Ergonomic accessibility standards

This paper critically discusses several new international computer accessibility standards. Although recognition of the need for guidance on accessible computing has existed since the early 1990’s, development of such guidance is a recent trend that has accelerated greatly in the past five years. The development of these standards suggests how far the computer industry has come with regards to accessibility. Each standard discussed in this paper provides a specific type of guidance to assist developers to design their products to meet the needs of the widest number of users. Ergonomists can benefit from an awareness of the existence of these documents and a consideration of how their use benefits both developers and consumers.