Glossary of Terms

Across a broad spectrum of disabilities, there are numbers of terms and services that are often unknown and misunderstood. Below are few common terms and their explanations. For a complete glossary download our comprehensive Employer Toolkit.

Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)

Comprehensive civil rights legislation, the ADA. That makes it unlawful to discriminate against individuals with a disability in public and private sector employment (for businesses with 15 or more employees), state and local government services, public accommodations., transportation or telecommunication.

Assistive Technology

Assistive Technology is any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. Includes items such as communication devices, adapted appliances for accessible living, environmental control devices, modified housing, adapted computers, and specialized software.

Individual with a Disability

One who has a physical or mental impairment that substantially limits one or more of that person’s major life activities, has a record of such impairment, or who is regarded as having such an impairment (ADA definition). Invisible (hidden) disabilities: These are disabilities that are not readily apparent, such as asthma, arthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, epilepsy, kidney disease, diabetes, cancer, chronic depression, learning disabilities, and mild developmental disability, among others.

Telecommunication Device for the Deaf or Teletypewriter (TDD or TTY)

An electronic device that allows people who are Deaf to communicate over telephone systems.

Vocational Rehabilitation (VR)

The process of assisting individuals with disabilities to obtain and maintain employment through diverse services tailored to meet the needs of each individual. Each state has a public VR agency.