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The A11y Path

This blog aims to cover: W3C Guidelines, Assistive Technologies (AT), European Accessibility (EN 301 549), and more.

WAS Study Tasks for EN 301 549

Published

#was #en301549 #journal

The WAS BoK expects you to understand and interpret EN 301 549:

Study Tasks

  • Know the Scope and Technologies Addressed by EN 301 549
  • Identify the similarities and differences between WCAG and EN 301 549
  • Describe how WCAG is represented in EN 301 549
  • Identify requirements beyond WCAG that are relevant for compliance with the Web Accessibility Directive 2016/2102.
  • Understand the intent and scope of requirements in Annex A Table A1 that go beyond WCAG.

Resources

In Depth

  • Scope and Technologies Addressed by EN 301 549:
    • This includes ICT products and services, such as hardware, software, support services, websites, documents, and apps. It covers diverse examples like ticket machines, boarding pass machines, vending machines, smart cities, smart homes, and connected refrigerators (when used by humans). It focuses on ICT used by humans, not machine-to-machine interaction.
    • The EN 301 549 standard was originally developed to support public procurement of accessible ICT in Europe
    • The current version (3.2.1) supports the European Web Accessibility Directive (WAD) and is being updated to support the European Accessibility Act (EAA)
    • Using the standard provides voluntary technical specifications for presumed conformity with European legislation.
  • Structure and Key Clauses of EN 301 549:
    • Clause 4 contains functional performance statements, which describe user needs and are the basis for the requirements in the standard. (Also see Annex B.)
    • Clauses 5 to 13 provide the specific testable technical requirements for accessible ICT.
  • Relationship between WCAG and EN 301 549:
    • While Chapter 9 (Web), Chapter 10 (Non-web documents), and Chapter 11 (Software) are based on or reference WCAG 2.1, EN 301 549 has a broader scope covering various ICT, not just web content.
    • The current version (3.2.1) references WCAG 2.1 Success Criteria at Level A and AA. Chapter 9 requires web solutions to meet the 38 success criteria at WCAG Level AA.
    • WCAG is used as a base for requirements in Chapter 10 (non-web documents) and Chapter 11 (non-web software), with comments and tables explaining how to apply WCAG in these contexts (Annex A)
    • Annex A of EN 301 549 V3.2.1 contains tables showing presumed conformance with the WAD. Annex A also includes a copy of WCAG 2.0 as informative content.
  • Requirements Beyond WCAG and Relation to the Web Accessibility Directive (WAD):
    • While referring to WCAG Success Criteria, EN 301 549 contains additional requirements applicable to web content beyond WCAG. Annex A, Table A.1 lists these requirements from other clauses (such as 5, 6, 7, 12) that are relevant for WAD compliance for websites. Annex A, Table A.2 does the same for mobile applications, noting that WCAG does not technically apply to mobile apps. These requirements, along with the referenced WCAG criteria, provide the normative requirements for WAD conformance
    • Some requirements in EN 301 549 are not relevant to the WAD presumption of conformity, such as hardware requirements (entirety of Chapter 8) and requirements for live time-based media.
  • Annexes:
    • Annex A: Provides the relationship between EN 301 549 and the WAD, including tables for presumed conformity. It also contains an informative copy of WCAG 2.0.
    • Annex B: Provides information on the relationship between technical requirements and functional performance statements. It includes tables mapping requirements and WCAG Success Criteria to the functional performance statements in Clause 4, which helps assess the impact of accessibility problems on end users.
    • Annex C: Contains information on how to test for conformance (determination of compliance), although it is complex and does not provide a full testing methodology. Conformance to the standard requires meeting all applicable requirements.
    • Annex D: Points to additional resources for cognitive accessibility
    • Annex E: Provides guidance for users of the standard, explaining its structure and how to use it.