Standards Development

Scope

This International Standard provides guidance in the survey of user needs of assistive products for persons with impaired sensory functions. It was developed to meet the increasing demand for developing information on user needs of assistive products. Various methods and techniques have been developed for survey of user needs in market, opinion, and social research. This document includes the methods relevant to investigate user needs of assistive products.

In order to carry out a survey on persons with impaired sensory function, communication shall be accessible to participants. The questions should be accurately understood by the participant and replies should be correctly expressed. Accessibility issues necessary for surveying persons with impaired sensory functions are addressed in this document. This document is mainly concerned with the assistive products devoted for persons with impaired sensory functions. On the other hand, aged persons with impairments other than sensory functions are likely to lose sensory function. In such cases, survey on assistive products for impairments other than sensory function also requires accessibility in regard to sensory functions. This document includes a survey on assistive products when used by persons with deteriorated sensory function.

Note that surveys concerning the situation of persons with impaired sensory function and the extent of the impairment are excluded.

Purpose

Survey of user needs for assistive products for persons with disabilities has increased in importance, as the impairments to be assisted by the products have been widened since publication of ICF by WHO in 2001 and adoption of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in 2006. Recent advancement in ICT technology has developed new technological solutions for assisting persons with various impairments. Information concerning user needs are necessary for manufacturers to utilize the new technology for persons with disabilities.

This document provides guidelines for surveying user needs for persons with impaired sensory functions. The methods described in this document do not reflect all possible methods for survey techniques, but are those most frequently used for assessing user needs. This International Standard is not intended to exclude those not specified in this document.

Manufacturers encounter difficulties in conducting the survey on persons with impaired sensory functions, because special consideration for accessibility have to be paid in communicating with them. Guidelines for accessible communication are summarized.

In the surveys involving voluntary participants, informed consent and relevant ethical guidelines shall be conformed to. The protection of privacy and personal data is regulated by legal provisions.