4 General considerations
4.1 Aside from the humanitarian reasons for making products, services and environments more usable by older persons and persons with disabilities, there are a number of economic benefits. The most obvious is the increase in potential customers. Features that make products and services usable for persons with disabilities can also make them convenient and easy to use for everyone else. This is particularly helpful when people have temporary difficulties, such as lost glasses, a broken leg or a journey with a pram/stroller or bulky luggage.
4.2 Addressing needs earlier rather than later in the design stage enables producers, at little or no extra cost, to design and produce products, services and environments that more people can use. Standardization greatly influences the design of products and services that are of interest to the consumer and therefore can play an important role in this field.
4.3 Technical Committees are encouraged to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities in the drafting of International Standards (see ISO/IEC Policy Statement, Addressing the Needs of Older Persons and People with Disabilities in Standardization Work). This Guide aims to provide standards developers and related others with a systematic approach to addressing ageing and disability issues in the writing and revision of International Standards and to assisting Technical Committees in evaluating how they are addressing these needs in their Work Programmes.
4.4 It is recognized that standards committees include risk assessments as part of their analysis (as specified in Guides 50 and 51). The present Guide will assist committees in the risk assessment process by identifying potential hazards which can present greater risks to those with impairments.
4.5 Assistive technology, in the form of equipment, software or services, is available to meet some of the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities. It is important that this is compatible with mainstream products. Consideration needs to be given to everyday products and their potential to allow the fitting of more technical assistive devices specifically for older persons and persons with disabilities. Baths and bath seats should be compatible; equally, hearing aids and telephones should be compatible.
4.6 The provision of personal assistance, including the assistance of working dogs, while sometimes indispensable to a person with a disability, should never be relied upon to replace accessible design principles. Where accessible design cannot fully respond to the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities, in particular in the field of services, the need for personal assistance may still be required.
4.7 In product design there is potential for conflict between safety and usability. For example child-resistant closures used on medicines to prevent access to children may also make closures more difficult to open for older persons who no longer see as well, or have reduced strength or dexterity. While safety is the primary objective, Technical Committees should try to develop solutions which also address ergonomic factors. Guidance on addressing the needs of children is given in ISO/IEC Guide 50.
|
|
Last updated: 20.11.2009 © Copyright reserved Website design: Digital Accessibility Team