Many separate accessibility standards development processes exist in Canada. For example, Ontario, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia all have laws that mandate creation of provincial accessibility standards. In addition, the Accessible Canada Act mandates accessibility standards that apply to organizations under federal jurisdiction. However, the government of Canada intends to coordinate federal and provincial accessibility laws. Moreover, the third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should support this aim by aligning its accessibility law, the AODA, with the laws of other provinces and the country. If the governments work together to make these laws more similar, the AODA standards development process may change to align with laws in other places across the country. In this article, we will explore the option of implementing federal standards for accessible self-service interactive devices in Ontario.
Implementing Federal Standards for Accessible self-service interactive devices in Ontario
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. Self-service interactive devices include:
- Automated teller machines (ATMs)
- Credit or debit card machines
Devices allow people to independently:
- Enter data, such as a pin number
- Read information
- Respond to prompts, such as to insert or remove their cards
- Select from options, such as:
- Withdrawing money from their checking or savings account
- Choosing how much money to withdraw or tip
Moreover, these standards include guidelines and technical requirements to make many elements of these devices accessible. For example, these elements include:
In addition, many requirements in the federal standards for accessibility in the built environment should also apply to self-service interactive devices, including requirements for:
- Parking
- Paths of travel:
- Signage, including:
- The international pictogram of access on all signs leading to or near the devices
- Tactile signs
- Audio and electronic alerts
- Floors
- Garbage bins
Therefore, future AODA standards may include some of these guidelines and requirements to make self-service interactive devices more accessible. Alternatively, the AODA may simply require implementation of all these federal standards for accessible self-service interactive devices.