RESNA Standards Committee on Cognitive Accessibility (CA)
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Click here for more information about the CA-1 Standard developed and maintained by this committee.
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NEXT MEETING
Future meetings are being planned now and the meeting information will be posted soon. Meetings are open to anyone; voting on documents requires membership. Cognitive Accessibility is actively recruiting clinician/prescriber; policy expert, payer, or educator; and manufacturer/supplier to be represented on this committee. If you are interested in participating, please contact one of the committee officers.
RESNA Standards Committee on Inclusive Fitness – Meeting Announcement
07 October 2025
The next meeting of RESNA Standards Committee on Inclusive Fitness will be held 13 October 2025, virtually using Zoom, at 8:00 am PDT. Virtual meeting call-in information will be distributed prior to the meeting. This meeting will confirm interest category changes, discuss outreach, and review the current status of RESNA IF-1, Secs. 1–3. Meetings are open to anyone; voting on documents requires membership.
The RESNA Standards Committee on Inclusive Fitness last met virtually using Zoom on 13 May 2024. Six people participated in this meeting and reviewed the interest group categories and the results of the Review and Comment ballot on RESNA IF-1 Sec. 4. There was also discussion about a future Review and Comment on RESNA IF-1, Secs. 1 through 3, the steps required for publishing Sec. 4, the website publishing of resources, and committee outreach.
The goal of the committee is to develop standards and/or guidelines to assist fitness facility operators, trainers, and staff members increase the accessibility of their fitness environment, including layout, equipment, and programming for people of all abilities. RESNA is a standards developing organization accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). The RESNA Assistive Technology Standards Board is the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to ANSI for the development of ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards pertaining to assistive technology and other products for persons with disabilities.
It is important to the work of the committee that we have participating members from various aspects of expertise in the field of exercise. This includes Academia Research, Consumers/Caregiver/Advocates, Government, Fitness Facility Staff/Trainers, Fitness Equipment Manufacturers, Research & Development, and Test Labs, Testing Assessment & Clinical Experts. To become a member, please visit www.resna.org/AT-Standards/Inclusive-Fitness to go the Standards Membership section, and download the member form for the committee.
If you have any questions about the work of this committee or how to get involved, please contact Stephanie Stephens at stephanie@beneficialdesigns.com for additional information.
Officers
These standards affect people with cognitive impairment, their family members, their caregivers and educators, and the manufacturers of technology products they use in daily living. The standards are specifically designed to help people who have cognitive impairment from conditions such as: Alzheimer’s, attention disorder, brain injury, cerebral palsy, Down’s syndrome, learning disability, Parkinson’s disease, and stroke. People at different stages of development, such as children and those of us who are growing older, as well as those who have difficulty communicating or who speak different languages, will also benefit from universal design guidelines for cognitive technologies. Improved devices will significantly aid families and caretakers of individuals with cognitive impairment, primarily by giving people with cognitive impairment greater independence. Individuals with cognitive impairment, their family members, clinicians, educators, and related researchers are all encouraged to work with industry and government agencies (such as the U.S. Department of Education) in the committee’s work.
Work Program
ANSI/RESNA CA-1: Universal Criteria for Reporting the Cognitive Accessibility of Products and Technologies
This section of RESNA CA-1 specifies features, measurement methods, and documentation for reporting the universal design specifications that support inclusion of individuals with cognitive impairment.
NOTE RESNA CA-1, Section 1 does not apply to screens. Screens, including touchscreens will be addressed in a RESNA CA-1 dedicated section (Section 2) in the future.
This standard is an ease-of-use evaluation and reporting system for a wide array of personal devices such as:
- Assistive technologies such as screen readers and communication devices
- Consumer technologies such as cell phones, laptops, and digital music players
- Internet resources such as email, social networking, and popular sites
- Household appliances such as microwaves and smoke alarms.
This Committee is evaluating and addressing the need for requirements for the universal design of software, hardware, internet, household, communication, and entertainment products used by people with cognitive impairment. It is intended to increase access to a variety of products. The standard will not purport to address the needs of every possible user and recognizes that access will not be possible for all individuals. Designers shall use this guideline in conjunction with any existing standards and accompanying test methods for their products.
The standard includes the following sections:
- Section 1: Universal Criteria for Reporting the Cognitive Accessibility of Products and Technologies – General
ISO Related Activities
ISO / TC 173 Assistive Products for Persons with Disability / WG 10 Assistive products for cognitive disabilities
ISO/TC 173/WG 10 – Work Program
ISO 21801-1:2020 General Guidelines on Cognitive Accessibility
ISO 21802:2019 Assistive products—Guidelines on cognitive accessibility—Daily time management
ISO WD ISO-TC173-WG10_N0268_MASTER-ISO_WD_21801-2_200912 Cognitive accessibility—Part 2: Reporting