BS ISO/IEC 24751-3:2008 - Page 2

Information technology. Individualized adaptability and accessibility in e-learning, education and training. 'Access for all' digital resource description | Status: Current, Under review

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

1. a) what sensory modalities are used in the resource,
2. b) ways in which the resource is adaptable, i.e. whether text can be transformed automatically,
3. c) which methods of input the resource accepts, and
4. d) what adaptations are available.

This part of ISO/IEC 24751 provides an information model for describing learning resources so that individual learner preferences and needs (described according to ISO/IEC 24751-2) can be matched with the appropriate user interfaces, tools and learning resources within a computer-mediated learning environment.