IEC 63080:2017

Overview

IEC 63080:2017 - Accessibility terms and definitions is an IEC international standard that establishes a common English vocabulary for accessibility in electrical, electronic and ICT contexts. Edition 1.0 (2017) compiles contemporary terminology used across ITU Recommendations and the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) to reduce ambiguity, remove offensive or deprecated wording, and support mainstreaming of accessibility across standards, regulation and product design. The document is intended for use in telecommunication/ICT accessibility work and everyday contexts such as web and multimedia content.

Key Topics

The standard provides clear, standardized definitions and conventions for accessibility-related concepts, including but not limited to:

• Access service / accessibility service and accessibility feature
• Accessibility and accessibility content (e.g., captions, subtitles, audio description)
• Assistive listening devices (ALD) and assistive technology (AT)
• Captions / captioning, subtitles, audio captions, audio description
• Closed / open accessibility services, real time and remote participation
• User‑centered terms: persons with disabilities (PWD), impairment, persons with age‑related disabilities
• Design approaches: inclusive design, universal design (and deprecated terms such as "design for all")
• Tools and software: screen reader, screen magnification, keyboard emulator
• Media access techniques: sign language interpretation, respeaking, relay service
• Annex A: informative list of deprecated terminology to be avoided

The standard contains conventions, a glossary of terms, and guidance to ensure consistent use of vocabulary in standardization documents.

Practical Applications

IEC 63080:2017 is practical for organizations and professionals who need consistent accessibility language across technical and policy documents:

• Standards writers and technical committees (e.g., IEC TC 100) - for drafting accessibility requirements and cross‑referencing terms
• Regulators and policymakers - to align legal and procurement language with international practice
• Product and UX designers, software developers, broadcasters and multimedia producers - for clear specifications of accessible features such as captions, audio description and assistive interfaces
• Accessibility consultants, NGOs and advocacy groups - to harmonize communication and education materials
• Translators and localization teams - to map standardized English terms to other languages reliably

Adopting IEC 63080 helps reduce confusion, promotes interoperability of ICT accessibility solutions, and supports implementation of UNCRPD principles and universal design.

Related Standards and Resources

• ITU‑T F.791:2015 served as a basis for IEC 63080
• UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
• IEC Electropedia and ISO Online Browsing Platform for related terminologies and cross‑references

Keywords: IEC 63080:2017, accessibility terms and definitions, accessibility terminology, assistive technology, captions, audio description, universal design, ICT accessibility, persons with disabilities.