Standards for Visual Disabilities
Visual accessibility standards are published by ISO and IEC and aim to create digital interfaces that are accessible to those with visual impairments. These provide guidance on the subjective nature of creating audio descriptions, and cover a variety of mediums including television, computers, wireless devices, projection equipment, DVD and home cinema equipment. Visual accessibility standards cover visual accessibility in an information technology context, but also include other situations such as medical needle injections for those with visual impairments.
ISO/IEC 20071-11:2019
Information technology - User interface component accessibility - Part 11: Guidance on text alternatives for images
This document gives guidance on how to create text alternatives and what information to put in text alternatives. This document applies to all static images that are used in any type of electronic document. It also applies to individual images within a slide show. This document does not apply to moving images (e.g. movies). NOTE 1 While text alternatives can be implemented via various mechanisms in various types of electronic documents, the contents of this document are not dependent on the choice of implementation mechanism or of electronic document type. NOTE 2 Guidance on making moving images accessible is contained in ISO/IEC TS 20071-21, ISO/IEC 20071-23 and ISO/IEC 20071-25.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017
Information technology - User interface component accessibility - Part 15: Guidance on scanning visual information for presentation as text in various modalities
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 provides guidance on various aspects of the user interface of applications that scan visual information that are used directly by humans, including:
- initiating the scanning application;
- setting user's preferences and configuring the scanning application;
- identifying the types of information currently of interest to the user;
- locating visual objects of interest to the user;
- creating a static image via scanning the visual object;
- identifying the information content provided by the visual object;
- processing scanned information and outputting the results to the user.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 provides increased accessibility by addressing the user accessibility needs of diverse users in diverse contexts.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 contains guidance that can be applied to a variety of devices, including:
- specialized devices that are dedicated to scanning and processing visual information;
- mobile devices (such as smartphones and tablets);
- general purpose computers with camera capabilities;
- office machines with scanning functions.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 contains guidance that can be applied to various types of software, including:
- stand-alone scanning applications;
- applications including scanning functionalities;
- (scanning) applications that interoperate with other applications.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 contains guidance that can be used for outputting scanned information in various modalities, including:
- audio outputs;
- visual outputs;
- tactile outputs;
- storing information for future use within the application performing the scanning;
- electronic outputs (to other applications, systems, or devices including those directly connected and those connected via the Internet).
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 does not:
- apply to fully automated scanning that is not under direct human control;
- apply to applications that scan visual information for editing an image or just displaying it;
- provide guidance on the design of specific hardware devices involved in scanning;
- provide guidance on the specific objects that can be recognized or the specific software used to recognize these objects;
- provide guidance on the internal functioning of software that recognizes specific types of objects.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-15:2017 is intended for use by developers of applications that include user controlled scanning functionalities. It does not expect that an application includes all of these functionalities. It can be used for those functionalities that an application does provide.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-21:2015
Information technology - User interface component accessibility - Part 21: Guidance on audio descriptions
ISO/IEC TS 20071-21:2015 provides recommendations for describing audiovisual content in an auditory modality for use in recorded video presentations, broadcast television, cinema, live or recorded drama, museum and art gallery exhibits, heritage tours, news, and comedies, regardless of the language and technology being used to transmit and present the recorded or live audiovisual content.
NOTE 1 There are many secondary users of audio description, but the primary and intended users of audio description are blind persons or persons with low vision and their friends and family.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-21:2015 provides guidance on the subjective nature of creating audio description.
It also provides guidance for audio description developers (script writers, voice narrators, and organizations or groups responsible for delivering audio description) in faithfully and accurately representing audiovisual content.
NOTE 2 It might not always be possible to provide an equivalent experience due to limitations in the amount of time available for audio description depending on the content being described.
ISO/IEC TS 20071-21:2015 applies to describing audiovisual content and does not consider the devices or transmission mechanisms used to deliver the content or the audio description. These devices include, but are not limited to, televisions, computers, wireless devices, projection equipment, DVD and home cinema equipment and other forms of user interface technology. Therefore, this part of ISO/IEC 20071 does not consider transcoding files for the various video outputs.
NOTE 3 Technical matters of transmission and distribution are covered by other International Standards (e.g. MPEG standards and other technical international standards such as IEC 62731).
ISO/IEC TS 20071-21:2015 provides guidance on how to approach user preferences, available styles and flexibility in approaches to audio description.
It does not apply to static images contained in electronic documents (see ISO/IEC 20071−11 for guidance on text alternatives for images).
It applies to auditory presentations intended to be transmitted or delivered simultaneously to the original audiovisual content.
NOTE 4 Limitations experienced by broadcasters or people in synchronous environments might be reduced online or in asynchronous environments.
CTA CEB27-2016
Recommended Practice for Audio Accessibility of Audiovisual Devices
This bulletin recommends how audio interfaces of video consumer electronics should be provided and utilized to enhance accessibility and compatibility with external listening equipment.
ISO 11608-7:2016
Needle-based injection systems for medical use - Requirements and test methods - Part 7: Accessibility for persons with visual impairment
ISO 11608-7:2016 specifies particular requirements to make needle-based drug delivery systems or NIS (needle-based injection system) accessible for persons with visual impairments. It applies to devices intended for patient or caregiver administration of medicinal products to humans.
It covers requirements to allow for safe and correct handling of the NIS, including labelling, packaging, and instructions for use. It also includes requirements for training programs, if applicable.
It covers requirements for NIS that are claimed to be appropriate for use by persons with visual impairments.
It does not address requirements for use of sharps containers by persons with visual impairments.
Although specifically intended to apply to needle-based injection systems within the ISO 11608 series, ISO 11608-7:2016 can be applied to NIS outside the ISO 11608 series as well, if they might be used by persons with visual impairments.
It is written to address the needs of persons with all levels of visual limitations, including low, moderate, or severe visual impairment; legal, functional, or total blindness; and colour vision deficiencies.
Therefore, ISO 11608-7:2016 includes the requirement to provide information in visual formats that can be perceived and understood by people with moderate visual impairment and in non-visual formats (e.g. tactile or auditory) that can be perceived and understood by people with no useful vision.
For simplicity's sake, this range is described in ISO 11608-7:2016 as addressing the needs of individuals with moderate visual impairment or blindness.
