Acronyms, Abbreviations, and Jargon

Like any professional field, cultural arts access has its share of acronyms, abbreviations, and
jargon. With the help of some of the content committee members, we’ve put together a list of
some of the more commonly used terms.

AAPD American Association of People with Disabilities

ABA 1964 Architectural Barriers Act
ABAAG Architectural Barriers Act Accessibility Guidelines—Accessibility
standards which apply to federal buildings under the ABA. Replaces
UFAS.
ACB American Council of the Blind
Access Board An independent federal agency responsible for developing access
standards and enforcement of the ABA as applied to federal buildings.
www.access-board.gov
AD Audio Description
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)—The ADA is divided into
―titles.‖ www.ada.gov
ADAAG Americans with Disabilities Act Accessibility Guidelines—Accessibility
standards which apply to non- federal buildings under the ADA.
AFB American Foundation of the Blind
ALD Assistive Listening Device—Sometimes called ALS for ―Assistive
Listening System.‖
ALS Assistive Listening System—also known as ALD.
ANSI American National Standards Institute—Non-binding building codes,
unless adopted by state or local governments.
APH American Printing House for the Blind, Inc.
ASCAP American Society of Composers and Publishers
ASL American Sign Language
ATA Association for Theatre and Accessibility
BMI Broadcast Music International
CC Closed Captioning
CHADD Children & Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder
CODA Children of Deaf Adults—Hearing sons and daughters of deaf parents.
CP Cerebral Palsy
c2 Caption Coalition, Inc.
LEAD 2008
Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C. 20566
www.kennedy-center.org
©
DBTAC Disability Business and Technical Assistance Centers—Provide ADA
training and technical support. www.dbtac.vcu.edu
DD Developmental Disabilities—Disabilities with an onset prior to age 21 or
22.
DOE U.S. Department of Education
DOJ U.S. Department of Justice
DOL U.S. Department of Labor
DOT U.S. Department of Transportation
DVS Descriptive Video Service
DORS Department of Rehabilitation Services—Also known as Vocational
Rehabilitation, VR, and Voc Rehab.
EPAMD Electronic Personal Assistive Mobility Device
HLAA Hearing Loss Association of America—Formerly known as SHHH.
IDEA 1975 Individuals with Disabilities Education Act—Originally named
Education for All Handicapped Children Act.
LP Large Print
MCS Multiple Chemical Sensitivity
NAD National Association of the Deaf
NAMI National Alliance on Mental Illness
NASDSE National Association of State Directors of Special Education
NCD National Council on Disability
NEA National Endowment for the Arts
NEH National Endowment for the Humanities
NFB National Federation of the Blind
NOD National Organization on Disability
NTD National Theatre of the Deaf
OC Open Captioned
ODEP Office of Disability and Employment Policy
PSE Pigeon Signed English
PWD Person with a Disability
Rehab Act 1973 Rehabilitation Act
Section 504 This section of the Rehab Act requires those who receive federal
financial assistance to make programs accessible.
www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/cguide.htm
Section 508 A relatively new section of the Rehab Act, it requires federal agencies to
make electronic and information technology accessible. It does not
apply to the private sector. www.section508.gov
SHHH Self Help for the Hard of Hearing—Changed its name to the Hearing

LEAD 2008
Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C. 20566
www.kennedy-center.org
©
 Loss Association of American (HLAA).
SSA Social Security Administration
SSDI Social Security Disability Insurance—Pays benefits to individuals who
worked for a period of time and paid Social Security taxes.
SSI Supplemental Security Income—Pays benefits based on financial need.
TBI Traumatic Brain Injury
TCG Theatre Communications Group
TDD Telecommunications Device for the Deaf—Commonly known as a TTY.
The Arc Formerly known as the Association of Retarded Citizens.
Title I Employment: ADA title setting out mandates for issues of employment
and non- discrimination.
Title II State and Local Governments: ADA title setting out requirements for
state and local governments. It closely parallels language from the
Rehab Act.
Title III Public Accommodations: ADA title setting out non- discrimination
mandates for places of public accommodation.
TTY Teletypewriter—A text telephone used by or to communicate with
someone who is deaf or hard of hearing.
UFAS Uniform Federal Accessibility Standards—Accessibility standards which
apply to federal buildings under the ABA. This standard has been
replaced by ABAAG.
VIS Video Interpretive Services
VR Vocational Rehabilitation—Also known VR and Voc Rehab. Every state
has a Voc Rehab department and these are frequently known as
DORS.
VRS Video Relay Services
VSA arts Formerly known as Very Special Arts.
WGBH National Center for Accessible Media (Descriptive Video Service and
The Caption Center) in Boston

Send us your AAJs!

As you attend sessions, keep a list of acronyms, abbreviations, and jargon that you encounter
and send them to us after the conference.

LEAD 2008
Leadership Exchange in Arts and Disability
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
Washington, D.C. 20566
www.kennedy-center.org
©