TS EN 17161

TS EN 17161 is a horizontal standard focused on strengthening accessibility by applying a Design for All approach to products, goods and services. Its purpose is to provide organizations with a common framework for designing, developing and providing offerings that consider the widest possible range of users, including persons with disabilities.

What Design for All means in practice

Design for All is a design philosophy that aims to make products and services usable, as far as possible, by people with different abilities, body sizes, perceptual characteristics and usage contexts, without the need for special adaptation. In general technical terms, this means addressing user needs, usability, perceptibility, physical access and understandability from the start of the design and development process rather than adding accessibility later.

Organisational capabilities addressed by the standard

• Designing products, goods and services with accessibility in mind
• Considering understandability and usability during development
• Taking a wider user base into account in procurement activities
• Supporting an inclusive approach that includes persons with disabilities

Rather than being a narrow test method for a single product category, this document provides a requirements framework that helps organisations manage accessibility objectives. In practical terms, standards of this type support more systematic decision-making, better alignment with diverse user needs, and a more consistent approach to accessible design across products and services.

This edition was adopted on the basis of EN 17161:2019 and relates to the European framework addressing the same technical subject. Its main value for organisations is that it places accessibility within the product and service lifecycle instead of treating it as a late-stage adjustment.