Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 17.060 adds more than 50 requirements for creating more accessible apps and websites on smartphones
ABNT has proposed requirements to ensure that apps are accessible to people with disabilities. The Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 17.060 adds more than 50 requirements to create more accessible apps and websites on smartphones. In addition, this new standard sets a standard to ensure more accessibility for cell phones and enable a better quality of life in everyday life for people with disabilities.
According to the latest Census by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), Brazil has 46 million people with some type of disability (PwDs), including visual or hearing impairment, which is equivalent to 24% of the population.
The rules were announced at an online event on the association’s official YouTube channel. According to the president of ABNT, Mario William Esper, this is the first rule to help shape public policies on digital inclusion for people with disabilities. “The normative document will serve as a basis for broadening the understanding of the subject, enabling more people to understand, interact and navigate, regardless of their disability,” he said.
The document was prepared by the Association’s Brazilian Accessibility Committee (ABNT/CB-040) through the Accessibility Research Committee. The novelty was also developed with the support of the Web Technology Research Center (Ceweb.br) and the Ponto BR Information and Coordination Center (NIC.br).
ABNT: Standards bring requirements to make applications acessible
NBR brings 54 requirements to optimize the experience of applications and websites running on mobile devices, whether iOS or Android operating system. This list compiles guidelines for non-textual elements, such as icons, that must have alternative text to describe their meaning. The determination of the pattern is divided into the following themes: “Perception and Understanding”, “Control and Interaction”, “Media” and “Coding”. One of the alternatives for application creators is to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the development of new versions.
Reinaldo Ferraz, expert at Ceweb.br and NIC, said: “Following these recommendations means allowing people with difficulties and limitations to see, hear, speak, move or understand while browsing the web and applications via smartphones, enjoying a security and autonomy.”
The Brazilian standard ABNT NBR 17060 is now available in the ABNT catalogue. The file can be purchased on the platform for R$ 178.50.
Digital Inclusion of People with Disabilities
Support Technologies (ICTs) can be seen as technologies to aid in the process of social inclusion of people with disabilities, as they can facilitate their communication process and help them gain independence and autonomy.
The ABNT guideline benefits people with hearing impairment, blind or low vision users, people with reduced mobility, such as wheelchair users, people with severe mobility limitations, such as cerebral palsy or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), among others.
Examples
Examples of diverse resources for an inclusive app: virtual interpreter, assistive technology, use of Brazilian sign language (or sign language), vocalization, non-verbal communication (by blinking, for example), useful and collaborative information exchange, between others.
Examples of inclusive apps: Be my Eyes, Hand Talk, Expressia, TelepatiX, Seeing AI, eSSENTIAL Accessibility, Pro Deaf, Wheelmap, among others.
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