Conversations like the one linked here reveal the needs that more and more patients at medical clinics, customers at grocery stores, and travelers at airport terminals face in the growing world of kiosks. Yes, self-service options make checking in much easier for most people. But that’s not true for those who either cannot access the screens and or aren’t taught how to navigate them.
The solution would not be an unreasonable burden on companies like Quest Diagnostics to add audio capabilities to their touch screens since the technology already exists for similar screens on smart phones and PC or laptop computers. It’s a matter of willingness to make the software components jive with the tags, edit fields, and graphics involved in a kiosk’s platform.
Willingness, however, doesn’t stop with the technology itself. Instead, it extends to raising awareness of the usefulness of adding said capabilities to a company’s kiosk machines. After all, what good is adaptive software if it isn’t shown and explained to people who are blind or low-vision? Office staffs need made aware of how to switch between an accessible mode and the
regularly used screens without adaptations.
Lawsuits, then, against companies Quest Diagnostics are worth filing when opening up the world of kiosks and self-service options to the blind and low-vision population. It’s not just a matter of software/508 Compliance. It’s a matter of public engagement. The more people are made aware of how much the blindness community will use such adaptations when checking into a doctor’s appointment or into an airport for travel the more the acceptance gap can be bridged for everyone.
Boldly Blind 