[nfbwatlk] New European Standard on Accessibility Requirements for Procurement of ICT Products and Services, Disabled World, March 8 2014

Wed Mar 12 05:45:53 UTC 2014

Hi,
They may be getting ahead of us in technology. I wish all of the countries
were on the same or a similar page.
Thanks
Lauren

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-----Original Message-----
From: nfbwatlk [mailto:nfbwatlk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of
Nightingale, Noel
Sent: Tuesday, March 11, 2014 9:36 AM
To: nfbwatlk at nfbnet.org
Subject: [nfbwatlk] New European Standard on Accessibility Requirements for
Procurement of ICT Products and Services, Disabled World, March 8 2014

Link:
http://www.disabled-world.com/news/uk/ict-procurement.php

Text:
New European Standard on Accessibility Requirements for Procurement of ICT
Products and Services
*         Disability News<http://www.disabled-world.com/news/>
*         UK Disability News<http://www.disabled-world.com/news/uk/>
________________________________
Author: ETSI
Published: Mar 08, 2014 (Revised: Mar 08, 2014) Author Contact Information:
www.etsi.org
Abstract: European Standardization Organizations announce publication of new
European Standard on accessibility requirements for Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) products and services.
"Addressing accessibility is now becoming an important market-driven
necessity and ETSI aims to help industry and operators to avoid creating
technologies that exclude users from the information society."
Detail: This new standard (EN 301 549) is the first European Standard for
accessible ICT. It is intended in particular for use by public authorities
and other public sector bodies during procurement, to ensure that websites,
software and digital devices are more accessible - so they may be used by
persons with a wide range of abilities.

The new European Standard on 'Accessibility requirements suitable for public
procurement of ICT products and services in Europe' (EN 301 549) was
produced by CEN, CENELEC and ETSI in response to a request from the European
Commission (Mandate 376). It was developed by an international team of
experts, with the participation of the ICT industry and organizations
representing consumers, people with disabilities and older persons.

The new European Standard is complemented by a series of three Technical
Reports (TR 101 550, TR 101 551 and TR 101 552). Together, these documents
set out accessibility requirements that can be applied to a wide range of
products and services related to ICT, including computers, smartphones and
other digital devices, ticketing machines, websites and emails. The aim is
to ensure that ICT products and services are accessible either directly or
through compatibility with assistive technologies such as text-to-speech, so
that everyone can access information and use services that are being
delivered electronically.

The new European Standard and its accompanying Technical Reports provide a
framework for developing a wide range of applications that will make ICT
products and services more accessible for the 80 million Europeans who are
living with various types of disability. Potential applications include
audio and/or tactile interfaces that can be used by visually impaired
persons, or hardware such as smartphones and laptops that can be operated
using one hand.

EN 301 549 is the most up-to-date standard for ICT accessibility, and it was
developed through an inclusive process with the active involvement of
relevant stakeholders. While the accessibility requirements are defined in a
form that is suitable for use in public procurement, they could also be used
in other contexts such as procurement in the private sector.

Luis Jorge Romero, ETSI's Director General said: "Addressing accessibility
is now becoming an important market-driven necessity and ETSI aims to help
industry and operators to avoid creating technologies that exclude users
from the information society. We also aim to help increase the quality and
usability of products and services for everyone, with standardization
processes that ensure consideration of 'Design for All' issues in every
newly developed standard if appropriate."

Elena Santiago Cid, Director General of CEN and CENELEC, said: "In CEN and
CENELEC, we believe that including accessibility requirements in European
standards will deliver both societal and economic benefits - by helping to
expand the market for accessible products and services. Public authorities
are making significant efforts to ensure that their services can be used by
all, and they have entrusted the European Standardization Organizations to
support these efforts. We hope that this new European Standard will be
widely used, not just by the public sector and ICT suppliers, but also by
other companies and organizations."

CEN, CENELEC and ETSI have made sure that the accessibility requirements
contained in their documents are consistent with other global accessibility
requirements. This will help to expand and open-up the international market
for accessible ICT products and services.

The European Standard EN 301 549 is available (in English) on the ETSI
website:
www.etsi.org/technologies-clusters/technologies/human-factors?tab=2. During
the next six months it will be published (in various languages) by the
members of CEN (National Standards Bodies) and CENELEC (National
Electrotechnical Committees) in 33 European countries (including all Member
States of the EU and EFTA).

The future challenges of ICT accessibility will be discussed during an ETSI
workshop on 'The Human Side of Technology' which will take place at the ETSI
in Sophia-Antipolis (France) on 2 & 3 June 2014. Registration is free and
open to all.

CEN, CENELEC and ETSI are officially recognized by the European Union as
European Standardization Organizations, as defined by EU Regulation
1025/2012.

European Standards facilitate cross-border trade and strengthen the European
Single Market. They enable businesses and other organizations to ensure
quality and performance, to protect health and safety, and (in certain
cases) to comply with relevant regulations.

CEN (European Committee for Standardization) and CENELEC (European Committee
for Electrotechnical Standardization) are organizations that develop and
adopt European standards in relation to a wide range of materials, products,
services and processes.

The members of CEN and CENELEC are the National Standards Bodies and
National Electrotechnical Committees of 33 European countries including all
28 EU Member States plus 3 EFTA countries (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland)
and 2 EU candidate countries (Turkey and the former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia). European Standards (ENs) that have been adopted by CEN and
CENELEC are accepted and recognized in all of these countries.

CEN and CENELEC collaborate with the international standardization
organizations ISO and IEC.

For more information about CEN and CENELEC, please see: www.cencenelec.eu

ETSI produces globally-applicable standards for Information and
Communications Technologies (ICT), including fixed, mobile, radio,
converged, aeronautical, broadcast and internet technologies. ETSI is an
independent, not-for-profit association whose more than 700 member companies
and organizations, drawn from 62 countries across 5 continents worldwide,
determine its work programme and participate directly in its work. For more
information about ETSI, please see: www.etsi.org

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