Overview
ISO/IEC 24751-4:2023 defines the Access for All (AfA) framework for individualized accessibility in e‑learning, education and training, and specifies an AfA concept registry service. The standard covers registry requirements, rules for concept submissions, a JSON data format for AfA concept records, and a RESTful API for creating, updating, deleting and retrieving AfA concept entries. AfA concepts represent machine‑readable descriptors (with globally unique identifiers) for user preferences, resources and context that enable adaptive and accessible digital experiences.
Key topics and technical requirements
- AfA concept registry: requirements on registry servers to store, publish and exchange AfA concept records reliably and consistently.
- Concept submissions: rules and constraints for submitting AfA concepts so entries are semantically valid and interoperable.
- JSON exchange format: a specified JSON mapping for AfA concept records to enable machine‑readable vocabularies and synchronization between servers.
- RESTful operations: a set of CRUD endpoints (CREATE, UPDATE, DELETE, GET single and GET list) for external clients and services to manipulate registry entries (see Clause 9).
- REST architecture details: request/response parameters, response codes, MIME type requirements and other operational rules (Clauses 8 and 9).
- Security and authentication: considerations and requirements for secure access to registry APIs (Clause 8), including authentication mechanisms and secure transfer practices.
- Conformance and semantics: use of globally unique identifiers and controlled vocabularies to ensure semantic interoperability across systems.
Practical applications and users
ISO/IEC 24751-4:2023 is aimed at organizations building inclusive digital learning ecosystems and those implementing individualized accessibility services:
- LMS and e‑learning platform developers - integrate AfA registries to adapt content to individual needs.
- Assistive technology vendors - register and lookup standardized concepts for preferences and device capabilities.
- Accessibility engineers and UX designers - validate preference statements against authoritative concept records.
- Enterprise architects and IT administrators - deploy local or synchronized registry servers for secure, organization‑specific vocabularies.
- Standards bodies and researchers - harmonize vocabularies for context, resources and individual preferences.
Common use cases: registering new accessibility concepts, validating AfA preference statements, synchronizing registries across systems, and enabling adaptive UI components to query standardized concept definitions.
Related standards
- ISO/IEC 24751 series (Access for All framework)
- ISO/IEC 2382‑36 (terminology)
- IETF BCP 47 (language tags)
- IETF RFC 7159 (JSON), RFC 7231 (HTTP), RFC 3986/3987 (URI/IRI), RFC 2046 (MIME)
Keywords: ISO/IEC 24751-4:2023, Access for All, AfA concept registry, individualized accessibility, e-learning API, RESTful API, JSON concept records, accessibility registry, adaptive learning.