D1: New Solution and Standard for Public Touchscreen Access
Background
Researcher Dr. J Bern Jordan is currently working on a new solution and standard for small public touchscreen access. Most kiosks are not accessible: there are reach and wheelchair access issues; kiosks are visual so people who are Blind might not be able to use them; they don’t have all the flexibility that computers have so people who have accessibility needs (like needing to change fonts, use assistive tech, people who need higher contrast) can’t use them. Adding accessibility to a kiosk is something that has been done for many years, but all of them require adding extra hardware to devices which is challenging with smaller and newer kiosks. Kiosks are being deployed more and more: i.e. for self-checkout, ordering food, and more. People with disabilities should be able to access the same systems and services that everyone else does. Now kiosks are becoming the only way to access products and services.
Current Work
Work on this project will include exploring the different strategies that people with disabilities like that could be used on these kiosks. What are the limits? What can be helpful? Working with people with disabilities is key to this project. Researchers need to make sure the project is workable and useful. They will build stuff ahead of time so people get to try out different prototypes and get a feel for them. Researchers will observe the difficulties and ask them about their experience with the prototype and other kiosks. With a new system, accessibility might be easier to add into more types of kiosks without having to have a keypad. It could also be cheaper to add, more widely used, and people can use their own tools to develop their own applications. Having more companies being able to make accessible kiosks would improve the lives of many people with disabilities.
“I’m interested in removing barriers that are unnecessary because of ignorance. I love being part of innovation and getting to invent and try out different techniques and strategies plus working with people with disabilities to improve them.” – Dr. J Bern Jordan
