Introduction

The purpose of this Guide is to assist standards developers (e.g. technical committees or working groups) to address accessibility in standards that focus, whether directly or indirectly, on any type of system that people use. It provides guidance for developing and writing appropriate accessibility requirements and recommendations in standards. However, while its intended audience are standards developers, this Guide contains information that can also be useful to other people, such as manufacturers, designers, service providers and educators.

The second edition of this Guide, retitled “Guide for addressing accessibility in standards,” builds upon the edition published in 2001, titled “Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities”. This edition takes account of developments in thinking and practice which have taken place since 2001 and takes a more inclusive approach. This edition also sets out to improve the usability and adoption of the Guide itself. This Guide, like its predecessor, is intended to be part of the overall framework that standards bodies can use in their efforts to support the development of systems that suit the needs of diverse users.

It is an important goal for the whole of society that all people, regardless of their age, size or ability, have access to the broadest range of systems. Issues of accessibility to and usability of systems have become more critical as the number of people (such as older persons, children, persons with reduced abilities and persons with disabilities) with diverse user accessibility needs has increased.

Based on their individual abilities and characteristics, people’s accessibility needs vary substantially and change throughout the course of their lives (i.e. as they advance from childhood to adulthood and on into old age). Impairments can be permanent, temporary or vary on a daily basis, and sometimes they are not fully recognized or acknowledged. In addition, although some limitations can be minor in nature, combinations of limitations can pose significant problems for individuals attempting to interact with systems. This is the case particularly where user accessibility needs and accessibility requirements were not recognized during development of those systems. Standards that include accessibility requirements can support development of systems that can be used by more users.

While much progress has been made worldwide in the development of accessibility standards relating to information and communications technology and the built environment, the development of accessibility standards related to other sectors has not always kept pace. However, the requirements of national and international anti-discrimination legislation have become increasingly stringent. Additional recommendations are contained in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities^[³⁶^] particularly in Articles 4, 9, 21 and 30), in the UN Committee of the rights of persons with disabilities, General Comment 2^[³⁷^] and emerging national and regional procurement regulations.

International Standards of ISO and IEC and ITU-T recommendations can play an important part in avoiding market fragmentation and achieving harmonized accessible systems rather than those that meet only national standards and are incompatible with those produced in other nations.

The IEC/ISO/ITU Joint Policy Statement on Standardization and Accessibility^[²⁵^] sets out the basic principles for ensuring that the needs of older persons, children and persons with disabilities are incorporated in the standards development process, providing justification on human rights and economic grounds. One of the core points of the Joint Policy Statement is “accessible or universal design”, which aims at ensuring that products, systems, services, environments and facilities can be used by persons from a population with the widest range of characteristics and abilities. In this second edition, the Guide is intended to supplement the Joint Policy Statement by providing a set of accessibility goals and describing human abilities and characteristics to assist standards developers in identifying accessibility needs of diverse users in diverse contexts of use.

The guidance provided in this Guide is general. The Guide recognizes the principle that standards should normally not be design-restrictive. The Guide therefore suggests ways of determining user accessibility needs without providing specific solutions. It is important to realize that one-size-fits-all solutions seldom meet every person’s needs and that accessible features can benefit the majority of the population. Optimal solutions vary greatly depending on the specific users and contexts of use. Additional sector-related guides might need to be developed for specific product or service sectors.

PD ISO/IEC GUIDE 71:2014

Guide for addressing accessibility in standards

Current

Published:

31 Dec 2014