The AODA has requirements for the procurement of self-service kiosks. However, the third review of the AODA recommends that future AODA standards should align with existing standards in other parts of the country.
For instance, Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) have developed federal standards for the accessibility of self-service interactive devices. Future AODA standards may include some or all of these guidelines and requirements to make self-service interactive devices more accessible. In this article, we explore guidelines in the federal standards for designing accessible self-service interactive devices.
Designing Accessible Self-service Interactive Devices
All self-service interactive devices should have keyboards or keypads for people to use when they operate the devices. Moreover, these keyboards or keypads should be tactile, so that people can feel the position of each key, and feel the keys move when pressed. While some devices may have touch screens, they are not required. In addition, people should be able to choose to operate a device with:
- Only the keyboard or keypad
- Only the touch screen
- Both input methods
Furthermore, people should be able to operate a device from a seated or standing position. In addition, people should be able to operate a device with one hand. Similarly, people should not need to:
- Grasp tightly
- Pinch
- Twist their wrists
The standards list measurements for the force needed to operate device controls.
Moreover, the instructions and feedback that self-service interactive devices provide should be in:
- Plain language
- English and French
People should be able to choose which language they would like to receive the instructions and feedback in. Likewise, devices should offer both visual and audio instructions and feedback. In addition, people should have the option of tactile instructions and feedback. For example, someone could connect a device to their Braille display to read the instructions in Braille.