My perspective: The different pin reading machines

Yet another challenge for me to face: getting used to the different pin machines.  That is, the layouts and feel of the keys on the pads of the pin machines.

The one at the post office has a different layout and feel than the one at the bank and the one at my favourite electronics store is a wee bit different.  There are some that are very similar but on the whole I have to be very attentive whenever I use any sort of pin machine.

I would say that overall,  once I know where the keys are, how they are laid out, and where the all-important OK button is, I am good to go.

Just another challenge in my daily life.

I'm Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day.

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When pin numbers are compromised

We are living in an age where touch screen technology has now become a reality and for many it is a blessing; but for others like me, it is a great concern. As a blind person, I feel very much at sea whenever I am asked to depend on sighted assistance to get things done.

Touch screen technology means that I now have to depend on sighted assistance to carry out my transactions and in many cases this will mean that I will have to divulge my pin number to the one who is helping me. On the surface, some people may not think that this should be such a problem but here is the real concern. The minute one’s pin number is given to a second party; one’s contract with the financial institution that issued the pin number has been broken.

In short: If I as a blind person find myself in a situation whereby I need assistance to use a touch screen in order to complete a transaction, it means that I will need to divulge my pin number to a sighted person and the minute I do so I would be breaking my contract with the financial institution that issued the pin number to me.

I do not believe that financial institutions have really given much thought to this, and as for the sighted world, they probably have not either. But I am sure that they would do so if they were directly affected. So as I see it, there are two major concerns for blind and sight impaired persons when it comes to touch screen technology.

First, the divulging of one’s pin number leads to the breaking of a contract between customer and financial institution, and second, the blind or sight impaired person has no control when it comes to being able to independently complete transactions on their own. All that they can do is to trust the one that is assisting them.

I’m Donna J. Jodhan, your friendly accessibility advocate, wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and share my blogs with others. Visit www.nfb.org to learn more about the challenges being faced by blind and sight impaired persons when it comes to touch screen technology.

The Problem with Entering Pin Numbers

Here is the problem as I see it.

If the keypad is not one where I can hear what I enter, then it is inaccessible and consequently I am wide open to both error as well as security breaches.  In the case of error, I have to trust that I am pressing the correct keys and in the case of security breaches anyone can easily see what I am entering by looking at the screen over my shoulder.

 

If I am unable to hear what I enter then there is no way for me to know whether or not I have made an error and I have to depend on sighted assistance in the form of a clerk to tell me what has transpired.  This means that they will have to watch as I enter my pin number; no getting around this.

 

There may be a way to address the first concern; that is, if the manufacturer were to find a way to imbed talking software in their keypads.  I could use headphones to enable me to hear what I enter.  In the case of the second concern, I wonder if the manufacturers could have some sort of shield or sleeve made to fit over the screen and keypad so as to allow for privacy.

 

Blind persons have to be especially careful when it comes to guarding their privacy in public; they need to ensure that their pin numbers are safe from prying eyes and potential scammers.  What we need is to have manufacturers understand our concern and hopefully we can find a solution to these concerns.  To learn more about our concerns, you can visit www.afb.org.

 

I'm Donna J. Jodhan your friendly accessibility advocate wishing you a terrific day and urging you to go out there and tell the rest of the world about our concerns.