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 use information and communication technology with biometric identification.
Information and Communication Technology with Biometric Identification
Biometric identification allows ICT products or services to recognize people by specific traits, such as their:
- Fingerprints (touch ID)
- Eye retinal patterns
- Faces (face ID)
- Voices
Biometric identification also allows people to control devices, such as phones with touch ID or face ID. However, not everyone can use all types of biometric identification. For example, touch ID may present accessibility barriers to people with limited movement, strength, or reach. Similarly, biometric voice identification may present barriers to people with limited speech. Likewise, face ID may be a barrier to people with facial differences. Moreover, the process of face ID or eye retinal pattern identification may create barriers for people with limited vision.
Therefore, biometric identification cannot be the only way for devices to recognize people. In other words, devices with biometric identification must have at least one (1) other way for people to verify their identities. On one hand, this alternative method may be non-biometric. On the other hand, a device may use two (2) different types of biometric identification. For instance, a device could use both touch ID and face ID. Each person could then choose which type of biometric identification to use.