ISO work in the field
of eAccessibility – An Overview
12th International Conference on Computers Helping People
with Special Needs (ICCHP)
Vienna, Austria
14 July 2010
Reinhard Weissinger
Manager, Research, Education and Strategy
ISO Central Secretariat, Geneva, Switzerland
Outline of the presentation
 ISO and the ISO system
 Accessibility work in ISO:
‒ ISO/IEC Policy Statement 2000
‒ Basics: ISO/IEC Guide 71:2001 & ISO/TR 22411:2008
 eAccessibility
‒ Human-system interaction etc. (ISO/TC 159)
‒ User interface design, e-learning etc. (ISO/IEC JTC 1)
‒ Other work
 ISO/IEC/ITU Workshop, Geneva, 3-4 November 2010
 Conclusions
The ISO System
162 national members
98% of world GNI
97% of world population
As of 1 June 2010
1 038 standards
produced in 2009
Collection of 18 083
ISO Standards
195 active TCs
3 238 technical
bodies
50 000 experts
• IT tools
• Standards
development
procedures
• Consensus
building
• Dissemination
Over 4200 current
standards projects
Central
Secretariat
in Geneva
153 FTE staff
Distribution of ISO members per continent (as of 1 June 2010)
MB distribution per
continent
MB+MC+MS distribution
per continent
29
44
17
28
38
19
3
Total: 106
(95 in 2003)
43
43
Oceania
Europe
Americas
Africa
Asia
4
Total: 162
(147 in 2003)
ISO’s international network
 WTO : TBT, SPS and GATS (services) agreements
 UN and UN agencies: CODEX, ILO, IMO, ITC, UN/ECE,
UNIDO, WHO, WTO-OMT
 591 liaisons with international organizations
in technical work
 Links with six regional bodies (ACCSQ, AIDMO, ARSO,
CEN, COPANT, EASC) and PASC
 Economic actors: Accreditation: IAF and ILAC, Consumers
International, ICC, IFAN, World Economic Forum, etc…
Working definitions
accessibility
usability of a product, service, environment or facility
by people with the widest range of capabilities
eAccessibility
design of Information and Communication
Technology (ICT) products and services so that they
can be used by people with disabilities, whether of a
permanent or temporary nature, and by older people
with age-related changes in functional capacities
ISO/IEC Guide 71: Guidelines for standards developers
to address the needs of older persons and persons with
disabilities
 Before Guide 71: Standards on assistive technology
(wheelchairs, walking aids, etc. – ISO/TC 173), built
environment (ISO/TC 59), packaging (ISO/TC 122) etc.
 ISO/IEC Policy Statement 2000 – Addressing the needs of
older persons and people with disabilities in standardization
work
 Guide 71: First ISO document addressing accessibility and
usability of products and services in a generic manner and as
with general design concerns
 Primarily intended for use by standards developers
ISO/IEC Guide 71: Guidelines for standards developers
to address the needs of older persons and persons with
disabilities – Key content
 Process: Describes a process to address accessibility needs
during standards development
 Accessibility and standards content: Typical structure of a
standard and mapping to accessibility factors
 Defines a set of 22 accessibility factors to be considered
 Classifies human abilities and describes the consequences of
impairment on the basis of
‒
‒
‒
‒
Sensory abilities
Physical abilities
Cognitive abilities
Allergies
ISO/IEC Guide 71: 22 Accessibility factors
Alternative formats
Expiration date marking
Location and layout of information and
controls and positioning of handles
Content labelling and warnings of
allergens
Light levels and glare
Surface temperature
Colour and contrast
Accessible routes
Size and style of fonts and symbols
Logical process
Clear language
Surface finish
Graphical symbols and illustrations
Non-allergenic/toxic materials
Loudness and pitch of non-spoken
communication
Acoustics
Slow pace of information presentation
Fail-safe
Distinctive from of product, control or
packaging
Ventilation
Ease of handling
Fire safety of materials
ISO/IEC Guide 71: Guidelines for standards developers
to address the needs of older persons and persons with
disabilities
 Guide 71 gives only general and qualitative guidance, but no
measureable criteria or reference data
 Was adopted as CEN/CENELEC Guide 6
ISO/TR 22411: Ergonomics data and guidelines for the
application of ISO/IEC Guide 71 [ISO/TC 159 - Ergonomics]
 ISO/Technical Report 22411: Built on the structure of Guide
71 and fully compatible. Gives details and quantitative
reference data on how to implement Guide 71
Guide 71:
Alternatives
to
visual
information
ISO/TC 159 Ergonomics
 Advisory Group on Accessible Design (AGAD)
 Standards and ongoing work in the areas of:
 Ergonomics of human-system interaction
 Human-centred design principles
 Software individualization and software ergononmics
 User interfaces
 Accessibility guidelines for equipment, software and ICT
services
ISO/IEC JTC 1 Information technology
 Special Working Group on Accessibility(SWG-A)
 Has produced an analysis and inventory of eAccessibility
standards in ISO and beyond
 Standards and ongoing work in the areas of:






User interface design
Interoperability with Assistive technology
Cultural & linguistic adaptability in IT products
Icons & symbols in software products
Accessibility functions for personal computers
Office equipment accessibility guidelines for elderly persons
and persons with disabilities
 E-learning:
• “Access for all” personal needs and preferences
• Individualized adaptability and accessibility in elearning, education and training
Some other ISO committees related to eAccessibility
 ISO/TC 145 Graphical symbols  Symbols of all types and
applications
 ISO/TC 37 Terminology and other language and content
resources  Ongoing discussion to work on specialized
languages, e.g. Bliss
eAccessibility-related standards in ISO
(see inventory in: ISO/IEC TR 29138-2:2009)
Committee
Committee titles
No. of standards
(in descending order)
ISO/TC 159/SC 4
Ergonomics/ Ergonomics of humansystem interaction
59
JTC 1/SC 35
Information technology/User interfaces
40
ISO/TC 159/SC 3
Ergonomics/Anthropometry and
biomechanics
12
JTC 1/SC 36
Information technology/Information
technology for learning, education and
training
8
ISO/TC 159 & SC 1 / 5
Ergonomics/General ergonomic principles
/ Ergonomics of the physical environment
12
JTC 1/SC 7 / 28 / 29
Information technology/Software and
software engineering / Office equipment /
Coding of audio, opicture, multimedia and
hypermedia information
10
ISO/TC 145/SC 3
Graphical symbols/Graphical symbols for
use on equipment
1
Total
142
Some key documents
 ISO/IEC Guide 71:2001: Guidelines for standards
developers to address the needs of older persons and
persons with disabilities
 ISO/TR 22411:2008: Ergonomics data and guidelines for
the application of ISO/IEC Guide 71 to products and
services to address the needs of older persons and
persons with disabilities
 ISO/IEC TR 29138-1:2009: Information technology –
Accessibility for people with disabilities – Part 1: User
needs summary
 ISO/IEC TR 29138-2:2009: Information technology –
Accessibility for people with disabilities – Part 2: Standards
inventory
 ISO/IEC TR 29138-3:2009: Information technology –
Accessibility for people with disabilities – Part 3: Guidance
on user needs mapping
Challenges
 Accessibility is an important topic for ISO, but it is not yet in
the mainstream of standards development
 Not enough product standards take into account
accessibility aspects
ISO/IEC/ITU Workshop -- Contribution of International
Standard to Accessibility, 3-4 Nov. 2010, Geneva
3 key topics to be addressed:
- Accessibility and everyday products
- Accessibility and buildings
- eAccessibility and eInclusion (Accessibility in
Information and Telecommunication)
Multi-stakeholder workshop  Road map for future
accessibility work in ISO, IEC and ITU
ISO/IEC/ITU Workshop - Structure
3 November 2010
Plenary
Introduction and Key notes
Accessibility in:
Break-out groups
Everyday products
Buildings
eAccessibility
4 November 2010
Accessibility in:
Break-out groups
Everyday products
Buildings
eAccessibility
Afternoon
Plenary
Reports of the three groups to the plenary
& Discussion of findings
Plenary
Summary and conclusions
Conclusions
 ISO standards result from an open process and present a
consensus between key stakeholders, countries and many
international organizations
 ISO standards are widely used and often adopted as
national standards
 By reference in legislation, ISO standards provide technical
requirements that become elements of legal frameworks
 ISO, with its partners IEC and ITU, moves towards further
strengthening its engagement in accessibility
 Invitation to participate in the ISO/IEC/ITU-workshop on
“Accessibility and the contribution of International
Standards” in Geneva in November 2010
THANK YOU !
www.iso.org