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With at least 650 million people globally affected by some kind of disability, combined with the rising numbers of older people in the world’s population – one quarter of all citizens are 60 or older*– the issue of accessibility to products and services has become more important than ever. The World Standards Day message was commemorated this year during the proceedings of the 74th General Meeting of the IEC at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. A record number of 2800 delegates from over 80 countries have made the conference the equivalent of an international United Nations summit for addressing the standards of electrotechnical development and distribution worldwide. This year’s Seattle conference was marked by the increased participation of the delegation from China as well as for the publication of a new Global Standards report entitled ‘Audio, video and multimedia systems and equipment activities and considerations related to accessibility and usability.’ Some of the many technologies embraced by the IEC include electronics; magnetics and electromagnetics; electroacoustics; multimedia; telecommunication; and energy production and distribution. Accessibility is the degree to which a product, device, service, environment or facility is usable by as many people as possible, including by persons with disabilities. The issue of accessibility has become more critical with the increasing number of older people in the population worldwide. But accessibility is not only an issue for the elderly or disabled. Accessibility solutions also allow products to be more appealing to a general audience. For example, a well designed wheelchair ramp for the benefit of the motor impaired also provides an easy and practical environmental useful to everyone, including a new mother with a baby carriage. International standards developed by IEC, ISO and ITU, based on international consensus, give manufacturers and service providers the guidelines on how to design products accessible for all. For the three leaders, “International standards facilitate everybody’s access to products, structures and services. They include safety considerations, ergonomics and harmonized test methods all geared to increase accessibility. Standards also provide a platform for the dissemination of technological innovations both in developed and developing countries. They help markets to grow faster and increase global trade.” The leaders of the three organizations conclude their message: “IEC, ISO and ITU coordinate their work and offer a system of standardization that helps designers, manufacturers and policy makers to make the world safer and more accessible for all, today and tomorrow.” The farewell dinner for the General Meeting featured the donation of all laptops, copiers, and power cords used during the General Meeting to the Northwest Autism Center (NAC). Thousands of dollars in technology products, including all Sony laptops, HP copiers, and Hubbell power cords were donated to the Center. [24×7] |
