| Title |
A Gap Analysis Study for Achieving International Standard Conformity of BF Certification Guidance Facilities |
| DOI |
https://doi.org/10.5659/JAIK.2026.42.7.139 |
| Keywords |
Barrier-Free Certicification; Guidance Facilities; Wayfinding; ISO 21542; EN 17210; Accessibility; Conformity Analysis; FMEA(Failure Mode and Effects Analysis) |
| Abstract |
This study identifies conformity gaps between the guidance facility criteria of the Korean Barrier-Free (BF) Living Environment Certification
and international accessibility standards?ISO 21542:2021 and EN 17210:2021?and establishes improvement priorities through a
sensory-channel-based analysis, which classifies and compares provisions by information delivery channels such as visual, auditory, and tactile
modalities rather than by disability type. As the demographic profile of persons with disabilities in Korea shifts toward sensory and cognitive
impairments, the current BF framework faces increasing limitations in addressing information access needs. To systematically evaluate these
gaps, 17 analysis items were derived across five sensory-channel-based categories: information system principles, visual information and
contrast, tactile and auditory information, signage and wayfinding aids, and emergency information. A three-dimensional evaluation matrix
adapted from Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) was applied, computing a Gap Severity Score (GSS) as the product of normative
obligation level (D1), quantitative criterion availability (D2), and gap magnitude (D3). The results classified the 17 items into three priority
tiers: Tier 1 (structural reform, 3 items, 17.6%), Tier 2 (performance criterion adoption, 6 items, 35.3%), and Tier 3 (specification
supplementation, 8 items, 47.1%). The most critical gaps were found in upper-level design principles?information hierarchy, information
consistency, and the multi-sensory provision principle?all structurally absent from the BF criteria. Quantitative performance metrics established
in international standards, such as luminance contrast ratios, Speech Transmission Index, and hearing-loop field strength, were identified as
areas where immediate adoption is feasible. Furthermore, a structural mismatch between the BF system's disability-type classification of
information equipment and the international standards' sensory-channel-based integration principle was found to be a root cause underlying
multiple gaps. The disability-type framework evaluates provisions for visual and hearing impairments separately, precluding cross-sensory
verification and excluding hard-of-hearing users who rely on residual hearing. Based on these findings, a two-track strategy is proposed:
short-term adoption of quantitative performance criteria validated in international standards, and medium-to-long-term restructuring of the
evaluation framework from a disability-type paradigm toward a sensory-channel-based paradigm. This study contributes the first clause-level
conformity analysis between BF certification and international wayfinding standards. |