PD CEN/TR 17884:2022 ICT Accessibility Competences

Standard Number: PD CEN/TR 17884:2022

Pages: 34

Released: 2022-10-31

ISBN: 978 0 539 22072 8

Name: ICT Accessibility Competences. Guidelines for a More Inclusive ICT Development

Status: Standard

Overview

In today's rapidly evolving digital landscape, ensuring that Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is accessible to everyone is more important than ever. The PD CEN/TR 17884:2022 standard provides comprehensive guidelines to help developers, designers, and organizations create more inclusive ICT solutions. This standard is a crucial resource for anyone involved in the development of digital products and services, aiming to make them accessible to all users, including those with disabilities.

Why ICT Accessibility Matters

Accessibility in ICT is not just a legal requirement in many regions; it is also a moral imperative. By making ICT accessible, we ensure that everyone, regardless of their abilities, can participate fully in the digital world. This inclusivity fosters innovation, enhances user experience, and broadens the market reach of digital products and services.

Key Features of PD CEN/TR 17884:2022

• Comprehensive Guidelines: The standard offers detailed guidelines on how to incorporate accessibility into the development process of ICT products and services.
• Best Practices: It includes best practices for designing and developing accessible ICT, ensuring that all users can interact with digital content effectively.
• Inclusive Design Principles: The standard emphasizes the importance of inclusive design principles, which consider the diverse needs of all users from the outset.
• Legal Compliance: Adhering to this standard helps organizations comply with legal requirements related to ICT accessibility in various jurisdictions.
• Enhanced User Experience: By following the guidelines, developers can create more user-friendly and accessible digital products, improving the overall user experience.

Who Should Use This Standard?

This standard is essential for a wide range of professionals, including:

• Software Developers: To integrate accessibility features into software applications.
• Web Designers: To create accessible websites and web applications.
• Project Managers: To ensure that accessibility is considered throughout the project lifecycle.
• Quality Assurance Teams: To test and validate the accessibility of ICT products.
• Policy Makers: To develop and enforce regulations related to ICT accessibility.

Benefits of Implementing PD CEN/TR 17884:2022

Implementing the guidelines provided in this standard offers numerous benefits, including:

• Increased Market Reach: Accessible ICT products can reach a broader audience, including people with disabilities.
• Improved User Satisfaction: Accessible products provide a better user experience for everyone, not just those with disabilities.
• Enhanced Brand Reputation: Organizations that prioritize accessibility are viewed more favorably by consumers and stakeholders.
• Legal Compliance: Adhering to accessibility standards helps organizations avoid legal issues and potential fines.
• Innovation: Focusing on accessibility can drive innovation, leading to the development of new and improved digital solutions.

Conclusion

The PD CEN/TR 17884:2022 standard is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in the development of ICT products and services. By following its guidelines, developers and organizations can create more inclusive, accessible, and user-friendly digital solutions. This not only benefits users with disabilities but also enhances the overall user experience and broadens the market reach of digital products.

Embrace the principles of inclusive design and make accessibility a core component of your ICT development process with the PD CEN/TR 17884:2022 standard.

PD CEN/TR 17884:2022

This standard PD CEN/TR 17884:2022 ICT accessibility competences. Guidelines for a more inclusive ICT development is classified in these ICS categories:

• 03.100.30 Management of human resources
• 35.020 Information technology (IT) in general

This document specifies the knowledges, skills, responsibility and autonomy of ICT experts involved in the development of products and services (including digital contents) to increase the accessibility knowledge in different fields, for different competences and responsibilities. This document: — considers accessibility as "base line" (accessibility has been also recognized in EN 16234-1:2019 as a Transversal aspect); — recognizes accessibility as the requirement in procurement for both public and private sectors; — provides an overview of useful CEN, ISO and ESCO publications in the field; — defines a set of knowledges, skills, responsibility and autonomy for different ICT areas to improve accessibility in the current professional roles and job positions (hardware, software, web); — refers to ESCO ICT profiles, that can be adapted for the three main areas: hardware, software, web; — refers to W3C activities for define knowledges, skills, responsibility and autonomy in web accessibility role profiles; — supports activities for educational providers and exam/certification institutes. This document should help, for example, to: — avoid issues on the definition of third level profiles derived from European ICT Professional Role Profiles without missing accessibility requirements; — enable easy application of accessibility related EU-level standards and references from CEN, ISO and ESCO; — allow the market to adapt their current job profiles and/or training courses adding the accessibility skills. This document supports the definition of knowledge and skills for each ICT professional role without creating new ICT role profiles which includes accessibility competences.