The philosophy of Design for All has become a topic of widespread interest in the main programs of European institutions. The European Commission reinforces the value of this design model for today's society, which aims to be guided by the principle of inclusion of all citizens, regardless of their characteristics, age or abilities. In particular, Design for All is an integral part of the eAccessibility program,[4]​ of the European Union, whose objective is to achieve an Information Society accessible to all. This concept encourages manufacturers and distributors of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services to design new technologies for everyone, including older people, people with disabilities and young people.

For its part, the Council of Europe has undertaken several initiatives related to Design for All. In February 2001, the Committee of Ministers adopted Resolution Res AP(2001)1 on the introduction of the principles of universal design in the curricula of all professions that work in the construction of the environment.[5]​ This resolution has undoubtedly influenced the development of study plans, mainly university ones, that integrate specific subjects and programs on this subject.

This line of work has been continued in Resolution ResAP(2007)3 “Achieving full participation through Universal Design”,[6]​ adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, on December 12, 2007. The report on which this document is based is collected in the book: Achieving full participation through Universal Design, published by the Council of Europe, in 2009.[7]​.

The European Commission's Communication on e-Accessibility[8]​ identified the main practical challenges, as well as legal, political and market issues, relevant to improving eAccessibility and eInclusion in Europe, and developed a triple methodology, based on:.

In this sense, the challenges that must be faced include:

For a more in-depth debate about the challenges and benefits of Design for All in the current ICT context, see also the EDeAN White Paper (2005)[9]​ and the “Report on the impact of technological developments on eAccessibility"[10]​ of the DfA@eInclusion project.[11]​.

Contenido

El actual marco político para la accesibilidad en la Sociedad de la Información en Europa es la iniciativa i2010.[12]​ La iniciativa "i2010: Una Sociedad de la Información Europea para el crecimiento y el empleo” fue lanzada por la Comisión Europea como el marco para tratar los principales retos y avances de los sectores de la sociedad de la información y los media hasta 2010. Promueve una economía digital abierta y competitiva, y enfatiza las TIC como guía para la inclusión y la calidad de vida. La iniciativa contiene diversos instrumentos políticos de la UE para fomentar el desarrollo de una economía digital, por ejemplo, instrumentos de regulación, investigación y colaboración con los agentes implicados.

Equality and non-discrimination

The purpose of the European Union's Disability Strategy is to achieve an open and accessible society for all. Barriers need to be identified and removed. The European Union Disability Strategy has three main focuses: cooperation between the Commission and Member States, the full participation of people with disabilities and the mainstreaming of disability in policy formulation. Non-discrimination is also one of the general principles of the “International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”,[13]​ adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006 and opened for signature on March 30, 2007.

Telecommunications and Information Society

There is a long European legislative tradition in relation to telecommunications. In 2002, the European Union adopted a new regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services, covering all forms of fixed and wireless telecommunications, broadcasting and data transmission. From a Design for All perspective, the most important "Directive (European Union Law)") are: the Directive on a common regulatory framework[14]​ and the Directive on universal service and user rights relating to electronic communications networks and services[15]​ (Universal Service Directive).

Public Purchases

Public procurement is an important economic force, and therefore is a fundamental tool to promote accessibility. The legislative corpus of Public Procurement Directives, approved in 2004 by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union, will help to simplify and modernize purchasing procedures.

The new directives make it possible to take accessibility needs into account at different stages of the purchasing processes. Obviously, it is more appropriate to refer to standards when developing technical specifications. There are already many CEN, ETSI and ITU standards that can be used for this purpose and many sources of information that can be useful in practice. Similarly, national or other guidelines are being used, such as those of the WAI, for example. The European Commission has directed Mandate M/376[16]​ to the European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, to reach a solution that provides common requirements and agreement in the evaluation.

Copyright

Not all products are accessible to people with disabilities. When audiobooks or other accessible works are produced, an additional copy is created and, in these circumstances, copyright can be an issue. On the other hand, copyrights are an essential part of the sustainability of a creative society. This conflict of interest must be resolved in some way to ensure that the information society is a society for all. There is international and European legislation in this field. The objectives of the Directive on the harmonization of certain aspects of copyright and copyright-related rights in the information society[17]​ are to adapt relevant legislation in this field to reflect technological developments and to transpose into Community law the main international obligations arising from the two treaties on copyright and related rights, adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),[18]​ in December 1996.

Privacy protection

The relationship between design and privacy is not always obvious. Modern technology, which is a result of design, is capable of collecting a significant amount of personal information. The user is interested in ensuring that this information is correct and used appropriately. Perhaps the person wants something to be confidential and to have access to the information that is collected. In other words, privacy is desirable. In 1995, the European Union adopted a Directive on the processing of personal data").[19]

This Directive established the basic principles for the collection, storage and use of personal data that must be respected by governments, companies and any other organization or individual involved in the use of personal data.

En Estados Unidos, Austria y Japón, y en la Unión Europea, se han puesto en marcha muchas más acciones legislativas para exigir a las entidades públicas y las empresas que aseguren que sus productos y servicios son accesibles y usables no solo por los usuarios “normales”, sino también por otras personas, por ejemplo, las personas mayores o las personas con discapacidad. Como no sería prudente incluir los requisitos técnicos – por tanto, limitados en el tiempo – en una ley, los textos legislativos hacen referencia preferentemente a las normas (internacionales).

Standardization: overview

Standardization, in very general terms creating a “norm” (fr: norme, standard; de: Norm; ing: standard), is a voluntary action established in the past, almost uniquely, by trading partners who thought that standardization would allow them to more easily exchange their goods and products. This often implied that acceptance of standards was also voluntary and motivated by the anticipation of commercial benefits. Consumer representatives were only involved to a very limited extent. On the other hand, in many countries, laws increasingly refer to the mandatory acceptance of various standards (for example, on safety or ecological aspects). Currently, many standardization initiatives are promoted (= subsidized) by public entities or, in Europe, directly or indirectly by the European Commission. Many guidelines have also been created by the groups involved.

Recent developments in the DpT related to standardization (official standards)

Since standardization in DpT was explicitly mentioned in the eEurope2002[20]​ and i2010[21]​ Action Plans of the European Union, new actions have been established. Four recent strategies can be mainly distinguished:

DpT in standards related to ICT

ETSI Guide

Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for ICT products and services; "Design for All".[22]​.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0[23] cover a wide variety of recommendations for making web content more accessible. By following these guidelines, content can be made accessible to a broader range of people with disabilities, including people who are blind and have low vision, people who are deaf and have hearing loss, intellectual disabilities, cognitive limitations, reduced mobility, communication disabilities, photosensitivity, and a combination of these. Sometimes, following these guidelines will also make Web content more “usable” for users in general.

The areas of application of Design for All in the context of ICT include practically every field that involves information and communication technologies. The importance of these areas reflects their role in the formation of a coherent and socially acceptable Information Society. The fundamental areas of application can be summarized as:

The white paper “Towards an Information Society for all: an international agenda for R&D” (1998)[24]​

published by the International Scientific Forum “Towards an Information Society for All” (ISF-IS4ALL),[25]​ has debated the meaning of these areas:

A fundamental push to improve knowledge and practice in Design for All is the development of education and training programs. Professionals who have comprehensive specialized knowledge and skills in Design for All are needed.

To this end, from the CAST platform,[26]​ a guide has been developed to implement the principles of Universal Learning Design and how to apply them to Learning and Knowledge Technologies (TAC), through three principles:

Additionally, those professionals currently working in the ICT industry need to gain additional knowledge and skills related to Design for All. Today we find few examples of university degree programs specialized in Design for All (or Universal Design), or that expressly include modules on these topics.[27]​ This lack has been addressed in the DfA@eInclusion project, which designed a curriculum:[28]​.

The implementation of these programs is underway in several locations, for example at Middlesex University,[30]​ (UK) and at the University of Linz[31]​ (Austria). Basic topics include: raising awareness of human rights, development of technical standards, regulations and legislation, design and development of assistive technologies, as well as improving access to general consumer products and services.

Web accessibility: it is an important component to access the information society. Information, guidelines and online tutorials are offered at W3C-WAI[32]​ (e.g. Opera[33]​). The DfA@eInclusion project has also addressed the training of ICT industry professionalsiii;[34]​ suggests a comprehensive curriculum for this training, which is currently being discussed at the CEN workshop. The CEN Workshop "Curriculum for the training of professionals in Universal Design (UD-Prof)"[35]​ was launched in May 2009. Following the rules for CEN workshops, it offers all interested agents the opportunity to discuss and improve this DpT curriculum for ICT professionals.

EDeAN - European Design for all eAccessibility Network

The European Design for All e-Accessibility Network - EDeAN[40]​ is a network of 160 organizations located in Member States of the European Union. The objective of the network is to support citizens' access to the information society. EDeAN offers:

The network is coordinated by the EDeAN Secretariat, which rotates annually and corresponds to the National Contact Centers, that is, the EDeAN contact points in each member state of the European Union.

EIDD - Design for All Europe

EIDD - Design for All Europe is a European organization, 100% self-funded, that fully covers the theory and practice of Design for All, from the construction of the environment and real products, to the design of services and communication systems. It was established in 1993, originally as the European Institute of Design and Disability (EIDD), with the aim of improving the quality of life through Design for All. In 2006, it changed its name to be in line with its basic line of work. EIDD - Design for All Europe disseminates the application of Design for All to companies and Administration groups, which are not aware of its benefits. Currently (2009) it has active members in 22 European countries. The purpose of EIDD is to promote active interaction and communication between professionals interested in the theory and practice of Design for All and to create bridges between, on the one hand, those members of the design area and, on the other, all those groups for whom Design for All makes a real difference in the quality of life of each person.

The philosophy of Design for All has become a topic of widespread interest in the main programs of European institutions. The European Commission reinforces the value of this design model for today's society, which aims to be guided by the principle of inclusion of all citizens, regardless of their characteristics, age or abilities. In particular, Design for All is an integral part of the eAccessibility program,[4]​ of the European Union, whose objective is to achieve an Information Society accessible to all. This concept encourages manufacturers and distributors of information and communication technology (ICT) products and services to design new technologies for everyone, including older people, people with disabilities and young people.

For its part, the Council of Europe has undertaken several initiatives related to Design for All. In February 2001, the Committee of Ministers adopted Resolution Res AP(2001)1 on the introduction of the principles of universal design in the curricula of all professions that work in the construction of the environment.[5]​ This resolution has undoubtedly influenced the development of study plans, mainly university ones, that integrate specific subjects and programs on this subject.

This line of work has been continued in Resolution ResAP(2007)3 “Achieving full participation through Universal Design”,[6]​ adopted by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, on December 12, 2007. The report on which this document is based is collected in the book: Achieving full participation through Universal Design, published by the Council of Europe, in 2009.[7]​.

The European Commission's Communication on e-Accessibility[8]​ identified the main practical challenges, as well as legal, political and market issues, relevant to improving eAccessibility and eInclusion in Europe, and developed a triple methodology, based on:.

In this sense, the challenges that must be faced include:

For a more in-depth debate about the challenges and benefits of Design for All in the current ICT context, see also the EDeAN White Paper (2005)[9]​ and the “Report on the impact of technological developments on eAccessibility"[10]​ of the DfA@eInclusion project.[11]​.

Contenido

El actual marco político para la accesibilidad en la Sociedad de la Información en Europa es la iniciativa i2010.[12]​ La iniciativa "i2010: Una Sociedad de la Información Europea para el crecimiento y el empleo” fue lanzada por la Comisión Europea como el marco para tratar los principales retos y avances de los sectores de la sociedad de la información y los media hasta 2010. Promueve una economía digital abierta y competitiva, y enfatiza las TIC como guía para la inclusión y la calidad de vida. La iniciativa contiene diversos instrumentos políticos de la UE para fomentar el desarrollo de una economía digital, por ejemplo, instrumentos de regulación, investigación y colaboración con los agentes implicados.

Equality and non-discrimination

The purpose of the European Union's Disability Strategy is to achieve an open and accessible society for all. Barriers need to be identified and removed. The European Union Disability Strategy has three main focuses: cooperation between the Commission and Member States, the full participation of people with disabilities and the mainstreaming of disability in policy formulation. Non-discrimination is also one of the general principles of the “International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities”,[13]​ adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on December 13, 2006 and opened for signature on March 30, 2007.

Telecommunications and Information Society

There is a long European legislative tradition in relation to telecommunications. In 2002, the European Union adopted a new regulatory framework for electronic communications networks and services, covering all forms of fixed and wireless telecommunications, broadcasting and data transmission. From a Design for All perspective, the most important "Directive (European Union Law)") are: the Directive on a common regulatory framework[14]​ and the Directive on universal service and user rights relating to electronic communications networks and services[15]​ (Universal Service Directive).

Public Purchases

Public procurement is an important economic force, and therefore is a fundamental tool to promote accessibility. The legislative corpus of Public Procurement Directives, approved in 2004 by the European Parliament and the Council of Ministers of the European Union, will help to simplify and modernize purchasing procedures.

The new directives make it possible to take accessibility needs into account at different stages of the purchasing processes. Obviously, it is more appropriate to refer to standards when developing technical specifications. There are already many CEN, ETSI and ITU standards that can be used for this purpose and many sources of information that can be useful in practice. Similarly, national or other guidelines are being used, such as those of the WAI, for example. The European Commission has directed Mandate M/376[16]​ to the European Standardization Organizations CEN, CENELEC and ETSI, to reach a solution that provides common requirements and agreement in the evaluation.

Copyright

Not all products are accessible to people with disabilities. When audiobooks or other accessible works are produced, an additional copy is created and, in these circumstances, copyright can be an issue. On the other hand, copyrights are an essential part of the sustainability of a creative society. This conflict of interest must be resolved in some way to ensure that the information society is a society for all. There is international and European legislation in this field. The objectives of the Directive on the harmonization of certain aspects of copyright and copyright-related rights in the information society[17]​ are to adapt relevant legislation in this field to reflect technological developments and to transpose into Community law the main international obligations arising from the two treaties on copyright and related rights, adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO),[18]​ in December 1996.

Privacy protection

The relationship between design and privacy is not always obvious. Modern technology, which is a result of design, is capable of collecting a significant amount of personal information. The user is interested in ensuring that this information is correct and used appropriately. Perhaps the person wants something to be confidential and to have access to the information that is collected. In other words, privacy is desirable. In 1995, the European Union adopted a Directive on the processing of personal data").[19]

This Directive established the basic principles for the collection, storage and use of personal data that must be respected by governments, companies and any other organization or individual involved in the use of personal data.

En Estados Unidos, Austria y Japón, y en la Unión Europea, se han puesto en marcha muchas más acciones legislativas para exigir a las entidades públicas y las empresas que aseguren que sus productos y servicios son accesibles y usables no solo por los usuarios “normales”, sino también por otras personas, por ejemplo, las personas mayores o las personas con discapacidad. Como no sería prudente incluir los requisitos técnicos – por tanto, limitados en el tiempo – en una ley, los textos legislativos hacen referencia preferentemente a las normas (internacionales).

Standardization: overview

Standardization, in very general terms creating a “norm” (fr: norme, standard; de: Norm; ing: standard), is a voluntary action established in the past, almost uniquely, by trading partners who thought that standardization would allow them to more easily exchange their goods and products. This often implied that acceptance of standards was also voluntary and motivated by the anticipation of commercial benefits. Consumer representatives were only involved to a very limited extent. On the other hand, in many countries, laws increasingly refer to the mandatory acceptance of various standards (for example, on safety or ecological aspects). Currently, many standardization initiatives are promoted (= subsidized) by public entities or, in Europe, directly or indirectly by the European Commission. Many guidelines have also been created by the groups involved.

Recent developments in the DpT related to standardization (official standards)

Since standardization in DpT was explicitly mentioned in the eEurope2002[20]​ and i2010[21]​ Action Plans of the European Union, new actions have been established. Four recent strategies can be mainly distinguished:

DpT in standards related to ICT

ETSI Guide

Human Factors (HF); Guidelines for ICT products and services; "Design for All".[22]​.

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0[23] cover a wide variety of recommendations for making web content more accessible. By following these guidelines, content can be made accessible to a broader range of people with disabilities, including people who are blind and have low vision, people who are deaf and have hearing loss, intellectual disabilities, cognitive limitations, reduced mobility, communication disabilities, photosensitivity, and a combination of these. Sometimes, following these guidelines will also make Web content more “usable” for users in general.

The areas of application of Design for All in the context of ICT include practically every field that involves information and communication technologies. The importance of these areas reflects their role in the formation of a coherent and socially acceptable Information Society. The fundamental areas of application can be summarized as:

The white paper “Towards an Information Society for all: an international agenda for R&D” (1998)[24]​

published by the International Scientific Forum “Towards an Information Society for All” (ISF-IS4ALL),[25]​ has debated the meaning of these areas:

A fundamental push to improve knowledge and practice in Design for All is the development of education and training programs. Professionals who have comprehensive specialized knowledge and skills in Design for All are needed.

To this end, from the CAST platform,[26]​ a guide has been developed to implement the principles of Universal Learning Design and how to apply them to Learning and Knowledge Technologies (TAC), through three principles:

Additionally, those professionals currently working in the ICT industry need to gain additional knowledge and skills related to Design for All. Today we find few examples of university degree programs specialized in Design for All (or Universal Design), or that expressly include modules on these topics.[27]​ This lack has been addressed in the DfA@eInclusion project, which designed a curriculum:[28]​.

The implementation of these programs is underway in several locations, for example at Middlesex University,[30]​ (UK) and at the University of Linz[31]​ (Austria). Basic topics include: raising awareness of human rights, development of technical standards, regulations and legislation, design and development of assistive technologies, as well as improving access to general consumer products and services.

Web accessibility: it is an important component to access the information society. Information, guidelines and online tutorials are offered at W3C-WAI[32]​ (e.g. Opera[33]​). The DfA@eInclusion project has also addressed the training of ICT industry professionalsiii;[34]​ suggests a comprehensive curriculum for this training, which is currently being discussed at the CEN workshop. The CEN Workshop "Curriculum for the training of professionals in Universal Design (UD-Prof)"[35]​ was launched in May 2009. Following the rules for CEN workshops, it offers all interested agents the opportunity to discuss and improve this DpT curriculum for ICT professionals.

EDeAN - European Design for all eAccessibility Network

The European Design for All e-Accessibility Network - EDeAN[40]​ is a network of 160 organizations located in Member States of the European Union. The objective of the network is to support citizens' access to the information society. EDeAN offers:

The network is coordinated by the EDeAN Secretariat, which rotates annually and corresponds to the National Contact Centers, that is, the EDeAN contact points in each member state of the European Union.

EIDD - Design for All Europe

EIDD - Design for All Europe is a European organization, 100% self-funded, that fully covers the theory and practice of Design for All, from the construction of the environment and real products, to the design of services and communication systems. It was established in 1993, originally as the European Institute of Design and Disability (EIDD), with the aim of improving the quality of life through Design for All. In 2006, it changed its name to be in line with its basic line of work. EIDD - Design for All Europe disseminates the application of Design for All to companies and Administration groups, which are not aware of its benefits. Currently (2009) it has active members in 22 European countries. The purpose of EIDD is to promote active interaction and communication between professionals interested in the theory and practice of Design for All and to create bridges between, on the one hand, those members of the design area and, on the other, all those groups for whom Design for All makes a real difference in the quality of life of each person.