SWGA introduction

1
ISO/IEC JTC 1 Special Working Group on
Accessibility (SWG-A) JTC 1 SWG-A N
214 2006-09-22 Title Disability
Organizations Outreach Presentation Source
Ad Hoc 8 Breakout Requested
Action Per SWG-A Brussels Resolution 20
 Acceptance of SDO and Disability Organization
Outreach PresentationsThe JTC 1 Special Working
Group on Accessibility accepts the SDO Outreach
(currently SWG-A N 213) and Disability
Organization Outreach (currently SWG-A N 214) for
immediate use.  Unanimous
2
JTC-1 SWG-A

• Special Working Group on Accessibility
• Wide membership open to all Standards Development
  Organisations, consortia, consumer organisations
  and user representatives

3
Introduction to the SWG-A

• Formed to track all global, regional and national
  standards related to ICT accessibility by
• gathering user requirements
• publishing an inventory of all known
  accessibility standards efforts
• identifying areas/technologies where
  accessibility issues are not being addressed
• providing wide dissemination of SWG materials to
  all interested parties

4
What sort of standards is the SWG-A interested in?

• Anything in the Information and Communications
  Technology sector
• computer hardware
• software
• telecommunications
• consumer electronics
• public access terminals
• potentially other areas in the future

5
Why Work on Technical Standards?

• Technical standards are the rules of the road
  that technology companies use when designing and
  manufacturing their products
• Standards help make sure that products work, and
  work together
• If accessibility is built into the standards,
  its more likely to be built into the products

6
Background on JTC1

• ISO/IEC Joint Technical Committee One (JTC1) was
  created by
• International Standardization Organisation (ISO)
• International Electrotechnical Committee (IEC)
• JTC1 provides a single, comprehensive
  standardisation committee in which to address
  international Information and Communication
  Technology standardisation.
• JTC 1 standards are globally recognized, provide
  global interoperability, and provide sustained
  development and retention of investment.

7
Establishment of SWG-A

• At its annual plenary meeting in October 2004,
  JTC 1 unanimously passed Resolution 24 on the
  "Establishment of a Special Working Group on
  Accessibility."
• First meeting in April 2005

8
Meeting and Method of Work

• The SWG-A meets twice a year and submits a status
  report after each meeting and at each JTC 1
  Plenary session
• Much of the work of the SWG-A is accomplished
  through ad hoc committees and performed
  electronically

9
Time schedule

• Gathering data for the initial inventory of
  accessibility standards efforts completed in the
  following domains
• PC hardware, software in general, communications,
  consumer electronics, public access terminals
• Preliminary mapping of user needs to some
  exemplar standards completed Dec 2006
• SWG-A activities reported to JTC1 plenary in Nov
  2006

10
Membership in SWG-A

• Membership in JTC1 SWG-A is open to
• all ISO/IEC JTC 1 National Bodies and Category A
  Liaisons
• relevant JTC 1 committees
• ISO or IEC committees with accessibility efforts
  or concerns.
• other regional standards development and support
  organizations with accessibility efforts
• representatives of consortia and fora
• consumer organizations and user representatives

11
Why Participate?

• Participation in international ICT accessibility
  standards and policies can
• help reduce barriers to use of technology
• create an international resource that can be used
  to encourage the use of globally relevant
  voluntary standards
• help ensure the availability of increasingly
  accessible ICT for all people
• help increase awareness and practice of
  accessibility in standardisation.

12
What If Im Not a Technical Expert?

• We need you
• people who understand disability and
  accessibility of technology are harder to find
  than people who just understand technology
• Were working on explaining user needs in clear
  language, and examining standards documents for
  places where they do or should refer to those
  user needs

13
Time and Travel Are Tight, But...

• Much of SWG-As work is performed in ad hoc
  groups, exchanging and reviewing documents
  electronically
• You can focus on what you care about

14
How You Can Participate

• The SWG-A is looking for interested parties to
  review its summary of user needs and contribute
  to the standards inventory related to accessible
  ICT.
• For more information on how to participate in the
  SWG-A or to review the user requirements
  inventory, please contact Ms. Jennifer Garner
  (jgarner_at_itic.org).

15
Contributing Organisations

• National Bodies Australia, Canada, France,
  Germany, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway,
  United Kingdom, United States
• JTC 1 Subcommittees SC 7, SC 28, SC 29, SC 35,
  SC 36, SC 37
• ISO and IEC TCs ISO/TC 159
• ITU-T SGs ITU-T SG 16
• Regional standard development and support
  organizations CEN/ISSS, DATSCG, ETSI/HF, EUAIN,
  ITI
• Consortia/fora Free Standards Group, W3C Web
  Accessibility Initiative (WAI)
• Consumer Organizations, User Representatives and
  other interested parties ANEC, Japanese Society
  for Rehabilitation of Persons with Disabilities
  (via the Japanese National Body), Royal National
  Institute of the Blind (via the UK National
  Body), Visual Impairment Knowledge Center, WGBH
  National Center for Accessible Media

16
Where to find other resources

• SWG-A web site
• http//www.jtc1access.org
• Web sites regional
• http//europa.eu.int/information_society/policy/ac
  cessibility/index_en.htm
• http//www.dok.no
• http//www.section508.gov/
• http//www.at-links.gc.ca
• Web sites re terminology
• Task Group contacts

17
Documents

• www.jtc1access.org
• Introduction
• Outreach flyer
• User needs summary
• Standards inventory
• Exemplar mappings
• Update inventory form
• Feedback form
• (_at__at_update with numbers after meeting)