Training ICT professionals in Universal Design - A Workshop Agreement on curriculum guidelines

Objective The paper summarizes activities carried out in the development of the CEN Workshop Agreement CWA 16266 "Curriculum for Training ICT Professionals in Universal Design" was published by CEN in April 2011. Based on previous work from the DfA@eInclusion project, the guidelines specify and recommend a curriculum for training ICT professionals in Universal Design. Main Content The process of initiating and developing a CWA are outlined. The final content of the standard is summarized. A survey of the Expert Committee members who oversaw its development on their views of the suitability of using a standards vehicle such as a CEN Workshop Agreement is also presented. Results The CWA process developed a high quality standards document that was consulted on widely with a wide range of stakeholders. The survey results showed that most respondents from the Expert Committee were very positively disposed towards the CWA. However significant reservations were expressed about barriers to participation in the CWA process in terms of the resources required. Conclusions The CWA 16266 "Curriculum for Training ICT Professionals in Universal Design" is expected to make a significant contribution to meeting the training needs of enabling training of ICT professionals in the Universal Design process. While the overall view expressed in the survey by the Expert Committee members of the CWA development process was very positive, some significant challenges persist for the participation of end users and disabled persons organizations in the standardization process.