Summary

Recommendation ITU-T F.791 defines terms describing accessibility, disability and technical vocabulary to be used for improving the drafting of standards, and to facilitate accurately the needs and the mainstreaming of accessibility in standards that will include persons with disabilities (PWDs), older persons with age-related disabilities and persons with specific needs. WTDC Res. 58, WTDC AD and Recommendation ITU-T F.790 provide additional background information

With the passage of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities [b‑UNCRPD] in 2006, and its ratification by numerous countries, many new terms and definitions were created, some of which at the behest of PWDs themselves, to eradicate terms that were demeaning, insulting and inaccurate.

Standards writers are able to mainstream accessibility features into standards, as well as to write specific standards for accessibility. To design products and services successfully, there needs to be a common language. Recommendation ITU-T F.791 gives definitions to make it easier for industries to implement these accessibility features and accessibility standards by establishing a common language and vocabulary. It is also important that governments, government agencies, non-government organizations (NGOs), the UN and its respective agencies be "normalized" in mainstream everyday language.

Article 9 of [b-UNCRPD] makes clear the need to include PWDs, older persons with age-related disabilities and persons with specific needs by mainstreaming them into all aspects of modern life. This can only be done by including PWDs in the design of modern technology and information and communication technologies (ICTs) using universal design as defined in [b-UNCRPD] and using a common language and vocabulary.

This edition updates some of the definitions based on feedback received from the user community.