In the same way that a wheelchair user has specific needs with regard to the physical design of buildings, people with disabilities have specific needs with regard to computers and technology. For example, images and video have become hallmarks of browsing the internet, but to the vision-impaired, textual summaries are often much more useful. The mission of the USER Lab is to develop standards and techniques that increase the accessibility of computing software to the widest possible set of users.

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In recent years, the USER Lab has been heavily involved with the creation of new standards for the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to address issues of special needs in computing. Four specific ISO standards have been recently created due to the work of the USER Lab.

• Addressing accessibility in standards
• Guidance on usability: definitions and concepts
• Principles and general guidance for the presentation of information
• Guidance on visual presentation of information
• Guidance on audio descriptions

• Dr. Jim Carter