Assistive Technology – AudioNav and US Access Board Webinar

Assistive Technology News

From Storm Interface

audionav assistive technology

audionav assistive technology

A recent US Access Board panel discussion regarding self-service transaction machines featured various speakers from advocacy organizations and the self-service kiosk industry. Among the speakers was NCR’s Phil Day who discussed the evolution of the uNav/AudioNav device. This was a product developed in a close and productive collaboration between NCR and Storm Interface.

Referred to as uNav by the team at NCR, Storm agreed to further develop and market the product as AudioNav in reference to its core function of ‘system navigation by means of audio prompts’.

Since its launch in 2015, AudioNav has become an important part of Storm’s Assistive Technology Products range.  Intuitive and easy to use and with several product formats now available, the simplicity of the AudioNav device appeals to both system designers and system users. Originally designed for use in travel kiosks and self-checkout lanes, it is now widely regarded as the ‘Gold Standard’ for accessible self-service kiosks in many public use applications.

Phil credited the team at Storm Interface for engineering an ADA compliant device that would withstand hard use and abuse in a wide range of unattended public environments. In 2019 Storm were proud to announce that the Storm AudioNav version (featuring a more widely compatible USB system interface) had been awarded the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) Tried and Tested accreditation. Since 2015, AudioNav keypads have evolved under a continuous development program to meet current mandates and emerging best practices.

Storm Interface are widely regarded as the industry leading designer and manufacturer of assistive technology products for the self-service sector. Designated as the Storm ATP range, these products have been successfully deployed in kiosks and interactive terminals across many market segments and global territories.

Background Information:

About Storm Interface

For more than 35 years Storm Interface have designed and manufactured secure, rugged and reliable keypads, keyboards and interface devices. Storm products are built to withstand rough use and abuse in unattended public-use and industrial applications. Storm Assistive Technology Products are recognized by the Royal National Institute for Blind People under their ‘RNIB Tried and Tested’ program. www.storm-interface.com

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ADA Committee Co-Chairmen Announced

kiosk association round logoADA Kiosk News from KMA

From Businesswire August 2021

DENVER–(BUSINESS WIRE)–KMA is pleased to confirm that Peter Jarvis has accepted a request to continue as Co-Chair of the Accessibility Committee. Working closely with Peter as Co-Chair will be Nicky Shaw of Storm Interface.

“Thank you to Randy Amundson of FMA who previously served as Co-Chair. I look forward to serving on the Committee and continuing to advocate for more accessible self-service technology”

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“Thank you to Randy Amundson of FMA who previously served as Co-Chair. I look forward to serving on the Committee and continuing to advocate for more accessible self-service technology,” said Nicky.

Nicky and Peter will be joined by James Kruper of KioWare as the committee’s Vice-Chair. James will serve to provide an essential insight into applicable requirements for accessible UX software applications and appropriate platform configuration.

Working with system designers, kiosk manufacturers, deployers and disability advocate groups the committee will address both opportunities and challenges relating to improved accessibility.

“The KMA Accessibility Committee must remain a credible source of advice and guidance, working independently and free from external interference. Committee members are appointed (and motivated) to act and serve in the best interests of KMA members, clients served by the kiosk industry and the disabled communities reliant upon accessible self-service technology,” said Peter Jarvis.

As Co-Chairs, Nicky and Peter will seek to recruit committee members from within the disabled communities and their representative organizations. They are seeking representation from both hardware and software manufacturers. Invitations will also be extended to legal practitioners working in disability rights. It is considered essential that the kiosk industry be recognized by legislators as an important part of the solution and not the cause of the problem. The KMA Accessibility Committee will propose that consultation with representatives from the kiosk and self-service sectors should be an essential part of any new mandating or legislative process.

Additional ADA and Accessibility Committee members include Olea Kiosks, Pyramid Computer, Vispero, KIOSK Information Systems, KioskGroup, Peerless-AV, Dolphin Computer Access, Mimo Monitors, DynaTouch, and Tech For All Consulting.

In addition to ADA and Accessibility conformance, the Kiosk Manufacturer Association is a Participating Organization with the PCI SSC and involved in CAT or Cardholder Activated Terminals in the unattended or attended self-service environment.

Contacts

Craig Keefner
[email protected]
(720) 324-1837

Companion post on APnews

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July News – EMV Liability, California Privacy Enforcement, PCI CAT FAQ

Regulatory News This Month

Outdoor EMV Liability Shift Increasing — A CMSPI analysis found that chargebacks have tripled since January 2021. “If you look at January as the baseline month, May is almost triple of what January was in terms of overall chargebacks. There was a pretty substantial increase of about 50 percent in April, and that really ballooned in May,” Pynn said, explaining that chargebacks are often delayed because it takes some time for the consumer to realize the fraud and file a report. “The feedback loop takes some time.”

EMV liability shifts are not new to the convenience and fuel retailing industry. The in-store EMV deadline occurred in 2015; however, the shift for at-the-pump transactions was pushed back multiple times to April 2021. While the most recent delay was driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, Pynn pointed out that becoming compliant at the pump is a more difficult undertaking than becoming compliant in the store.

“Chargebacks have not only grown in volume, but they have grown in value. The average value of every chargeback hovered somewhere around $50 before April. Then, in April and May, they grew to over $70. That’s an almost 40-percent increase,” he noted.

(Reuters) – The California attorney general’s office started enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) on July 1, 2020. Does your app or website collect data?

The majority of businesses that received notices from the California Department of Justice of an alleged violation of the state’s privacy law have addressed the issue within the 30-day statutory window, California Attorney General Rob Bonta said on Monday.

The California attorney general’s office started enforcing the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) on July 1, 2020. Since then, 75% of businesses that the state notified acted to comply, while the other 25% are “either within their 30-day window or are under an active investigation,” Bonta said during a press conference about the first year of enforcement of the law.

Under the privacy law, businesses have 30 days to “cure” an alleged violation after being notified, before the attorney general’s office can start an enforcement action.

Read more:

Calif. Attorney General Becerra outlines ABCs of CCPA as enforcement kicks in

New California privacy board includes academics, government and law firm alums

Q&A: What’s next for California Consumer Privacy Act litigation

PCI Compliance Kiosks – CAT or Cardholder Activated Terminals FAQ — Link

There are two primary classifications of Point of Sale Terminal Types: Attended and Unattended Payment Terminals are classified into two major types, depending on the situation:

  1. Attended Terminals
    1. A POS Transaction occurring at an attended POS Terminal is a face-to-face Transaction, since a Sales Person or Representative is present at the time of the Transaction.
  2. Unattended Terminals or Cardholder Activated Terminals (CATs)
    1. A POS Transaction occurring at an unat­tended POS Terminal is a non-face-to-face Transaction, as NO Sales Person or Represen­tative is present at the time of the Trans­action. Examples of unattended POS Terminals include ticket dis­pen­sing machines, vending machines, auto­mated fuel dispensers, toll booths, kiosks, and parking meters.

Saying Yes to a McDonalds, Costco or a Home Depot

Quasi Classification of “Semi-Attended” — This is a gray area coined by processors in order to permit use of Attended Terminals in an Unattended Mode. Typically this is seen by large corporations (e.g. Home Depot, Costco) where they wish to use the same terminals throughout the business case with the same liability. The processors will “concede” to the use but only with additional stipulations for use. Preconditions for obtaining such a classification by the processor is directly related to leverage the corporation may exert. Small business is not in that position.

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WCAG3 Approach — Webinar by US Access Board

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Section 508 Best Practices Webinar: New approaches to web accessibility requirements under WCAG3

Laptop computer sits on desk and has "Webinar" text on its screen

The Section 508 Standards apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to web content and other electronic content. Issued by the W3C, WCAG 2.0 is a globally recognized, technology-neutral standard. The next webinar in the Section 508 Best Practices Webinar Series will take place July 27 from 1:00 to 2:30 (ET) and will feature new and differing approaches to web accessibility requirements proposed for the next generation of these guidelines and the draft WCAG 3.0 (or WCAG3).

Presenters will discuss various topics, including the purpose of an accessibility standard, digital accessibility and technical requirements, and approaches to developing an accessibility standard. The conversation will include candid discussion about the concerns and difficulties various stakeholders have with current web accessibility standards. Section 508 (and EN 301 549) applied the WCAG 2.0 web standards to other digital content, which has implications for the development of WCAG3. Presenters will address both pre-submitted and live session questions.

For more details or to register, visit www.accessibilityonline.org. Questions can be submitted in advance of the session or can be posed during the live webinar. Webinar attendees can receive a participation certificate for attending the 90-minute session.

Registration closes 24 hours before the start of the session. Instructions for accessing the webinar on the day of the session will be sent via email to registered individuals in advance of the session. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and Video Sign Language Interpreters are available for the session and will be broadcast via the webinar platform. A telephone option (not toll-free) for receiving audio is also available.

The Section 508 Best Practices Webinar Series provides helpful information and best practices for federal agencies in meeting their obligations under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which ensures access to information and communication technology in the federal sector. This webinar series is made available by the Accessibility Community of Practice of the CIO Council in partnership with the U.S. Access Board. All webinars are archived and available on the archives webpage.
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Webinar: New approaches to web accessibility requirements under WCAG3

WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Webinar

WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Webinar

WCAG 2.0 Accessibility Webinar

The Section 508 Standards apply the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 to web content and other electronic content. Issued by the W3C, WCAG 2.0 is a globally recognized, technology-neutral standard. The next webinar in the Section 508 Best Practices Webinar Series will take place July 27 from 1:00 to 2:30 (ET) and will feature new and differing approaches to web accessibility requirements proposed for the next generation of these guidelines, the draft WCAG 3.0, (or WCAG3).

Presenters will discuss various topics, including the purpose of an accessibility standard, digital accessibility and technical requirements, and approaches to developing an accessibility standard. The conversation will include candid discussion about the concerns and difficulties various stake holders have with current web accessibility standards. Section 508 (and EN 301 549) applied the WCAG 2.0 web standards to other digital content, which has implications for the development of WCAG3. Presenters will address both pre-submitted and live session questions.

For more details or to register, visit www.accessibilityonline.org. Questions can be submitted in advance of the session or can be posed during the live webinar. Webinar attendees can receive a participation certificate for attending the 90-minute session.

Registration closes 24 hours before the start of the session. Instructions for accessing the webinar on the day of the session will be sent via email to registered individuals in advance of the session. Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART) and Video Sign Language Interpreters are available for the session and will be broadcast via the webinar platform. A telephone option (not toll-free) for receiving audio is also available.

The Section 508 Best Practices Webinar Series provides helpful information and best practices for federal agencies in meeting their obligations under Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which ensures access to information and communication technology in the federal sector. This webinar series is made available by the Accessibility Community of Practice of the CIO Council in partnership with the U.S. Access Board. All webinars are archived and available on the archives webpage.

More Information

We recommend reviewing the Assistive Technology page on Kiosk Industry for applicable tools for Accessibility

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New Sponsor – Dolphin Computer Access SuperNova Kiosk Accessibility

Reference link for Dolphin Computer Access

Dolphin Computer Access SuperNova – Make self-service kiosks accessible to people with visual impairments

When you welcome people who are blind or partially sighted to use your self-service kiosks, it’s a win for your customers and a win for your brand.

Deliver a positive experience for all customers and make your self-service stations accessible with SuperNova Kiosks.

More than 30 years of expertise means the Dolphin team of assistive technology specialists are here to help make your kiosk project a success.

A complete solution for all levels of sight.

The World Health Organisation estimates that there are 285 million people who are living with sight loss worldwide. This includes 39 million people who are blind and 246 million people who are partially sighted.

Make your self-service stations accessible for all levels of sight. Choose SuperNova Kiosks and empower people with partial sight to explore the screen in comfort and provide complete access for people who are blind.

What’s included with SuperNova Kiosks?

SuperNova Kiosks provides everything your business needs to make your self-service stations accessible.

Magnification Icon

Crystal clear magnification

Magnification from 1.2 up to 64 times means text on your kiosk display will always look smooth and clear.

 

Touchscreen icon.

Intuitive touch screen magnification

Unrivalled touch screen experience for people with low vision. Explore the screen with one finger, use two to zoom in, or tap three for more options.

 

High contrast colours icon.

High contrast colours

24 accessible colour schemes, carefully designed to reduce glare and maximise comfort for kiosk users.

 

Screen reader icon.

Complete screen reader

Announces all options available on the kiosk screen using human-sounding voices.

 

Keypad icon

Support for Storm AudioNav keypads

Empower people who are blind to explore your kiosks using tactile buttons. SuperNova loads automatically when headphones are inserted, announcing each option on the screen as the user navigates.

 

Customised scripting icon

SuperNova API and scripting

Customise SuperNova for your bespoke kiosk project – choose magnification, speech or both. Work with Dolphin to ensure your kiosk application works seamlessly with speech and magnification.

 

More Info

Partnership icon.A partnership of expertise in assistive technology

Whether you need advice or technical support to deliver an accessible kiosk experience, the Dolphin team of assistive technology experts are here to help.

Right from design stage, your developers can rely on Dolphin’s proven expertise to enhance the accessibility of your kiosk application. Dolphin offers flexible support, service and licensing terms to ensure the long-term success of your kiosk project.

Woman using an airport check-in kiosk with SuperNova magnification on the screen.

For More Information:

[contact-form][contact-field label=”Name” type=”name” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Email” type=”email” required=”true” /][contact-field label=”Website” type=”url” /][contact-field label=”Message” type=”textarea” /][/contact-form]

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Kiosk Association and Major Retail and Restaurant Trade Shows

kiosk association

kiosk association

DENVER, Colo., June 18, 2021 (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — The Unattended Self-Service and Kiosk Association is participating in two major upcoming events for Retail and Restaurants in the next week – NRF Retail Converge and CREATE by Nations Restaurant News. Learn from speakers such as CVS, Walgreens, Macys, Alibaba and others at Retail Converge. CREATE speakers include Yum! Brands, Chipotle, McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Dominos and many more. Retail Converge begins next week and CREATE has just launched.

Noted sponsors for the Kiosk Association include:

In other news for the Association a resource page for Assistive Technology is now available listing provider companies, noted consequences for not providing and additional resources. A companion page covering the latest Legal News is now available. This page is a running log with personal commentary on legal, privacy and patent situations. We keep track of legal news that affects the unattended self-service market.

Examples this week include the lawsuit against McDonalds for improper use of biometric data and a class action suit against over 125 Wendy’s franchisees for ADA violation. Learn about PPI which is how we abbreviate Prosecution Probability Index. Our new DOJ is expressing interest in cases never before expressed.

Sample News Posts

For more information contact Craig Keefner, 720-324-1837 or [email protected] or you can visit Kiosk industry, KMA.global, Retail Automation, Digital Business, Menu Board Solutions, Digital Signage Solutions and Thinclient

https://kioskindustry.org/

*LOGO link for media:  https://www.Send2Press.com/300dpi/20-0315s2p-kioskma-300dpi.jpg

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KMA Panelist for US Access Board Meeting on SSTMs in POS & Ticketing

PRNewswire press release by the Kiosk Association on open video conference next week with U.S. Access Board

Public Welcome – U.S. Access Board Panel Discussion on SSTMs 

kiosk association round logoThe U.S. Access Board will host panel discussions on self-service transaction machines (SSTMs), including point-of-sales machines & ticket kiosks, at its next virtual Board meeting on May 19 from 1:00 – 3:15 (ET). The Association is participating as a panelist. One panel is representatives from advocacy organizations who will discuss usability issues and accessibility barriers. Another panel will address efforts by research and industry to improve access to SSTMs. The public is welcome to attend this event. Registration is not required.

Here is the agenda.

  • Welcome, Sachin Pavithran, Executive Director 
  • 1:00 – 2:00 Panel Discussion on Usability Issues
    • Mark Hill, Deaf and Hard of Hearing Consumer Advocacy Network
    • Donald D. Overton, Jr., Blinded Veterans Association
    • Clayton Lewis, Coleman Institute for Cognitive Disabilities
    • Dave Pierson, United Spinal Association
  • 2:00 – 2:10 Overview of Existing ADA & Section 508 Standards, Bruce Bailey
  • 2:10 – 3:15 Panel Discussion on SSTM Accessibility

More Events

We are a sponsor for CREATE, hosted by Nations Restaurant News. Scott Deviney, CEO, Chicken Salad Chick is our session. Thanks to Frank Mayer and Associates, Inc. and Panasonic.  The CREATE event has a physical show in Denver October 4-6 at the Sheraton Downtown.  We have a free VIP pass to give away. Contact any of our Gold sponsors: Olea, KioWare, Pyramid Computer, Frank Mayer, Nanonation, KIOSK Information Systems,  KioskGroup,  Vispero, Zebra, AUO, 22Miles, Panasonic Restaurant Solutiions and  LG Electronics Business Solutions. 

Two more events for KMA – the National Restaurant Association Show-To-Go (see preview) and also the NRF Retail Converge event June 21-25

Additional Regulatory Focus  — New content on payment methods and biometric options emerging. TurnKey payment solutions for any Point of Sale (BNPL, txt, QR, Facial). Bonus content is PCI DSS training course 101 (31 pages) for workforce & IT

Notable News

CAKCEK makes note of our lineup of subverticals we cover:

For more information contact Craig Keefner, 720-324-1837 or [email protected]

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WCAG 2.2 Working Draft May 2021 For Review and Comment

w3c wcag accessibility logo

w3c wcag accessibility logo

WCAG 2.2 Working Draft May 2021

The next working draft of WCAG 2.2 is out for a final wide review. The draft includes 9 new success criteria since WCAG 2.1. Please send comments by 11 June 2021.

See WCAG 2.2

5.1 New Features in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 extends WCAG 2.1 by adding new success criteria, definitions to support them, and guidelines to organize the additions. This additive approach helps to make it clear that sites that conform to WCAG 2.2 also conform to WCAG 2.1. The Accessibility Guidelines Working Group recommends that sites adopt WCAG 2.2 as their new conformance target, even if formal obligations mention previous versions, to provide improved accessibility and to anticipate future policy changes.

The following Success Criteria are new in WCAG 2.2:

The new success criteria may reference new terms that have also been added to the glossary and form part of the normative requirements of the success criteria.

In addition to the above new Success Criteria, Focus Visible has been promoted from Level AA to Level A.

More Posts

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Website ADA Compliance – NFB and AccessiBe in the News

From NBC News May 2021 — Note too that KMA.global provides an accessibility widget for our site to assist in small ways.

Blind people, advocates slam company claiming to make websites ADA compliant

blind access logo

blind access logo

“If you have a website, do you want to include disabled people or do you want to exclude them? That’s why it’s a civil right,” one expert said.

By April Glaser

Throughout the pandemic, as blind people, like everyone else, became increasingly dependent on websites to purchase goods, one of the fastest-growing companies that works with clients like Oreo cookies and Energizer batteries to make their websites more accessible has been engulfed in an increasingly contentious relationship with blind people. Many blind people say its product is making it harder for them to navigate the web.

In recent months, blind people and disability advocates have been speaking out on social media and suing companies that use AccessiBe. Blind people say AccessiBe, which is supposed to automatically make websites more compatible with the screen readers blind people rely on to access the internet, has prevented them from all sorts of normal activities online, like paying rent, teaching a class or buying Christmas gifts.

AccessiBe is the largest automated accessibility company on the market, according to Lucy Greco, who is blind and the head of web accessibility at the University of California, Berkeley.

The situation has gotten so bad that in the past two months more than 400 blind people, accessibility advocates and software developers signed an open letter calling on companies that use automated services, like AccessiBe and other companies with similar products, to stop.

“We will refuse to stay silent when overlay vendors use deception to market their products,” the letter said.

Read full news article From NBC News May 2021 —

Excerpts from Related letter

Introduction, definition, and history of web accessibility overlays

Overlays are a broad term for technologies aimed at improving the accessibility of a website by applying third-party source code (typically JavaScript) to make improvements to the front-end code of the website.

Website add-on products purporting to improve accessibility go back to the late 1990s with products like Readspeaker and Browsealoud. Both of which added text-to-speech capabilities to the website(s) on which they were installed.

Later, similar products came to market that added additional tools to their software that allow user-based control of things like font-sizes and changes to the web pages colors so that contrast is improved. Products like Userway, EqualWeb, AudioEye, User1st, MaxAccess, FACIL’iti, Purple Lens, and accessiBe fall into this category. These products are sometimes also white labelled under additional names and the above is not an exhaustive list of products with which this Fact Sheet is aimed at.

Fitness for achieving compliance with accessibility standards

While the use of an overlay may improve compliance with a handful of provisions in major accessibility standards, full compliance cannot be achieved with an overlay.

Among the many claims made by overlay vendors is the claim that the use of their product will being the site into compliance with accessibility standards such as WCAG 2.x, related and derivative standards, and laws that mandate compliance with those standards.

Conformance to a standard means that you meet or satisfy the ‘requirements’ of the standard. In WCAG 2.0 the ‘requirements’ are the Success Criteria. To conform to WCAG 2.0, you need to satisfy the Success Criteria, that is, there is no content which violates the Success Criteria.Understanding WCAG 2.1: Understanding Conformance

Given that conformance is defined as meeting all requirements of the standard, these products’ documented inability to repair all possible issues means that they cannot bring a website into compliance. Products marketed with such claims should be viewed with significant scepticism.

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