Usability and Accessibility Standards
United States of America
The American National Standard Institute (NSSN, http://www.nssn.org ) provides a national resource for national and international standards. ANSI/HFES-200 is focused on design requirements and recommendations to increase effective usability of software interfaces.
- Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) – http://www.hfes.org
- American National Standards Institute (ANSI) – http://web.ansi.org
Canada, Quebec
Accessibilité aux personnes handicapées : travaux de normalisation
Projets de standard en cours de validation. Ces projets de standard peuvent faire l’objet de modifications significatives sans préavis d’ici leur adoption prévue par le Conseil du trésor http://www.msg.gouv.qc.ca/normalisation/standards/accessibilite/index.html
International
International Standards Organisation (http://www.iso.ch/) ISO/TS 16071:2003, Ergonomics of human-system interaction covers issues associated with designing accessible software for people with the widest range of visual, hearing, motor and cognitive abilities, including those who are elderly and temporarily disabled.
Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) documents explain how to make Web content accessible to people with disabilities. Web “content” generally refers to the information in a Web page or Web application, including text, images, forms, sounds, and such http://www.w3.org/WAI/intro/wcag.php
Usability and Accessibility Legislation
International projects should be constructed in consideration of the most stringent standards this is expected to be those pertaining to the USA, but also to include ISO9241 guidelines;
Australia
Australian Human Rights and Equal Opportunities Commission – http://www.hreoc.gov.au/
The Act provides key legal standards which inform their Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (http://www.austlii.edu.au/au/legis/cth/consol_act/dda1992264).
Their disability standards and guidelines are hosted at http://www.hreoc.gov.au/disability_rights/standards/standards.html.
Canada
Canadian Human Rights Act and the Employment Equity Act 1976-1977 (http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/H-6/relprov.html )
Treasury board of Canada Secretariat
The Equity and Diversity Directorate of the Public Service Commission of Canada (PSC) – http://commissiondelafonctionpubliqueducanada.com/research/world_ps/canada_e.htm
Europe
The Euro Accessibility Consortium, launched in Paris on April 28th 2003 is intended to foster European co-operation toward a harmonised methodology for evaluating the accessibility of Web sites (see http://www.ddm.gouv.fr/dossiers_thematiques/documents/cisi2003f.html). This initiative is a joint undertaking by 23 organisations from all over Europe and the W3C/WAI (http://www.euroaccessibility.org/).
An overview of European legislation, not specific to the Internet, is available at Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology (HEART) http://www.w3.org/WAI/EO/heart.html.
New Zealand
New Zealand is served by the New Zealand Disability strategy administered by the Office for Disability issues (http://www.odi.govt.nz/nzds/).
United Kingdom
In the UK, the legislative initiatives are aligned with the Equality Act but is also subject to .
- Equality Act 2010 and the Disability Discrimination Act 1995
- Definitions: http://www.equalityhumanrights.com/advice-and-guidance/new-equality-act-guidance/protected-characteristics-definitions/
- European Convention on Human Rights
- UK Perspective
- Now superceeded by the Equality Act 2010
- Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) 1995, 1999 – www.disability.gov.uk – http://www.disability.gov.uk; http://www.disability.gov.uk/dda/index.html; http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1995/1995050.htmDisability rights commission act 1999 – http://www.legislation.hmso.gov.uk/acts/acts1999/19990017.htm
Special Educational Needs and Disability Act (2001) – http://www.dcs-gb.net/part4dda.html
United States of America
In the United States there is strong governmental support that has led to about 11 pieces of disability legislation. The key legislation, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA, 1990) which applies to all walks of life was effected in 1992 during the George Bush (Snr) administration.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) 1990; 1995 – http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/ada/
- General Services Adminstration’s Section 508 site on FirstGov
- Section 508 Final Rule [formerly at http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/508standards.htm]
- Section 508 Proposed Rule: Overview to NPRM and Notice of Proposed Rulemaking text
- EITAAC Final Report (Report delivered to the Access Board by the Electronic and Information Technology Access Advisory Committee).
- Section 508 Federal Acquisition Regulations
- Section 508 Questions and Answers by the Access Board
- Department of Justice Section 508 Home Page (includes self-evaluation information for US federal agencies [formerly at http://www.usdoj.gov/crt/508/508docs.html], and US Attorney General’s memorandum to all federal agencies on Section 508 )
- US Department of Education’s Requirements for Accessible Software Design
- Workforce Investment Act 1998 – http://usworkforce.org
Report on application of ADA – http://www.rit.edu/~easi/law/weblaw1.htm