to the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission (IHREC) on 1 November 2014. Statutory references to the Equality Authority in earlier accessibility instruments are construed as references to IHREC. See also IHREC.
Error Identification: The requirement to identify and describe input errors in text when a user submits information that is not accepted. Defined in WCAG 2.2 SC 3.3.1.
ETSI: European Telecommunications Standards Institute. A standards body that publishes EN 301 549, the harmonised ICT accessibility standard referenced by the EAA.
European Accessibility Act: Common name for Directive (EU) 2019/882 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 April 2019 on the accessibility requirements for products and services, published in OJ L 151, 7 June 2019. Transposed into Irish law by the European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 636/2023), made under section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972. Applies to in-scope products and services placed on the market or provided to consumers from 28 June 2025. See also S.I. No. 636/2023.
European Communities Act 1972 (No. 27 of 1972): Foundational Act of the Oireachtas providing the constitutional and legislative bridge by which European Union law has effect in the State following accession to the European Communities. Section 3 confers on Ministers the power to make regulations giving effect to acts adopted by EU institutions, and is the enabling provision under which the European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023 (S.I. No. 636/2023) were made by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. See also Statutory Instrument.
Eye Tracking: An input technology that allows users to control a computer by moving their eyes, used by people with severe motor impairments. Accessible interfaces must work with eye-tracking systems as a pointer input.

F

Failure: A specific implementation that is known to cause a WCAG success criterion not to be satisfied. Failures are documented by the W3C as definitive examples of non-conformance.
Focus Indicator: A visible highlight or outline that shows which interactive element currently has keyboard focus. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.7 requires a visible focus indicator; SC 2.4.11 adds minimum size and contrast requirements.
Focus Management: The practice of programmatically controlling keyboard focus, especially in dynamic content such as modals, single-page apps, and custom widgets, to ensure users do not lose their position.
Focus Order: The sequence in which interactive elements receive keyboard focus when the user presses Tab. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.3 requires the focus order to preserve meaning and operability.
Focus Trap: A pattern where keyboard focus is intentionally restricted to a specific region of the interface, most commonly a modal dialog, so users cannot navigate outside it while the dialog is open.
Forced Colors: A browser/OS mode that overrides an author's colours with a high-contrast palette chosen by the user. The CSS forced-colors media feature lets authors adapt layouts for this mode without removing contrast enhancements.
Functional Performance Criteria: A set of overarching accessibility requirements in EN 301 549 (Clause 4) and EAA Annex I that ensure ICT is usable by people with a range of disabilities when specific technical requirements cannot be applied.
Fundamental Alteration: A change to a product or service that would fundamentally change its basic nature. Under EAA Article 14, operators are not required to make changes that would constitute a fundamental alteration.

G

GDPR: General Data Protection Regulation. An EU regulation on data protection and privacy in the European Union and the European Economic Area.
Graceful Degradation: A design strategy where a website or application is built with full functionality first and then adapted to work in less-capable environments, including older browsers and assistive technologies.

H

Hardware: Physical electronic components of ICT, such as terminals, kiosks, and ATMs. Hardware products are subject to accessibility requirements under EN 301 549 and EAA Directive 2019/882.
Harmonised standard: European standard adopted on the basis of a request made by the European Commission for the application of Union harmonisation legislation, within the meaning of Article 2(1)(c) of Regulation (EU) No 1025/2012, the references to which are published in the Official Journal of the European Union. For Directive (EU) 2019/882, the harmonised standard of reference is EN 301 549 (V3.2.1, 2021-03). Compliance with a harmonised standard provides a rebuttable presumption of conformity with the accessibility requirements covered. See also Conformity assessment.
Harmonised Standard: A European standard whose reference has been published in the Official Journal of the EU. Products or services meeting a harmonised standard benefit from a presumption of conformity with the EAA requirements it covers.
Heading Level: The hierarchical rank of a heading element (h1–h6 in HTML), used to define the structure and outline of a page. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.1 requires headings to be marked up programmatically; SC 2.4.6 requires them to be descriptive.
High Contrast Mode: An operating system or browser setting that replaces the colour scheme with a high-contrast palette to improve readability for users with low vision. Web content should remain usable when high contrast mode is active.

I

IAAP: International Association of Accessibility Professionals. A global membership organisation that sets professional standards, offers certifications (CPACC, WAS, CPABE), and promotes the accessibility profession.
ICT: Information and Communications Technology. The broad category of technology including hardware, software, and services that process and communicate information. Defined in EN 301 549 and subject to EAA requirements.
IHREC (Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission): Independent statutory body established under section 9 of the Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission Act 2014 (No. 25 of 2014), succeeding the Equality Authority and the Human Rights Commission. IHREC is Ireland's national human rights institution and equality body, responsible for promoting and protecting human rights and equality, including under the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018 and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD). It exercises supervisory functions in relation to public bodies' accessibility obligations under the Disability Act 2005.
Importer: Any natural or legal person established in the EU who places a product from a third country on the EU market. Importers have specific obligations under EAA Directive 2019/882 to verify product conformity.
Input Purpose: The intended meaning of a user input field, such as name, email, or telephone number. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.5 requires that the purpose of each input field be programmatically determinable to support autofill.
Iris Oifigiúil (Irish official journal): Official gazette of the State, published twice weekly in print and online by the Office of the Attorney General, in which statutory notices required by law to be published are made. While the substantive text of Acts and Statutory Instruments is collated on the Irish Statute Book, Iris Oifigiúil records the formal coming into operation, commencement orders and certain regulatory notifications relevant to S.I. No. 636/2023 and S.I. No. 358/2020. Available at irisoifigiuil.ie. See also Irish Statute Book.
Irish Statute Book: Online repository of Irish primary and secondary legislation maintained by the Office of the Attorney General, comprising the Acts of the Oireachtas and Statutory Instruments. It is the authoritative public source for the text of the Disability Act 2005, the Equal Status Acts 2000–2018, S.I. No. 358/2020 and S.I. No. 636/2023. Available at irishstatutebook.ie. The site provides consolidated and revised Acts where available, alongside as-enacted texts. See also Iris Oifigiúil.
ISO: International Organization for Standardization. A global body that publishes international standards including accessibility-related standards such as ISO 9241-171 on software accessibility.

J

JAWS: Job Access With Speech. A widely used commercial screen reader for Windows developed by Freedom Scientific. It is a primary testing tool for web and software accessibility.

K

Keyboard Trap: A situation where keyboard focus becomes stuck inside a component and users cannot navigate away using only the keyboard. Prohibited by WCAG 2.2 SC 2.1.2 unless focus restriction is needed (e.g. a modal dialog).

L

Landmark Region: A semantically defined section of a web page (such as header, nav, main, or footer) that helps screen reader users quickly navigate to major content areas. Implemented via HTML5 sectioning elements or ARIA landmark roles.
Language of Page: The requirement that the default human language of each web page is programmatically determinable, enabling screen readers to use the correct pronunciation and rules. Defined in WCAG 2.2 SC 3.1.1.
Live Region: An area of a web page where content updates dynamically without a page refresh. ARIA live regions (aria-live) notify screen reader users of changes. WCAG 2.2 SC 4.1.3 addresses status messages in live regions.
Live Region (ARIA): An ARIA pattern using the aria-live attribute to announce dynamic content updates to screen reader users. Supported politeness settings are 'polite' and 'assertive'; 'off' suppresses announcements.
Luminance: The intensity of light emitted or reflected from a surface. In WCAG colour contrast calculations, relative luminance (a linear measure based on sRGB values) is used to compute the contrast ratio between two colours.

M

Magnification Software: Assistive technology that enlarges part or all of the screen for users with low vision, such as Windows Magnifier or ZoomText. Web content should remain usable at high zoom levels per WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.4.
Manufacturer: Any natural or legal person who manufactures a product or has a product designed or manufactured and markets it under their own name. Manufacturers have primary obligations under EAA Directive 2019/882.
Manufacturer obligations: Duties imposed on a manufacturer placing a product on the Union market under Article 7 of Directive (EU) 2019/882, as transposed by S.I. No. 636/2023. The manufacturer must design and manufacture the product in accordance with the accessibility requirements (Annex I), draw up the technical documentation (Annex IV), carry out the conformity assessment, draw up the EU Declaration of Conformity (Annex V), affix the CE marking and ensure information is provided in English. See also Importer, Distributor.
Market surveillance: Activities carried out and measures taken by national authorities to ensure that products made available on the Union market comply with applicable requirements, within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2019/1020. In Ireland, market surveillance for the accessibility requirements of Directive (EU) 2019/882 is principally entrusted to the CCPC under S.I. No. 636/2023, working alongside ComReg, the Central Bank of Ireland, the NTA and the Commission for Aviation Regulation in respect of sector-specific services. See also CCPC.
Market Surveillance: Activities and measures taken by national authorities to ensure that products and services on the EU market comply with applicable requirements, including EAA accessibility obligations. Per EAA Chapter VII.
Microenterprise (Annex VI): Enterprise which employs fewer than 10 persons and which has an annual turnover not exceeding EUR 2 million or an annual balance sheet total not exceeding EUR 2 million, within the meaning of Commission Recommendation 2003/361/EC. Article 4(5) of Directive (EU) 2019/882 exempts microenterprises providing services within the scope of the Directive from compliance with the accessibility requirements applicable to those services, without prejudice to other national-law obligations. The exemption is given effect by S.I. No. 636/2023.
Motion Actuation: Functionality triggered by device motion or user gestures (e.g. shaking a phone). WCAG 2.2 SC 2.5.4 requires that such functionality can also be operated by conventional interface controls and the motion response can be disabled.

N

Name Role Value: A WCAG requirement (SC 4.1.2) that all user interface components have a programmatically determinable name and role, and that states, properties, and values that can be set by the user are exposed to assistive technologies.
National Transposition: The process by which each EU member state enacts domestic legislation to give effect to an EU directive. Member states were required to transpose EAA Directive 2019/882 into national law by 28 June 2022.
NDA (National Disability Authority): Statutory body established under the National Disability Authority Act 1999 (No. 14 of 1999), the independent State agency providing expert advice on disability policy and practice to Government and the public sector. The NDA's Centre for Excellence in Universal Design, established under the Disability Act 2005, develops standards and guidance on accessibility, including for ICT and the built environment. The NDA monitors public-sector compliance with sectoral codes of practice issued under section 30 of the Disability Act 2005. See also Disability Act 2005.
Non-text Content: Any content that is not text, including images, charts, audio, and video. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.1.1 requires a text alternative for all non-text content.
Non-web Document: A document that is not a web page but is made available or intended to be made available via the web, such as a PDF or Word document. Subject to accessibility requirements in EN 301 549 Chapter 10.
Notified Body: A third-party organisation designated by an EU member state to assess the conformity of certain products with EU regulatory requirements. Relevant where mandatory third-party conformity assessment is required under the EAA.
NTA (National Transport Authority): Statutory authority established under the Dublin Transport Authority Act 2008 (No. 15 of 2008), as renamed by the Public Transport Regulation Act 2009 (No. 37 of 2009). The NTA has functions including the regulation and procurement of public passenger transport services. In the accessibility context, the NTA acts as the competent authority in respect of transport services within scope of Directive (EU) 2019/882 and S.I. No. 636/2023, and oversees compliance with Regulation (EU) No 181/2011 on bus and coach passenger rights.
NVDA: NonVisual Desktop Access. A free, open-source screen reader for Windows developed by NV Access. It is widely used for accessibility testing alongside JAWS and VoiceOver.

O

Open Captions: Captions that are permanently visible and burned into the video image and cannot be turned off by the viewer. Contrasted with closed captions, which are a separate selectable track.
Operable: The second of the four WCAG principles. User interface components and navigation must be operable — all functionality must be available from a keyboard, and users must have enough time and control.
Operable Part: A part of hardware ICT that requires physical interaction to operate, such as a button, coin slot, or card reader. EN 301 549 sets accessibility requirements for operable parts, including reachability and force requirements.

P

Parsing: The ability of browsers and assistive technologies to correctly interpret the markup of a web page. WCAG 2.2 SC 4.1.1 (historically important, now obsolete in WCAG 2.2) required valid, well-formed HTML to avoid parsing errors.
Perceivable: The first of the four WCAG principles. Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive — content must be available to at least one sense.
Platform Software: Software that provides a platform on which other software can run, such as an operating system or a browser. Platform software must expose accessibility APIs that assistive technologies can use. Defined in EN 301 549.
Pointer Cancellation: A WCAG requirement (SC 2.5.2) that functions activated by a single pointer can be cancelled or undone to prevent accidental activation, for example by requiring the up-event rather than the down-event.
Polite (ARIA): A live region politeness setting (aria-live="polite") that causes screen readers to announce updates when the user is idle, without interrupting current speech. Suitable for non-critical notifications.
Portable ICT: ICT designed to be moved and used in different locations, such as a laptop, tablet, or mobile phone. Accessibility requirements for portable ICT are defined in EN 301 549 and the EAA.
POUR: An acronym for the four principles of WCAG: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, and Robust. All WCAG success criteria fall under one of these four principles.
Prefers Color Scheme: A CSS media feature that detects whether the user has requested a light or dark colour scheme from their operating system. Respecting this preference supports users with photosensitivity and low vision.
Prefers Reduced Motion: A CSS media feature that detects whether the user has requested that animations and transitions be reduced or eliminated. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.3.3 (AAA) and good practice require respecting this setting.
Presumption of Conformity: A legal benefit whereby compliance with a harmonised standard is taken as sufficient proof that the applicable regulatory requirements (e.g. EAA accessibility requirements) are met, without further proof being needed.
Programmatically Determined: Information that can be reliably extracted by user agents, including assistive technologies, from the code of a web page or application. Multiple WCAG success criteria require information to be programmatically determinable.
Progressive Enhancement: A design strategy that builds core accessible functionality first using semantic HTML, then adds styling and scripted enhancements in layers, ensuring the content works for all users regardless of their browser or assistive technology.
Public Sector Bodies (Accessibility) Regulations 2020 — S.I. No. 358/2020: European Union (Accessibility of Websites and Mobile Applications of Public Sector Bodies) Regulations 2020, made on 21 September 2020 under section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972, transposing Directive (EU) 2016/2102. The Regulations require public sector bodies to ensure that their websites and mobile applications comply with the accessibility requirements of EN 301 549, publish an accessibility statement and provide a feedback mechanism. The NDA is designated as the monitoring body. Available on the Irish Statute Book. See also NDA.

R

Reading Order: The sequence in which content is read by assistive technologies, determined by the order of elements in the DOM. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.2 requires the reading order to be meaningful.
Real-time Text: A communication method where text is transmitted character by character as it is typed, enabling people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or have speech disabilities to communicate in real time. Defined in EN 301 549.
Reflow: The ability of content to reformat into a single column without horizontal scrolling when the viewport is narrowed or text is enlarged. Required by WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.10 to support users who need large text.
Refreshable Braille Display: A hardware device that converts text to Braille by raising and lowering small pins, enabling blind users or deaf-blind users to read content. Screen readers typically support output to Braille displays.
Relative Luminance: A measure of the brightness of a colour on a scale from 0 (absolute black) to 1 (absolute white), computed from sRGB colour values using the formula defined in WCAG 2.x and used to calculate the contrast ratio.
Relay Service: A telecommunications service that enables communication between people with and without hearing or speech disabilities, for example through text relay or video relay. Covered by EN 301 549 and EAA requirements.
Responsive Design: A web design approach that adapts layout and content to the user's viewport size and device capabilities. Responsive design supports accessibility by enabling reflow (WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.10) and appropriate touch targets.
RGAA: Référentiel Général d'Amélioration de l'Accessibilité. France's national accessibility framework, based on WCAG 2.1, used to assess and certify accessibility for public sector digital services.
Robust: The fourth WCAG principle. Content must be robust enough to be reliably interpreted by a wide variety of user agents, including current and future assistive technologies.
Roving Tabindex: A keyboard management pattern for composite widgets (e.g. tab panels, toolbars) where only one item in the group is in the tab sequence at a time (tabindex=0) and others are removed (tabindex=-1), with arrow keys moving focus within the group.

S

S.I. No. 636/2023 — European Union (Accessibility Requirements of Products and Services) Regulations 2023: Statutory Instrument made by the Minister for Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth under section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972, transposing Directive (EU) 2019/882 into Irish law. The Regulations impose accessibility obligations on manufacturers, importers, distributors and service providers in respect of in-scope products and services placed on the Irish market, designate the CCPC and sectoral regulators as market surveillance authorities, and apply from 28 June 2025. Available on the Irish Statute Book.
SC: Success Criterion. A specific, testable accessibility requirement defined within the WCAG framework.
SCA: Strong Customer Authentication. A requirement of PSD2/PSD3 for payment security, often requiring accessible MFA solutions.
Section 508: A US law requiring federal agencies to make their electronic and information technology accessible to people with disabilities, with technical requirements aligned to WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
Semantic HTML: HTML elements used according to their intended meaning (e.g. <button> for a button, <nav> for navigation) rather than purely for visual effect. Semantic HTML provides built-in accessibility through the browser's accessibility API.
Service Provider: Any natural or legal person who provides a service covered by EAA Directive 2019/882, such as e-commerce, banking, transport, or media services. Service providers must ensure their services meet EAA accessibility requirements.
Service provider (S.I. 636/2023): Any natural or legal person who provides a service on the Union market or makes offers to provide such a service to consumers in the Union, within the meaning of Article 3(4) of Directive (EU) 2019/882 as transposed by S.I. No. 636/2023. The service provider is responsible for ensuring that the service complies with the applicable accessibility requirements (Annex I), preparing the information required by Annex V and retaining that documentation for five years after the service was last provided. See also Manufacturer obligations.
Skip Navigation: A link placed at the top of a web page that allows keyboard and screen reader users to bypass repeated navigation links and jump directly to the main content. Supports WCAG 2.2 SC 2.4.1.
Software User Interface: The visual and interactive elements of a software application through which users interact with it. Subject to accessibility requirements in EN 301 549 Chapter 11.
sRGB: Standard Red Green Blue. A colour space used as the reference for WCAG contrast ratio calculations. Relative luminance is computed from sRGB values using a linearisation formula defined in WCAG 2.x.
Stationary ICT: ICT intended to be used in a fixed location, such as a kiosk, ATM, or desktop computer. Accessibility requirements for stationary ICT are defined in EN 301 549 and EAA Annex I.
Status Message: A message that provides information about the status of an operation (e.g. a form submitted successfully or a shopping cart update) without receiving focus. WCAG 2.2 SC 4.1.3 requires status messages to be programmatically determinable.
Statutory Instrument (S.I.): Form of secondary legislation in Ireland, defined by the Statutory Instruments Act 1947 (No. 44 of 1947), made by a Minister or other rule-making authority under powers conferred by an Act of the Oireachtas. Statutory Instruments are numbered chronologically each year (e.g. S.I. No. 636/2023) and published on the Irish Statute Book and in Iris Oifigiúil. The principal Irish accessibility instruments — S.I. No. 358/2020 and S.I. No. 636/2023 — are both made under section 3 of the European Communities Act 1972.
Success Criterion: A specific, testable statement in WCAG that content either passes or fails. Each success criterion is assigned a conformance level (A, AA, or AAA) and has documented techniques and failures.
Sufficient Technique: A documented method that, if followed, is sufficient to meet a WCAG success criterion. The W3C publishes both sufficient and advisory techniques for each criterion.
Switch Access: An input method where users control a device using one or more switches (buttons), typically via scanning interfaces. Used by people with severe motor impairments; accessible interfaces must support single-switch and sequential scanning.

T

Tab Order: The order in which interactive elements receive keyboard focus when the user presses the Tab key, determined by the DOM order and any tabindex values. See also Focus Order.
TalkBack: The built-in screen reader for Android devices, developed by Google. It is a primary testing tool for native Android and mobile web accessibility.
Target Size: The area of an interactive element available for pointer input. WCAG 2.2 SC 2.5.8 (AA) requires a minimum target size of 24×24 CSS pixels; SC 2.5.5 (AAA) requires 44×44 CSS pixels.
Technical File: Documentation compiled by a manufacturer that demonstrates a product meets EAA requirements, including design specifications, test results, and risk assessments. Required content is specified in EAA Annex IV.
Text Alternative: Any text that serves as an equivalent for non-text content, enabling the same information to be conveyed to users who cannot access the original. The broadest category covering alt text, captions, transcripts, and descriptions.
Text Spacing: The ability to adjust letter spacing, word spacing, line height, and paragraph spacing without loss of content or functionality. WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.12 defines specific spacing thresholds that must not cause content loss.
Touch Target: The area of a screen that responds to a touch gesture. Adequate touch target size is critical for users with motor impairments; see Target Size (WCAG 2.2 SC 2.5.8) and EN 301 549 requirements for hardware operable parts.
Transitional Period: The period between the EAA's entry into force and the date its requirements become enforceable (28 June 2025), during which economic operators are expected to prepare for compliance. Some service providers may have a further 5-year transition to 2030.
Transposition: The act of converting an EU directive into national law. EAA Directive 2019/882 required member states to complete transposition by 28 June 2022.
Two-way Voice Communication: A service or feature that allows real-time spoken communication between two or more people, such as a phone call or video call. Subject to specific accessibility requirements in EN 301 549.

U

UAAG: User Agent Accessibility Guidelines. A W3C standard that defines how web browsers and media players should make web content accessible and support assistive technologies.
Understandable: The third of the four WCAG principles. Information and the operation of the user interface must be understandable — content must be readable, pages must behave predictably, and users must be helped to avoid and correct mistakes.
User Agent: Software that retrieves and renders web content, including web browsers, media players, and assistive technologies. User agents must expose content accessibly; their own accessibility requirements are defined in UAAG.

V

Video Communication: A real-time communication service that transmits video alongside audio or text, such as video calling. EN 301 549 specifies accessibility requirements for video communication products and services.
Viewport: The visible area of a web page within the browser window. Content should be designed to work at different viewport sizes (responsive design) and at 400% zoom without loss of content (WCAG 2.2 SC 1.4.10 Reflow).
Voice Control: An input technology that allows users to control a device entirely by speaking, such as Apple Voice Control or Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Accessible interfaces must support voice control by ensuring interactive elements have visible, speakable labels.
VoiceOver: The built-in screen reader on Apple devices (macOS, iOS, iPadOS). It is a primary testing tool for web and native app accessibility on Apple platforms.
VPAT: Voluntary Product Accessibility Template. A standardized template used to generate an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR).

W

W3C: World Wide Web Consortium. The international standards body that develops and maintains web standards including WCAG, ARIA, ATAG, and UAAG.
WAI: Web Accessibility Initiative. A project of the W3C that develops guidelines and resources for web accessibility, including WCAG, ATAG, UAAG, and ARIA.
WAI-ARIA: Web Accessibility Initiative – Accessible Rich Internet Applications. The full name of the ARIA specification, which defines roles, states, and properties for making dynamic web content accessible.
WAS: Web Accessibility Specialist. An IAAP certification for professionals with deep technical expertise in testing and implementing web accessibility, particularly against WCAG.
WCAG: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The international standard for web accessibility published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), with WCAG 2.2 being the current version.
WCAG 2.2: Web Content Accessibility Guidelines version 2.2, a W3C Recommendation published on 5 October 2023. Comprising 87 testable success criteria organised under the four principles of Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust, with three conformance levels (A, AA, AAA), WCAG 2.2 is the international reference standard for web-content accessibility. The harmonised standard EN 301 549 (V3.2.1, 2021-03) currently references WCAG 2.1 Level AA; WCAG 2.2 is being incorporated through ongoing revision of EN 301 549. See also EN 301 549.
Web Content: Information and sensory experience delivered via the web, including text, images, sound, video, and interactive elements. Subject to WCAG requirements and EN 301 549 Chapter 9.