Overview
ISO 21801-2:2022 - "Cognitive accessibility - Part 2: Reporting" specifies requirements for reporting the cognitive accessibility of systems. It applies to assistive products, assistive technologies, consumer technologies, and household appliances, and is intended to be used alongside ISO 21801-1:2020 (general guidelines). The standard defines what an accessibility report should contain, how to document conformance to recommendations, and how to present evaluation methods and participation of people with diverse cognitive abilities.
Key topics and requirements
- Report structure: The report shall include at minimum:
- Name of the system
- Description of the context of use
- Details of the system’s conformance to each recommendation
- Clause coverage: Reporting guidance corresponds to the thematic areas in ISO 21801-1:
- Motivation and focus (clause 5) - how systems support engagement, attention, feedback and safe interaction
- Representation and understanding (clause 6) - multiple means of representation, language simplification, spatial orientation and logical structure
- Action (clause 7) - expression, planning, time management, flexibility and task completion support
- Conformance evaluation: Requirements for choosing and documenting methods and approaches for conformance assessment, including examples of test methods (see Annex B).
- Participation: Guidance on reporting the involvement of people with diverse cognitive abilities in evaluation and user testing.
- Supporting material: Annex A provides an example reporting template; Annex B contains example test methods and application notes.
Practical applications
ISO 21801-2:2022 is useful for anyone who needs to document or communicate a product’s cognitive accessibility, including:
- Product owners and manufacturers preparing accessibility declarations or technical documentation
- Designers and UX researchers documenting design decisions and evaluation outcomes
- Quality assurance and compliance teams producing conformance evidence for procurement or regulatory processes
- Third-party evaluators and accessibility consultants producing independent reports for clients
- Sales and marketing teams that need to describe accessibility features accurately
Using ISO 21801-2 helps build transparent, consistent accessibility reporting, supports procurement decisions, and improves accessibility testing and design by clarifying what to document and how to present evidence.
Related standards
- ISO 21801-1:2020 - Cognitive accessibility: General guidelines (normative reference)
- Developed by ISO/TC 173 (Assistive products) in cooperation with CEN/TC 293
Keywords: ISO 21801-2, cognitive accessibility, accessibility reporting, assistive technologies, conformance evaluation, context of use, accessibility report template.