ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2
(Main)Information technology for learning, education and training — Language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications — Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability
General Information
- Abstract
ISO/IEC 20016-1:2014 states the principles, rules and metadata elements for specifying language accessibility and Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs) in e-learning environments. It is structured to be able to support the requirements of applicable jurisdictional domains and in particular that of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
- Status
- Not Published
- Current Stage
- 3099 - CD approved for registration as DIS
- Start Date
- 18-Nov-2025
- Completion Date
- 03-Oct-2026
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ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 - Information technology for learning, education and training — Language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications — Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability/20/2024
Overview
ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 is a draft international standard developed by ISO and IEC for information technology in learning, education, and training (ITLET). This standard, titled "Language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications - Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability," outlines the key principles, rules, and metadata elements necessary to specify language accessibility and Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs) in e-learning contexts.
Crucially, ISO/IEC 20016-1 is designed to support jurisdictional requirements, particularly those arising from the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Its primary goal is to facilitate inclusive access to digital learning environments by ensuring content is both semantically interoperable and accessible to all, regardless of language or individual needs.
Key Topics
The standard addresses several important themes in the context of language accessibility and HIEs for e-learning platforms:
- Semantic interoperability: Defining frameworks and models for ensuring the meaning of digital content remains clear and accessible across different systems, platforms, and languages.
- Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs): Establishing guidelines for creating alternative interfaces (such as captions, alternative texts, and translations) that provide equivalent access to content.
- Language accessibility: Specifying metadata and requirements to ensure content can be delivered in multiple languages and formats, making learning resources more universally accessible.
- Individual accessibility: Emphasizing compliance with legal and regulatory frameworks, like the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, to guarantee every individual's right to accessible information.
- Cultural adaptability: Supporting the integration of localization and multilingual considerations into e-learning systems to meet the needs of users from diverse backgrounds.
- Rules and templates: Providing templates for specifying semantic and accessibility requirements, as well as rules for language choice, granular equivalency, and organizational obligations.
Applications
ISO/IEC 20016-1 provides practical value to a wide range of stakeholders involved in the delivery and administration of digital learning environments:
- Education technology developers: Ensures that platforms, learning management systems, and content creation tools implement robust frameworks for language and accessibility support.
- Content providers and public administrations: Offers guidelines when developing learning resources, ensuring legal compliance and improved usability for all learners, including those with disabilities.
- Policy makers and standards bodies: Helps structure policy and regulatory frameworks for inclusive education at both national and international levels.
- Accessibility advocates: Supplies a reference for evaluating and improving the level of inclusivity and semantic clarity in e-learning materials.
- Institutional IT departments: Assists in specifying, procuring, and auditing e-learning solutions for conformance to international accessibility and interoperability standards.
By adhering to ISO/IEC 20016-1, organizations benefit from improved content accessibility, enhanced user satisfaction, compliance with evolving legal requirements, and greater interoperability with other standards-compliant systems worldwide.
Related Standards
Implementers should consider integrating ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 with other related international standards for comprehensive accessibility and interoperability support in e-learning:
- UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities: The underpinning legal and ethical foundation for language accessibility and individual rights in digital learning.
- ISO 639-2: For language codes, essential for specifying and managing multilingual content.
- ISO 3166-1: For country codes when contextualizing language and localization requirements.
- ISO 4217: For currency codes, relevant when financial or commercial information is included in content.
- ISO/IEC 20013 and ISO/IEC 24751: Standards relating to individual accessibility requirements and e-learning system personalization.
- ISO 5964: Guideline for constructing multilingual thesauri, useful for determining degrees of linguistic equivalence.
- ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36 family: Additional standards on IT for learning, education, and training.
By aligning with these established standards, organizations further enhance semantic interoperability, localization, and accessibility in their e-learning applications.
Relations
- Effective Date
- 06-Jun-2022
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ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 - Information technology for learning, education and training — Language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications — Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability/20/2024
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Frequently Asked Questions
ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 is a draft published by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Its full title is "Information technology for learning, education and training — Language accessibility and human interface equivalencies (HIEs) in e-learning applications — Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability". This standard covers: ISO/IEC 20016-1:2014 states the principles, rules and metadata elements for specifying language accessibility and Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs) in e-learning environments. It is structured to be able to support the requirements of applicable jurisdictional domains and in particular that of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
ISO/IEC 20016-1:2014 states the principles, rules and metadata elements for specifying language accessibility and Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs) in e-learning environments. It is structured to be able to support the requirements of applicable jurisdictional domains and in particular that of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 is classified under the following ICS (International Classification for Standards) categories: 03.100.30 - Management of human resources; 35.240.90 - IT applications in education. The ICS classification helps identify the subject area and facilitates finding related standards.
ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 has the following relationships with other standards: It is inter standard links to ISO/IEC 20016-1:2014. Understanding these relationships helps ensure you are using the most current and applicable version of the standard.
ISO/IEC CD 20016-1.2 is available in PDF format for immediate download after purchase. The document can be added to your cart and obtained through the secure checkout process. Digital delivery ensures instant access to the complete standard document.
Standards Content (Sample)
DRAFT
International
Standard
ISO/IEC
DIS
20016-1
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36
Information technology for
Secretariat: KATS
learning, education and training —
Voting begins on:
Language accessibility and human
2024-08-15
interface equivalencies (HIEs) in
Voting terminates on:
e-learning applications —
2024-11-07
Part 1:
Framework and reference model for
semantic interoperability
Technologies de l'information pour l'apprentissage, l'éducation
et la formation — Accessibilité au langage et équivalences
d'interface humaines (HIEs) dans les application d'apprentissage
électronique —
Partie 1: Cadre et modèle de référence pour l'interopérabilité
sémantique
ICS: 03.100.30; 35.240.90
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENTS AND APPROVAL. IT
IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND MAY NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL
PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat.
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Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2024
ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
DRAFT
ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
International
Standard
ISO/IEC
DIS
20016-1
ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 36
Information technology for
Secretariat: KATS
learning, education and training —
Voting begins on:
Language accessibility and human
interface equivalencies (HIEs) in
Voting terminates on:
e-learning applications —
Part 1:
Framework and reference model for
semantic interoperability
Technologies de l'information pour l'apprentissage, l'éducation
et la formation — Accessibilité au langage et équivalences
d'interface humaines (HIEs) dans les application d'apprentissage
électronique —
Partie 1: Cadre et modèle de référence pour l'interopérabilité
sémantique
ICS: 03.100.30; 35.240.90
THIS DOCUMENT IS A DRAFT CIRCULATED
FOR COMMENTS AND APPROVAL. IT
IS THEREFORE SUBJECT TO CHANGE
AND MAY NOT BE REFERRED TO AS AN
INTERNATIONAL STANDARD UNTIL
PUBLISHED AS SUCH.
IN ADDITION TO THEIR EVALUATION AS
BEING ACCEPTABLE FOR INDUSTRIAL,
© ISO/IEC 2024
TECHNOLOGICAL, COMMERCIAL AND
USER PURPOSES, DRAFT INTERNATIONAL
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
STANDARDS MAY ON OCCASION HAVE TO
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting on
This document is circulated as received from the committee secretariat. BE CONSIDERED IN THE LIGHT OF THEIR
the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address below
POTENTIAL TO BECOME STANDARDS TO
WHICH REFERENCE MAY BE MADE IN
or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
NATIONAL REGULATIONS.
ISO copyright office
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Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland Reference number
© ISO/IEC 2024
ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
ii
ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
Contents
Foreword . viii
Introduction . ix
Part 1: Framework and reference model for semantic interoperability . 1
1 SCOPE . 1
1.1 STATEMENT OF SCOPE - MULTIPART STANDARD . 1
1.2 SCOPE OF THIS PART OF ISO/IEC 20016 “FRAMEWORK AND REFERENCE MODEL FOR SEMANTIC
INTEROPERABILITY” . 2
1.3 EXCLUSIONS . 2
1.3.1 Physical aspects of individual accessibility . 2
1.3.2 Person: individuals, organizations, and public administrations . 3
1.3.3 Artificial languages: Programming languages, Mark-up languages, etc . 3
1.3.4 Non-recorded information . 4
1.3.5 Determining the individual's capability(ies) to communicate in a language(s) . 4
1.3.6 Universal design and related Functional Services View (FSV) aspects . 4
1.3.7 General aspects of culture and environment . 4
ST
1.4 ASPECTS NOT CURRENTLY ADDRESSED IN THE 1 EDITION . 4
st
1.4.1 Introduction - Focus and scope of 1 edition of ISO/IEC 20016-1 . 4
1.4.2 The creation of accessible HIEs . 5
1.4.3 Rules and procedures governing the four quadrants (each or combinations) of the Human Interface
Equivalency Model (HIEM) . 5
1.4.4 Creation of abbreviations and acronyms as HIEs . 5
1.4.5 Template for specifying semantic interoperability requirements . 5
1.4.6 Localization aspects . 6
1.4.7 Various aspects of HIE semantic collaboration space (SCS) . 6
1.4.8 Role of an “AfA agent” . 6
1.4.9 Privacy protection, consumer protection, human rights, etc. . 6
1.5 IT-SYSTEMS ENVIRONMENT NEUTRALITY . 7
2 Normative references . 7
3 TERMS AND DEFINITIONS . 9
4 SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS . 39
5 CONFORMANCE . 42
5.1 INTRODUCTION . 42
5.2 CONFORMANCE TO THIS PART OF ISO/IEC 20016-1 “FRAMEWORK AND REFERENCE MODEL” . 42
6 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS . 43
6.1 INTRODUCTION . 43
6.2 PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE ISO/IEC 20016 MULTIPART STANDARD . 44
6.2.1 Principle #1 - Support the requirements of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
6.2.2 Principle #2 - Support requirements of jurisdictional domains on language accessibility and Human
Interface Equivalents (HIEs). 44
6.2.3 Principle #3 - Support linguistic diversity and cultural adaptability of individual users around the
world 45
6.2.4 Principle #4 - Inclusive design . 45
6.2.5 Principle #5 - Multiple source languages . 46
6.2.6 Principle #6 - Rule-based approach . 46
6.2.7 Principle #7 - Ability to support various levels of granularity and scale-ability . 47
6.2.8 Principle #8 - Integrated approach to internal and external constraints . 47
6.2.9 Principle #9 - Maximize use of existing international standards and specifications . 48
6.2.10 Principle #10 - Maximize an approach which is systematic, IT-enabled, supports computational
integrity, and yet is (specific) IT-platform neutral . 48
6.2.11 Principle #11 - Support the three strategic directions of ISO/IEC JTC1 standards development
namely: (1) portability; (2) Interoperability; and, (3) and cultural adaptability . 49
6.3 ADDED PRINCIPLES GOVERNING THE DEVELOPMENT OF ISO/IEC 20016-1. 49
7 SEMANTIC INTEROPABILITY AND LEVELS OF SEMANTIC EQUIVALENCY . 49
7.1 INTRODUCTION . 49
7.2 SUMMARY OF UN CONVENTION (AND RELATED REQUIREMENTS) . 49
7.3 LEVELS OF SEMANTIC EQUIVALENCE . 50
8 PUBLIC POLICY REQUIREMENTS OF JURISDICTIONAL DOMAINS . 52
8.1 INTRODUCTION . 52
8.2 JURISDICTIONAL DOMAINS AND PUBLIC POLICY REQUIREMENTS . 52
8.3 INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY . 54
8.3.1 Introduction . 54
8.3.2 UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities as a key public policy requirement . 54
8.3.3 Individual accessibility . 54
8.4 CONSUMER PROTECTION . 56
8.5 PRIVACY PROTECTION. 57
8.6 HUMAN RIGHTS (OTHER) . 58
8.7 PUBLIC POLICY REQUIREMENTS AND LOCALIZATION ASPECTS . 59
8.8 USE OF “AfA AGENTS” AND THIRD PARTIES IN DECISION-TAKING AND COMMITMENT-MAKING . 60
9 SEMANTIC COLLABORATION SPACE AND LEVELS OF SEMANTIC UNAMBIGUITY . 60
9.1 INTRODUCTION . 60
9.2 (HIE) SEMANTIC COLLABORATION SPACE . 62
9.3 TWO PERSPECTIVES OF A SEMANTIC COLLABORATION SPACE (SCS): SEMANTIC OPERATIONAL
VIEW (SOV) AND FUNCTIONAL SERVICES SUPPORT VIEW (FSSV) . 63
10 RULES GOVERNING USE OF LANGUAGE AND LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY. 64
10.1 INTRODUCTION . 64
10.2 CHOICE OF LANGUAGE – INTERNAL CONSTRAINTS PERSPECTIVE . 65
10.3 CHOICE OF LANGUAGE – EXTERNAL CONSTRAINTS PERSPECTIVE . 67
10.3.1 Introduction . 67
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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10.3.2 Official (or “de facto”) language . 68
10.3.3 Legally Recognized Language (LRL) . 69
10.4 INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY LANGUAGE . 70
10.5 GENDER, AND OFFICIAL . 71
10.6 GENDER, AND OFFICIAL, DE FACTO, OR LRL LANGUAGES . 71
10.7 DECLARED SEMANTIC EQUIVALENT (DSE) . 72
11 LEVELS AND DEGREES OF LINGUISTIC EQUIVALENCE . 73
11.1 INTRODUCTION . 73
11.2 LEVELS OF LEXICAL (QUANTITATIVE) EQUIVALENCY . 73
11.3 DEGREES OF LINGUISTIC EQUIVALENCES (DLE) . 74
11.4 USE OF ISO 5964 IN ISO/IEC 20016 . 74
12 HUMAN INTERFACE EQUIVALENCY MODEL (HIEM) . 75
12.1 INTRODUCTION . 75
12.2 APPROACH AND KEY REQUIREMENTS . 75
12.3 THE HUMAN INTERFACE EQUIVALENCY MODEL (HIEM) ITSELF . 76
12.4 ROLE OF A HIE IDENTIFIER . 77
13 TEMPLATE FOR SPECIFYING INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY REQUIREMENTS APPLICABLE TO ANY HIE
AS A SRI . 78
13.1 INTRODUCTION TO AND PURPOSE OF TEMPLATE . 78
13.2 TEMPLATE STRUCTURE AND CONTENT . 78
13.2.1 IT-interface needs perspective . 79
13.2.2 Human interface needs perspective . 80
13.3 GENERAL RULES GOVERNING USE OF TEMPLATE . 80
13.4 SPECIFIC RULES GOVERNING ENTRIES IN THE TEMPLATE . 80
13.5 TEMPLATE . 80
14 ISO/IEC 20016 Template structure for HIEs . 81
14.1 INTRODUCTION . 81
14.2 DEFAULT TEMPLATE FOR “TABLE OF CONTENTS” OF PARTS OF ISO/IEC 20016 . 81
14.3 RESERVE ISO/IEC 20016-10 FOR A CONSOLIDATED VOCABULARY . 82
Annex A (normative) IMPACTS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE UN CONVENTION ON THE RIGHTS OF
PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES ON REQUIREMENTS FOR SEMANTIC INTEROPERABILITY FOR
LANGUAGE ACCESSIBILITY AND HUMAN INTERFACE EQUIVALENTS (HIEs) . 84
A.1 INTRODUCTION AND PURPOSE . 84
A.2 SUMMARY OVERVIEW . 84
A.3 IMPACT OF THE UN CONVENTION ON RIGHTS OF PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES (2006) . 87
A.3.1 Objective of Clause B.3 . 87
A.3.2 Key objectives and requirements of the UN Convention impacting ISO/IEC 20016-1 Framework and
Reference Model . 88
Annex B (normative) DEGREES OF LINGUISTIC EQUIVALENCES BASED ON ISO 5964 . 91
B.1 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT . 91
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
B.2 PURPOSE . 91
B.3 SUMMARY OF ISO 5964 DEGREES OF LINGUISTIC EQUIVALENCE (DLE) . 91
B.4 APPLICATION AND USE OF ISO 5964 IN AN ISO/IEC 20016-1 CONTEXT. 92
Annex C (normative) INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY MODEL: (IAM) . 94
C.1 INTRODUCTION . 94
C.2 PURPOSE . 94
C.3 KEY ELEMENTS OF THE INDIVIDUAL ACCESSIBILITY MODEL (IAM) . 95
C.3.1 Introduction . 95
C.3.2 Summary overview of Business Transaction Model (BTM) . 95
C.3.3 Three key elements of the individual accessibility model . 97
Annex D (normative) DEFAULT CONVENTIONS FOR UNAMBIGUOUS IDENTIFICATION AND
REFERENCING OF CODES REPRESENTING JURISDICTIONAL DOMAINS (COUNTRIES), LANGUAGES AND
CURRENCIES IN SUPPORT OF SEMANTIC INTEROPERABILITY . 98
D.1 INTRODUCTION . 98
D.2 PURPOSE . 100
D.3 EXCLUSIONS TO ANNEX E. 100
D.4 CURRENT ISSUES AND APPROACH TAKEN . 101
D.4.1 Summary of nature of issues pertaining to interworking of codes representing countries, languages,
and currencies . 101
D.4.2 ISO 3166-1 “Country Codes" . 101
D.4.3 ISO 639-2 "Language Codes" . 102
D.4.4 ISO 4217 "Currency Codes" . 103
D.5 PRINCIPLES GOVERNING APPROACH TAKEN . 103
D.6 COMMON DEFAULT CONVENTIONS . 104
D.6.1 Default convention #1 for the unambiguous identification and referencing of combinations of codes
representing countries, languages and currencies in support of semantic interoperability . 104
D.6.2 Default convention #2 for the ordering of codes representing countries, languages and currencies
D.7 APPLICATION OF DEFAULT CONVENTION #1 FOR IDENTIFYING CODES REPRESENTING COUNTRIES,
LANGUAGES AND CURRENCIES WITH DEFAULT CONVENTION #2 FOR ORDERING THEM . 105
D.8 EXAMPLES OF APPLYING “DEFAULT CONVENTION #1”” IN AN ITLET CONTEXT . 105
Annex E (normative) CLASSES OF CONSTRAINTS . 107
E.1 INTRODUCTION . 107
E.2 PURPOSE . 107
E.3 CONSTRAINTS: INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL . 107
Annex F (informative) SUMMARY ON ISSUES OF LANGUAGE EQUIVALENCIES . 111
F.1 INTRODUCTION AND CONTEXT . 111
F.2 PURPOSE . 111
F.3 SUMMARY NOTES ON “LANGUAGE EQUIVALENCY” . 112
F.4 BIBLIOGRAPHY . 115
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
Annex G (informative) EXAMPLES OF MULTIPLE HUMAN INTERFACE EQUIVALENTS (HIEs) FOR A
SINGLE IT-INTERFACE IDENTIFIER . 117
G.1 PURPOSE AND USE OF Annex G . 117
G.2 EXAMPLE 1: TAKEN FROM ISO 19135:2005 (E) . 117
G.3 EXAMPLE 2: TAKEN FROM ISO/IEC 5218:2004 . 117
Annex H (informative) EXAMPLES OF THE NEED FOR SPECIFYING GENDER OF TERMS AND NOUNS TO
ENSURE UNAMBIGUITY IN THE USE OF AN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE . 121
H.1 INTRODUCTION . 121
H.2 ORGANIZATION OF THE ANNEX I MATRIX . 121
H.3 EXAMPLES OF THE SAME WORD HAVING TWO GENDER FORMS AND TWO DIFFERENT MEANINGS
Annex I (informative) CASE STUDY OF MULTILINGUAL RETRIEVAL OF HIEs FOR UNILINGUAL USERS:
THE “POTATO” . 123
Annex J (informative) NOTES ON STANDARD TABLE OF CONTENTS TEMPLATE FOR PARTS 2+ OF
ISO/IEC 20016 . 125
J.1 INTRODUCTION . 125
J.2 NOTES ON CLAUSE 0 INTRODUCTION . 125
J.3 NOTES ON CLAUSE 1 SCOPE . 125
J.4 NOTES ON CLAUSE 2 NORMATIVE REFERENCES . 126
J.5 NOTES ON CLAUSE 4 SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS . 126
J.6 NOTES ON CLAUSE 5 CONFORMANCE . 126
J.7 NOTES ON CLAUSE 6 FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLES AND ASSUMPTIONS . 126
Annex K (informative) ISO/IEC 14662 OPEN-EDI REFERENCE MODEL, COMMITMENT EXCHANGE AND
COLLABORATION SPACE . 127
K.1 INTRODUCTION . 127
K.2 RELEVANCE OF OPEN-EDI REFERENCE MODEL . 127
K.3 BASIC ASPECTS OF OPEN-EDI COLLABORATION SPACE: CONTENT PROVIDER AND INDIVIDUAL USER
Annex L (informative) IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE ISO/IEC 20061-1 FRAMEWORK
AND REFERENCE MODEL . 131
L.1 INTRODUCTION . 131
L.2 PURPOSE . 131
L.3 IMPLEMENTATION CONSIDERATIONS . 131
st
L.3.1 Application of Clause 1.4 “Aspects not currently addressed in this 1 edition” . 131
L.3.2 Implementation of individual accessibility as a human right is enforced by jurisdictional domain
requirements . 131
L.3.3 Intended use of a SRI as prepared by a content provider . 132
L.3.4 EXAMPLE CASE STUDIES as “SCENARIOS” . 132
Annex M (informative) CONTRIBUTORS AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT . 135
Bibliography . 136
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out through
ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical committee has been
established has the right to be represented on that committee. International organizations, governmental and
non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work. ISO collaborates closely with the
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are described
in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular the different approval criteria needed for the different types of
ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the editorial rules of the
ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www.iso.org/directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of any patent rights
identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or on the ISO list of patent
declarations received (see www.iso.org/patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation on the meaning of ISO specific terms and expressions related to conformity assessment, as
well as information about ISO's adherence to the World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical
Barriers to Trade (TBT) see the following URL: www.iso.org/iso/foreword.html.
This document was prepared by ISO/IEC JTC1 SC36 .
This edition cancels and replaces the 2014 edition (ISO/IEC 20016-1), which has been technically revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
“The missing text here will be inserted at the DIS ballot stage”
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www.iso.org/members.html.
1) Changes in ISO/IEC JTC1 Directives since 2014
st
NOTE Since the 1 edition of ISO/IEC 20016-1 was published in 2014, ISO CS has made a number of significant
changes to the “presentation” requirements of its standards. This was done via changes to ISO/IEC JTC1 Directives, Part
2 (2021 edition).
The implementation in the Part 2 Directives edo not change the technical contents of ISO/IEC 20016-1:
st nd
1) In addition, this 1 WD for the 2 edition already also incorporates a number of minor revisions (e.g. minor edits,
spelling, etc.) which represent work completed of this nature into 2020 (prior to COVID-19).
2) This having been said, it is noted that the primary focus of the work, by participating ISO/IEC JTC1/SC36 experts, on
nd
the 2 edition of ISO/IEC 20016-1 is that of identifying the need for changes, additions, etc. of a technical nature to
the 1st edition of this standard.
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
Introduction
0.1 PURPOSE AND OVERVIEW
In an “Access for All” (AfA) approach, a key missing component in the development of ITLET standards, in
support of culture, language, and individual needs is one which focuses on the (intended) meaning and use of
the contents of the recorded information being interchanged among, on the one hand, (1) an individual as a
learner, and, on the other, (2) other Persons in an ITLET context. This requires the assurance of the
development and availability of contents, (e.g., as Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs), in any ITLET
application which support individual accessibility requirements in the form of language accessibility.
The primary purpose of this multipart standard is to ensure that “individual accessibility” rights are supported
from a “content” and semantic interoperability requirements perspective, both:
1) within the IT system(s) of an organization, and/or public administration; and,
2) Open-edi interchanges of the IT system(s) of that organization and/or public administrations with any
individual.
It is also recognized that there already exist international standards (ISO, ISO/IEC and/or ITU) which need to
be integrated and/or taken into account in the development of this Part of ISO/IEC 20016 “Framework and
Reference Model”
Further, it is recognized that localization requirements of a cultural adaptability and multilingual
requirements nature need to be capable of being supported in this multipart standard.
In addition, this standard is based on the principle of maximizing use of applicable / relevant international
standards.
The UN Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (2006) provides a unifying basis for legal and
regulatory requirements of jurisdictional domains as external constraints pertaining to language accessibility
and the provision of human interface equivalents in support of semantic interoperability.
A primary purpose of ISO/IEC 20016-1 Framework and Reference Model is to make organizations and public
administrations aware, that where they are content providers to develop content, (e.g., as sets of recorded
information (SRIs)) for use by individuals that such SRIs meet applicable language accessibility requirements
from an individual accessibility requirements needs perspective, i.e., as applicable in that jurisdictional
domain doing so through the parallel development of required human interface equivalents for these SRIs.
As such, the development of any SRI requires the assurance of the development and availability of its contents
in any learning, education and training (LET) application in a manner that supports individual accessibility
requirements. This requires the development and preparation in a non-temporal manner of all the HIEs (from
both content and presentation perspectives) as are required in the accordance with the requirements of
individual accessibility the applicable jurisdictional domain (at whatever level) for use in a LET context.
The language(s) used in a learning, education and training (LET) context is determined by four key factors;
namely:
1) the language of the learner (apart from the learner wanting to learn another language);
2) the language of instruction (LOI);
© ISO/IEC 2024 – All rights reserved
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ISO/IEC DIS 20016-1:2024(en)
3) the needs of the learner with disabilities and anyone in a disabling context (this includes providing the
semantics of the contents in the form of a Human Interface Equivalents (HIEs) and doing so in a systematic
and IT-facilitated manner) ;
4) the fact that the language of instruction (LOI), and thus the development of LET related products and
services is often governed by: (a) general rules governing the use of an official language (or de facto
language) of the jurisdictional domain in which the LET activity takes place; (b) a particular law or
regulation of a jurisdictional domain which pertains to the use of a language for LET purposes, i.e., as a
“legally recognized language (LRL)”.
Jurisdictional domains have also instituted policies or legislation that require the ability to provide access to
education in one or more languages and to do so increasingly in support of cultural diversity within a single
country as a jurisdictional domain. Examples include: (1) Gaelic and Welsh in addition to English in the UK;
(2) aboriginal and native languages in addition to English and/or French in Canada; and (3) multiple official
languages in the states of South Africa, India, Nigeria and many other countries. In addition, the EU as a
jurisdictional domain has multilingual Human Interface Equivalency requirements within itself as a single
(supra) jurisdictional domain.
This multipart standard recognizes that jurisdictional domains have also instituted policies, legislation,
regulations, etc., that require LET provides to (1) have the ability from both ICT and content semantic
perspectives to provide learning, education, and/or training in one or more languages; and, (2) to do so in
support of not only its cultural diversity but more importantly in support of any “LET language (LET-L). This
work integrates regulatory requirements from both “accessibility” and “language” requirements of
jurisdictional domains.
In addition to the three strategic directions of ISO/IEC JTC1 standards development work, i.e., (1) portability,
(2) interoperability, and, (3) cultural adaptability, this standard also adds individual accessibility
requirements (as stated in the “UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities). {See Annex Annex A}
As such, linguistic adaptability and use of language are of importance.
The ISO/IEC 20016 multipart standard, and in particular ISO/IEC 20016-1 Framework and Reference Model
for Semantic Interoperability, has been developed and structured in a manner to be able to support and
facilitate legal and regulatory requirements governing the application and use of ITLET standards and
solutions.
0.2 BENEFITS TO IMPLEMENTERS OF THIS MULTIPART ISO/IEC 20016 STANDARD
There are several benefits from taking an integrated approach: First, this standard provides for a systematic,
cost-efficient and effective approach to the creation of robust, (re-)useable and accessible contents
components for individual users, i.e., human interface equivalents (HIEs) at any level of granularity from that
of simple (atomic) data element to that of a “book” or a law or regulation, the contents of a whole Website, etc.
Without this standards development work, it will be very difficult to achieve workable solutions to providing
language accessibility alternatives to individuals in their use of information technologies (IT) in support of
learning, education, and training (LET) as provided by organizations and public administrations.
Second, this multipart standard will provide cost savings to those organizations and public administrations,
individual users and LET providers of LET-based products and services, (“LET providers”). In addition, it will
There already exist both different forms of written representations of a language as well as in the form of symbols,
glyphs, oral, pictorial, etc. We also have other forms of recorded information of a language including audio, visual,
transforms, (e.g., Braille, etc.).
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