ISO/IEC 29136:2012

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 29136
First edition
2012-05-01
Information technology — User
interfaces — Accessibility of personal
computer hardware
Technologies de l'information — Interfaces utilisateur — Accessibilité
matérielle des ordinateurs personnels

Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2012
©  ISO/IEC 2012
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ii © ISO/IEC 2012 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword . iv
Introduction . v
1  Scope . 1
2  Normative references . 1
3  Terms and definitions . 2
4  Conformance . 3
4.1  Applying the requirements . 3
4.2  Applying the recommendations . 3
4.3  Evaluation of products . 3
5  General requirements . 3
5.1  Requirements related to ICT . 3
5.2  Requirements related to software . 3
5.3  Requirements related to interoperability with assistive technologies . 3
5.4  Avoidance of erroneous operations and support of easy operations . 3
5.5  Functionality provided as hardware support . 4
5.6  Using readable labels . 5
5.7  Connection . 5
5.8  Alternative to biometric-based user authentication . 7
5.9  User comfort . 7
6  Requirements for input . 7
6.1  Controls . 7
6.2  Keyboard . 8
6.3  Touch screen . 10
7  Requirements for output. 10
7.1  Visual information . 10
7.2  Auditory information . 11
8  Requirements for data storage devices and removable drives . 12
8.1  Insertion and removal of a media and change of a drive . 12
8.2  Notification of media insertion . 12
9  Requirements for user support . 13
9.1  Product information . 13
9.2  Disclosure of information to distribution channel . 14
9.3  Customer support . 14
9.4  Maintenance information . 14
Annex A (informative) Sample procedure for assessing applicability and conformance . 15
Bibliography . 25

© ISO/IEC 2012 – 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 29136 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 35, User interfaces.

iv © ISO/IEC 2012 – All rights reserved

Introduction
With the progress of the information society, personal computers have become a necessary tool for many
people in their daily life. A wide range of people, regardless of their ages, physique, physical ability or
disability, use personal computers throughout their life, i.e. at home, in school, in the workplace, and in public
places. This International Standard provides guidance to improve information accessibility for older persons
and persons with disabilities (including temporary disabilities) when they use personal computers.
The guidelines in this International Standard use the following approach.
 When planning, developing, designing, and distributing personal computers, this International Standard
can be referenced to improve accessibility for older persons and persons with disabilities.
 If the required degree of accessibility cannot be provided by a default configuration of a personal
computer, such accessibility might be attained by using the product in combination with additional
software, optional equipment and/or assistive technology.
This International Standard elaborates on hardware-related guidance provided in ISO/IEC Guide 71:2001,
Guidelines for standards developers to address the needs of older persons and persons with disabilities,
ISO 9241-20:2008, Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 20: Accessibility guidelines for
information/communication technology (ICT) equipment and services, and ISO/IEC TR 29138-1, Information
technology — Accessibility considerations for people with disabilities — Part 1: User needs summary.
The hardware guidance in this International Standard can be used in combination with ISO 9241-171:2008,
Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 171: Guidance on software accessibility.

© ISO/IEC 2012 – All rights reserved v

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 29136:2012(E)

Information technology — User interfaces — Accessibility of
personal computer hardware
1 Scope
This International Standard provides requirements and recommendations for the accessibility of personal
computer hardware, to be used when planning, developing, designing and distributing these computers.
Some requirements or recommendations in this International Standard require software support.
While this International Standard does not cover the behaviour of, or requirements for, assistive technologies,
it does address connectivity of assistive technologies as an integrated component of interactive systems.
Requirements and recommendations that solely focus on software are not included in this International
Standard.
NOTE 1 Requirements and recommendations for software accessibility are specified in ISO 9241-171.
NOTE 2 High level requirements and recommendations for information and communication technology (ICT)
accessibility are specified in ISO 9241-20.
NOTE 3 Requirements and recommendations for office equipment accessibility, including printers, scanners and
copiers, are specified in ISO/IEC 10779[2].
2 Normative references
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 9241-20:2008, Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 20: Accessibility guidelines for
information/communication technology (ICT) equipment and services
ISO 9241-171:2008, Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 171: Guidance on software accessibility
ISO 9241-410:2008, Ergonomics of human-system interaction — Part 410: Design criteria for physical input
devices
ISO/IEC 9995-1, Information technology — Keyboard layouts for text and office systems — Part 1: General
principles governing keyboard layouts
ISO/IEC 13066-1, Information technology — Interoperability with assistive technology (AT) — Part 1:
Requirements and recommendations for interoperability
ISO/IEC 24786:2009, Information technology — User interfaces — Accessible user interface for accessibility
settings
© ISO/IEC 2012 – All rights reserved 1

3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1
accessibility
interactive system usability of a product, service, environment or facility by people within the widest range of
capabilities
[ISO 9241-20:2008, definition 3.1]
NOTE 1 The concept of accessibility addresses the full range of user capabilities and is not limited to users who are
formally recognized as having disability.
NOTE 2 The usability-oriented concept of accessibility aims to achieve levels of effectiveness, efficiency and
satisfaction that are as high as possible considering the specified context of use, while paying attention to the full range of
capabilities within the user population.
3.2
assistive technology
AT
hardware or software, added to or incorporated within a system, which increases accessibility for an individual
[ISO 9241-20:2008, definition 3.2]
3.3
control
hardware physical actuator which controls the operations of the personal computer or any function thereof
NOTE 1 There are various types of hardware controls, including multi-position controls, power on/off switches and
toggle controls.
NOTE 2 A key is a specialized type of control which often involves software to achieve its purpose.
3.4
keyguard
rigid cover with holes for guiding a finger to the intended keys
NOTE Keyguards prevent the unwanted striking of keys.
3.5
personal computer
microcomputer primarily intended for stand-alone use by an individual
[ISO/IEC 2382-1:1993]
3.6
reset
initialize a main processor and restart a personal computer to a known state
3.7
usability
extent to which a product can be used by specified users to achieve specified goals with effectiveness,
efficiency and satisfaction in a specified context of use
[ISO 9241-11:1998, definition 3.1]
2 © ISO/IEC 2012 – All rights reserved

4 Conformance
4.1 Applying the requirements
This International Standard contains requirements and recommendations for a variety of personal computer
hardware.
All requirements in Clauses 5 – 9 shall be implemented.
4.2 Applying the recommendations
Individual recommendations in Clauses 5 - 9 shall be evaluated for their applicability to the particular product.
4.3 Evaluation of products
If a product is claimed to conform to this International Standard then the procedures used to establish the
product’s requirements (as identified in Claus
...