Accessibility and Standards in Japan —Historical Overview and the Future—

Abstract

Accessibility is one of the social keen issues in Japan. This social concern reflects Japanese Industrial Standards Committee, JISC, to develop more than 40 accessibility-related standards (JISs) by now for solutions of various problems that older people and people with disabilities have. Ergonomic knowledge and data are addressed as critical points that make JIS standards successful. Fundamental design methods such as color combination, font size, tactile markings, etc. were developed by taking account of effects of aging and disabilities. Some of them have been proposed for ISO standards to make international contribution of JISC with Japanese experiences in developing accessibility standards. These history and future issues are described here.