ISO/IEC 24751-3:2008

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 24751-3
First edition
2008-10-01
Information technology — Individualized
adaptability and accessibility in
e-learning, education and training —
Part 3:
“Access for all” digital resource
description
Technologies de l'information — Adaptabilité et accessibilité
individualisées en e-apprentissage, en éducation et en formation —
Partie 3: Description des ressources numériques relatives à «accès
pour tous»
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2008
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ii © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
Introduction.v
1 Scope.1
2 Normative references.1
3 Terms and definitions .2
4 Symbols and abbreviations.5
5 Basic Principles.6
5.1 Assumptions.6
5.2 Original and Adapted Resources.6
5.3 Access For All Resource Metadata .7
5.4 Access Mode.7
5.5 Adaptability .8
5.6 The Importance of Interoperability and Consistent Implementation .9
6 Access For All Digital Resource Description (DRD) Information Model .10
6.1 Access For All Digital Resource Description .10
6.2 Access Mode Statement .10
6.3 Is Adaptation.11
6.4 Adaptation Statement .11
7 Attribute Descriptions and Recommended Use.11
8 Extending the Standard .15
9 Conformance .15
Annex A (normative) Consolidated List of Terms and Definitions with Cultural Adaptability:
ISO French Equivalents .16
A.1 Introduction.16
A.2 ISO English and ISO French.16
A.3 Cultural adaptability and quality control.16
A.4 List of Terms in French Alphabetical Order .17
A.5 Organization of Annex A.6, “Consolidated matrix of terms and definitions —
ISO French equivalents” .18
A.6 Consolidated Matrix of ISO/IEC 24751-3 Terms and Definitions in ISO French.19
Annex B (normative) Vocabulary Codes .23
B.1 Access Mode Usage Vocabulary Codes .23
B.2 Display Transformability Vocabulary Codes.23
B.3 Extent Vocabulary Codes .25
Annex C (informative) Recommended Default Values .26
Annex D (informative) Bindings and Implementations .27
Annex E (informative) Scenarios.28
E.1 Scenario 1: Discovery and Retrieval of Alternate Training Content .28
E.2 Scenario 2: Customization of Information about a Prescription.28
E.3 Scenario 3: Extreme Instructional Environments .28
E.4 Scenario 4: Creating a Repository for Federated Searching.29
Annex F (informative) Implementation Example.30
F.1 TILE Low Vision Example.30
F.2 TILE Caption Example.33
Annex G (informative) List of contributors.37
Bibliography.38
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 24751-3 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 36, Information technology for learning, education, and training.
ISO/IEC 24751 consists of the following parts, under the general title Information technology — Individualized
adaptability and accessibility in e-learning, education and training:
⎯ Part 1: Framework and reference model
⎯ Part 2: “Access for all” personal needs and preferences for digital delivery
⎯ Part 3: “Access for all” digital resource description
Future parts will address non-digital resource description, personal needs and preferences for non-digital
resources, personal needs and preferences for description of events and places, digital description of events
and places, and language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications.
iv © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Introduction
In this part of ISO/IEC 24751, the term disability is defined as a mismatch between the needs of the user and
the resource offered. It is not a personal trait therefore but an artifact of the relationship between the user and
the resource environment or delivery. Accessible systems adjust the user interface of the learning
environment, locate needed resources, evaluate the properties of the available resources to match the needs
and preferences of the user, and deliver to the learner the most accessible content available.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 defines accessibility metadata that is able to express a resource's ability to match
the needs and preferences of a user, as described by their access for all personal needs and preferences
(PNP), already defined in ISO/IEC 24751-2. This part of ISO/IEC 24751 is intended to benefit anyone
experiencing a mismatch between needs and preferences and education delivered.
For people with disabilities, whose choice of access modalities is restricted, the process of matching a
resource with a user requirement is not a matter of convenience or refinement, but one of utmost importance
in ensuring access. As a result, it is necessary for systems to agree upon well-defined interfaces and usage.
This closely defined approach is taken by this part of ISO/IEC 24751 to support optimum interoperability.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 is not judgmental but informative. The purpose is to facilitate the discovery and
use of the most appropriate content for each user. Users of alternative access systems need to know whether
a resource is compatible with their required access method, e.g. a user who is blind may need audible access
to a resource as opposed to visual access.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 does not describe how to create accessible content; other work has been
completed that describes how content and media objects can be made more accessible [see, for example,
W3C/WAI Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (W3C/WAI WCAG) for details].

© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 24751-3:2008(E)

Information technology — Individualized adaptability and
accessibility in e-learning, education and training —
Part 3:
“Access for all” digital resource description
1 Scope
ISO/IEC 24751 is intended to meet the needs of learners with disabilities and anyone who is disabled by their
context.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 provides a common language to describe digital learning resources to facilitate
matching of those resources to learners’ accessibility needs and preferences.
Metadata can be used for at least two accessibility-related purposes: to record compliance to an accessibility
specification or standard (e.g. for adherence to legislated procurement policies) and to enable the delivery of
resources that meet a user's needs and preferences. This part of ISO/IEC 24751 addresses the latter purpose.
Metadata to assert compliance to an accessibility specification or standard is not within the scope of this part
of ISO/IEC 24751.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 is intended to be applied in combination with ISO/IEC 24751-2, which provides a
means to describe how a user desires to access online learning content and related applications. This part of
ISO/IEC 24751 is intended to describe aspects of a computer system (including networked systems) that can
be adjusted to improve accessibility. They are not intended to address non-digital systems that can include
physical location, other people, external processes, etc.
This part of ISO/IEC 24751 focuses on the description of the characteristics of the resource that affect how it
can be perceived, understood or interacted with by users, including
a) what sensory
...