>From: [log in to unmask]
>To: Multiple recipients of list <[log in to unmask]>
>Subject: Kiosk Accessibility
>X-Comment: list for discussion of universal access to information systems
>
>Greetings:
>
>I thought that you might be interested in reading the
>justification of a company called ObjectSoft as to why it cannot
>make its SmartSign kiosks accessible to the totally unsighted
>(blind). Apparently, the city of San Francisco has put one of
>these SmartSigns kiosks up, and some people with disabilities
>rightfully created a fuss about it.
>
>There are many undercurrents here, but the most obvious point to
>be made is that companies are beginning to learn how to use
>reasonable accommodation as a means of ducking accessibility.  I
>imagine that other companies will begin to use similar arguments.
>
>Best regards,
>
>Curtis Chong
>[log in to unmask]
>
>=================================================================
>
>"ObjectSoft has gone to great thought and expense to comply with
>the ADA in the design of its SmartSign kiosks. The kiosk provides
>accommodation for wheelchair access. The interactive touch screen
>is placed at the required ADA height of XX" to accommodate
>wheelchair based users. It accommodates sight-impaired persons to
>the extent of ensuring that there are "no protrusions." We also
>accommodate color-blindness by ensuring that no function is
>solely dependent on color. We accommodate sight-impaired persons
>by ensuring a minimum type height in accordance with ADA. We
>accommodate deaf persons by ensuring that all-important spoken
>messages are also reflected in on-screen text. We accommodate the
>hard of hearing by providing an easy-to-use on-screen volume
>control. ObjectSoft's SmartSign kiosk, like every general-purpose
>kiosk on the market (to the knowledge of ObjectSoft), does not
>accommodate totally unsighted (blind) persons.
>
>ObjectSoft's kiosks are based on a touch screen and the latest released
>version of the Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE4) as a browser. This
>browser, which was developed by Microsoft at a cost of many millions of
>dollars, is the only one to accommodate ActiveX controls that are used
>in ObjectSoft's programming. We discussed with the relevant expert at
>the American Institutes for the Blind what technological features could
>be developed to accommodate a blind person. The suggestion was to
>provide a special access mode for blind persons. In this special mode,
>to be entered by pressing a special key, each touch on the screen would
>result in the underlying text being spoken using synthetic speech, with
>a separate "Action" key being defined to actually execute a selected
>function.
>
>IE4 does provide certain facilities for synthetic text to speech.
>Unfortunately, these facilities do not work with touch screens because
>of a bug in IE4 that precludes the use of drag and drop with touch
>screens. Microsoft does not make source code for IE4 available, and
>although we have reported the bug, Microsoft has not provided a fix or a
>workaround. It is unknown if changing to a different browser would
>remedy the problem. However, it is certain that changing browsers would
>involve an expenditure of many person-years of effort. Furthermore, even
>if this bug were to be addressed in the future the software necessary to
>support the accommodations for blind persons are totally beyond the
>financial resources of ObjectSoft, which had sales in 1997 of $600,000
>and incurred a loss of $2,500,000. We estimate that the effort involved
>would be in the range of 20,000 hours of programming and a cost of about
>$1,000,000. Clearly, these facts would constitute an "undue hardship" as
>defined in section 302(b)(2)(A)(iii) of the ADA law, and therefore
>ObjectSoft is clearly exempt from making this accommodation.
>
>Also, ObjectSoft spoke with a representative of the Department of
>Justice's ADA Information Line (800-514-0301) and was told that there
>are no specific regulations governing Internet-based kiosks and that we
>are not required to provide access to the blind if such access would
>require  "fundamental alteration of our business." The Access
>Board (Architectural and Transportation Barrier Compliance Board)
>referred us to the Trace Research and Development Center
>http://www.tracecenter.org/, which has a paper by John Gill who, is the
>expert on this subject  http://www.eyecue.co.uk/pats/3a.html. It is
>apparent that while it is possible to design a specific site to
>accommodate blind people, there is no solution for accommodating a
>multitude of pre-existing sites, as is our case.
>
>Nevertheless, in the spirit of ADA, ObjectSoft is committed to trying to
>makes its kiosks available to the greatest number of persons. We will
>continue to work with the national Institutes for the Blind, with the
>Trace Center and with Microsoft to seek technological solutions to this
>problem."
>
>