The AODA has requirements for web accessibility, as well as 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) has adopted European standards for accessibility in information and communication technology (ICT). Future AODA standards may include some or all of these guidelines and requirements to make ICT products and services more accessible. In this article, we explore guidelines in the federal standards that empower people to find, recognize, and use information and communication technology with limited speech.
Information and Communication Technology and People with Limited Speech
Many ICT products and services have inputs through vocal speech or other sounds. For example, people commonly use speech input on ICT such as:
- Phones
- Dictation software
- Personal digital assistants
However, many people have disabilities that affect how they speak or make other sounds, such as:
- Clicks
- Whistles
Therefore, the standards require that ICT products and services with speech input must have at least one (1) mode of access that does not involve speech or other vocal sounds.
For example, people may text rather than call on a phone. Furthermore, people may use other communication supports, such as:
- Video relay service (VRS) to communicate in Sign language
- A teletypewriter (TTY)
Similarly, to operate other ICT, people may type on a:
- Keyboard or keypad
- Touch screen
Moreover, people may use their fingers to type, or use another input device, such as a:
- Stylus
- Light pen
- Joystick
- Head pointing system
- Mouth stick
- Eye tracking system
- Mouse
- Foot mouse
- Trackball
Furthermore, people may use some of these devices, or their fingers, to write by tracing letters.
Some people will always use a keyboard or other input device to interact with ICT. On the other hand, some people will use these devices in combination with some speech.