BSI Accessibility Documentary Endorsed on United Nations Website

By Bsi Group, PRNE
Wednesday, December 22, 2010

LONDON, December 23, 2010 - The UN has long been a proponent of human rights worldwide. This includes
the rights of disabled persons, as integral members of society often
overlooked in public service sectors. In an article recognising the
International Day of Persons with Disabilities on 3 December, the UN endorsed
BSI's documentary "Overview: Way to Accessibility in Buildings and on the
Web" as a way to encourage companies to make their services indiscriminately
applicable to all consumers.

The need for organisations to make services more accessible is an
international priority. From web development, to modes of transportation and
general building facilities, companies and designers are responsible to
ensure that their services answer the needs of consumers - regardless of
circumstance or capability.

One of the best ways to guarantee adequate levels of accessibility is
through standards. As the world's first national standards body, BSI has led
the way through the creation of its documentary giving an overview of
accessibility and answering key questions regarding the need for designers
and developers to think ahead.

"We need to remind ourselves all the time that people have different
needs and abilities, yet everyone shares the right to be included in
society," says Sofie Sandell, Film producer, BSI. "Exclusion often comes as a
result of unawareness, rather than deliberate discrimination; thus, BSI hopes
to spread the knowledge from our standards to more web designers, architects
and transport planners."

This year, the World Standard's Day introduced the year's global message:
"Standards make the world accessible to all." Standards play an essential
role in setting an international framework for companies to refer to, in
order to correctly handle issues of service discrimination and accessibility.

"The use of standards at the start of the design process will enable one
to include more people and follow the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons
with Disabilities," concludes Sandell.

To find the article on the United Nations website, please follow the link
and find the section "United Kingdom":
www.un.org/disabilities/default.asp?id=1540

The video is also available online on BSI's YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/BSIBritishStandards.

For further information, please contact Chiara Carella, PR Manager, BSI
Group, at chiara.carella@bsigroup.com.

About BSI Group

BSI Group is a global independent business services organization that
develops standards-based solutions to improve management practices and
promote innovation. BSI can help businesses, governments and other
organizations around the world to raise quality and performance in a
sustainable and socially responsible way. From its origins as the world's
first National Standards Body, BSI Group draws upon over 100 years'
experience to work with 66,000 organizations in 147 countries from its 50
offices. To learn more, please visit www.bsigroup.com

Chiara Carella, PR Manager, BSI Group, +44(0)20-8996-7248, Mobile: +44(0)77-6835-8730, chiara.carella at bsigroup.com

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