Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Kiosks are a challenge

Yes, they sure are and here is why. For blind persons, much more often than not, we are unable to use kiosks because there is no access technology that accompanies the hardware in the kiosk in question. That is, we are unable to use the keypads to communicate with the screens in the kiosks and we are also unable to use touch screens.

This makes it impossible for us to use kiosks at airports, kiosks at government offices, and kiosks in malls. True it is that kiosks have become a very convenient method of enabling the mainstream world to perform many tasks such as checking in, buying lottery tickets, and much more. However, it is not a convenience for us blind folks.

What does a blind person need in order to use a kiosk? We need keypads that we can easily navigate. We need software imbedded in the hardware that enables us to hear what is on the screen, and we need headphones to use so that when we carry out our transactions, no one would hear what is being read to us from the screen.

A huge request or tall order you may be asking? Probably not.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and asking you to go out there and share my thoughts with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more.

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