JIS X8341-5

JIS X8341-5 “Accessibility Guideline for Office Equipment”

We completed English translation of the Japanese Industrial Standard X8341-5 “Guideline for older persons and persons with disabilities -- Information and communications equipment, software and services -- Part 5: Office Equipment.” This document provides information about the standard.

Structure of X8341-5 and the most important clause

The table of contents of X8341-5 is shown in the ANNEX 1 of this document. The standard started from Scope and provides requirements and recommendations in Sections 4, 5 and 6. Among them, “Basic Policies” is the most important clause.

4.1 Basic policies The basic policies which shall be followed with respect to office equipment in order to ensure and improve information accessibility are as follows:

a) During the plan, development, and design phases for office equipment, consideration shall be given to ensure that elderly persons and persons with disabilities are able to use the equipment.

b) During the plan, development, and design phases for office equipment, consideration shall be given to user needs, information accessibility shall be evaluated, and its evaluation result shall be reflected to the equipment.

c) The safety of the provided information accessibility features shall be ensured.

d) Even when information accessibility features are added, it shall not disrupt and disable any functions that were activated previously.

The standard emphasizes “the plan, development, and design phases for office equipment” since we believe that accessibility must be considered in the early stage of developing equipment.

Provisioning of the standard to TEITAC

The copyright of JIS X8341-5 (English translation) is held jointly by Japanese Industrial Standards Committee (JISC) and Japanese Standards Association (JSA.) Instead of distributing the full text, we would like to distribute a Guide developed based on JIS X8341-5 by Japan Business Machine and Information System Industries Association (JBMIA.) The Guide is attached in ANNEX 2. JBMIA permits the use of the Guide for the development of technical specifications in TEITAC. We expect the subcommittee “Self contained” will use the Guide to pursue global harmonization.

ANNEX 1 JIS X 8341-1: Table of Contents

Introduction

1. Scope

2. Normative References

3. Definitions

4. General Principles

 4.1 Basic Policies
 4.2 Basic Requirements
 4.3 Recommended Requirements

5. Operation Requirements

 5.1 Scope of Accessible Function and Specifications
 5.2 Equivalent Information Accessibility Function Requirements
 5.3 Operation Requirements to Be Considered
 5.4 Operation Display Requirements
 5.5 Mechanical Operable Control Requirements
 5.6 Vocabulary Requirements
 5.7 Alternative Means
 5.8 Operation Environment Requirements
 5.9 Information Security Requirements
 5.10 Requirements for Maintenance Such as Care and Exchange by Users
 5.11 Allergy Considerations

6. Basic Requirements for Planning, Development, and Design

 6.1 Disclosure of Information Related to Information Accessibility
 6.2 Evaluation Requirements
 6.3 User Feedback Requirements
 6.4 Requirements for Support

Annex 1 (Provisions) Basic Functions and Operation Scope

Annex 2 (Reference) Expanded Functions and Operation Scope

ANNEX 2 Accessibility Guideline for Information and communications equipment -- Office equipment

Copyright Notice: This ANNEX can be used only for the development of technical specifications in TEITAC

Introduction

This Accessibility guideline proposal was edited based on JISX 8341-5 office equipment by JBMIA.

1. Scope

Guideline is intended to improve information accessibility required when primarily, persons with persons with disabilities (elderly persons with disabilities are included) use office equipment, and specifies a guideline to be considered for planning, developing and designing office equipment.

Remark: In part5 of JIS X8341, “office equipment” refers to copying machines, multifunction devices, and page printers used in office environments.

2. General principles

2.1 Basic policies

The basic policies which shall be followed with respect to office equipment in order to ensure and improve information accessibility are as follows:

a) During the planning, development, and design phases for office equipment, consideration shall be given to ensure that persons with disabilities are able to use the equipment.

b) During the planning, development, and design phases for office equipment, consideration shall be given to user needs, information accessibility shall be evaluated, and its evaluation result shall be reflected to the equipment.

c) The safety of the provided information accessibility features shall be ensured.

d) Even when information accessibility features are added, it shall not disrupt and disable any functions that were activated previously.

2.2 Basic requirements

In order to ensure and improve the information accessibility of office equipment, the following basic requirements related to the physical abilities of users shall be considered.

Note: However, guideline does not require office equipment to comply with all the basic requirements (Section2.2), but does require that the office equipment complies with at least one of them.

a) Office equipment shall be operable even when it is difficult to obtain information through vision.

Remark: Since users with visual disabilities, color blindness, reduced visual acuity due to aging, and other such conditions may have difficulty in locating the positions and functions of operable controls, keys, switches, and other objects, alternate methods shall be provided for users with limited vision and/or without vision:

b) Office equipment shall be operable without user hearing. Remark: In the case where information is only provided auditorily, this information may be lost due to hearing impairments, noisy environments, or environments where sound is forbidden. For this reason, alternate methods are to be provided to users with limited hearing and/or without hearing.

c) Office equipment shall be operable even when operation through speech is difficult. When the information use and operation by speech is a main function, alternate methods not requiring speech shall be provided.

d) Office equipment shall be operable irrespective of physique.

e) Office equipment shall be operable or usable for people who do not have significant physical strength or fine motor control. The mechanically operable controls of equipment shall be easy to operate without excessive force or the need for delicate operations.

f) Office equipment shall be operable by persons with lower body impairments.

g) Office equipment shall be operable from a seated position such as from a wheelchair.

h) Office equipment shall be operable with either hand.

i) Office equipment shall be operable with limited mobility in the arms, legs, fingers, or with artificial limbs.

3. Requirements for operation

3.1 Requirements for operation display

a) Display requirements

1) Text printed on operable controls shall be of an appropriate size and contrast.

—The size of characters should be 5 mm or larger.

—The contrast ratio should be 4:1or higher.

2) A screen display device should support advanced functions such as character enlargement and contrast adjustment.

3) Color coding shall not be used as the only method of providing information.

4) When colors are used in operable controls, the color schemes shall enable users with color weakness to identify the controls easily.

5) When office equipment permits a user to adjust color and contrast settings, a range of color selections capable of producing a variety of contrast levels and color schemes shall be provided.

6) Visibility from a seated position such as a wheelchair shall be provided.

7) When a blinking feature is used in the display, a blinking frequency not inducing photosensitive seizures shall be used.

8) Still images and moving images on a personal computer display shall be labeled with text describing the meaning of the images, when the office equipment is operated from a personal computer.

b) Auditory information requirements

1) When office equipment utilizes a voice output feature, the voice output shall be listened to through a commercially available headphones or earphones.

2) When office equipment utilizes a voice output feature, the ON and OFF state of the feature shall be discernible visually.

[See Section 508 Standards (CFR Part 1194).25 (f)]

3) When office equipment utilizes a voice output feature, the ability to switch the device ON/OFF and adjust the volume shall be possible.

4) When office equipment utilizes a voice output feature, it shall be possible to interrupt, pause, and restart the voice output

c) Shape requirements

1) Keys important to operation, such as a Start key and Stop key, shall be visually discernible and discernible through touch.

2) Operable controls shall be shaped so that they can be used by those with orthopedic impairments.

d) Operation Requirements

1) When key repeat function is supported, the delay before repeat and the repeat rate shall be adjustable.

[See Section 508 Standards (CFR Part 1194).23 (k) (3)]

2) Touch panel shall be operable even with aids such as prosthetic limbs.

3) Timed response should not be required

4) When a timed operation is required, the time shall be adjustable.

5) Office equipment shall be able to return to the initial state at any time during operations.

e) Feedback requirements

1) Except for the touch panel, control switches and keys shall show status that is discernible through touch or hearing as well as vision.

2) The on and off state of the power switch shall be visually discernible, and discernible either through touch or hearing.

3.2 Requirements for mechanical operable controls

a) Position requirements

1) Floor-type office equipment shall be operable from a seated position, including from a wheelchair.

[See Section 508 Standards (CFR Part 1194).25 (j)]

2) Floor-type office equipment shall have at least one paper feed tray in a position that is operable from a seated position, including from a wheelchair.

b) Shape requirements

1) The shape of operable controls shall be easily discernable.

2) Shape of operable controls shall be operable with one hand.

c) Operation Requirements

1) Operable controls shall be operable with one hand.

2) Operable controls shall be operable even when hands and fingers have restricted mobility.

3) Operable controls shall be operable even when hands and fingers have restricted mobility.

[See Section 508 Standards (CFR Part 1194).23 (k) (2)]

4) Office equipment shall be operable with a suitable amount of force.

5) Compound operations such as pushing while turning shall be avoided.

4. Requirements for terms

Easy-to-understand expressions and terms shall be used for operation-related terms, regardless of cultural and linguistic differences, and without requiring specialized knowledge. Descriptions of terms shall be provided as necessary.

5. Alternate methods

If specific product operations are difficult, then the following alternate methods shall be provided in order to enable the operations based on alternate physical abilities.

a) Assistive technologies for elderly persons and persons with disabilities are usable as necessary.

b) When alternate method can be connected and disconnected, the status should be confirmed through multiple methods.

c) When office equipment is operable with a personal computer, the necessary functions for users shall be operable with the keyboard or other such methods. In this case, ensure that assistive technology such as screen reader can be connected.

6. Requirements for information security

An operation method with security ensured shall be provided to access the information of office equipment. However, when office equipment uses biometrics to identify users, it shall provide alternate methods not requiring the user’s specific physical characteristics.

7. Requirements for maintenance such as care and parts replacement by users

The maintenance and parts replacement required for the continuous use of office equipment should be easily performed.

Remark: This requirement does not apply to office equipment such as copier machines which do not allow users to conduct maintenance (such as when it is difficult to ensure user safety)