Below is an urgent appeal from the NFB for all blind individuals to
comment
on proposed changes to the ADA:
Dear Federationists:
As many of you may have already heard, the U.S. Access Board has asked
the public for feedback on some proposed changes to the ADA
Accessibility Guidelines, Rehabilitation Act, and Telecommunications
Act. Specifically, the Access Board plans to update the standards and
accessibility guidelines for electronic and information technology, as
well as add kiosks to the ADA Accessibility Guidelines. We urge you
to make your voices heard and e-mail, fax, or post on
<http://www.regulations.gov/ www.regulations.gov your comments to
these changes, as they have an enormous impact on a blind person's
ability to access information. With a deadline of midnight on Monday,
June 21, time is running out for us to influence the board.
The National Federation of the Blind has been heavily involved with
the formulation of these proposed standards and guidelines, but our
role is not finished. It is important that we applaud the Access
Board for the changes we support so they are not compromised, and that
we highlight where the changes have not gone far enough to ensure full
accessibility.
More specifically, we have many concerns regarding both the definition
of a "kiosk" and the kiosks that are exempted in the proposal.
In the current proposal, the definition of "kiosk" is limiting. A
kiosk is defined as a self-service unit used only for transportation
(ticketing, seat assignments, boarding passes, etc.) or for ordering
food. This definition should be expanded to include other types of
services not mentioned, as kiosks are increasingly replacing customer
service personnel in a wide range of services, including voting, jury
service payments, and health care. The current definition is silent
on whether a unit used for these services would be considered a kiosk,
and also does not include visual display systems that are used solely
for displaying information to users. Kiosks should have a
comprehensive definition that leaves room for innovative ways kiosks
may be incorporated into our society and eliminates any future debate
over whether a different service is covered under the law and what
standards may apply.
In addition, the two exemptions for kiosks in the proposal will not
ensure total accessibility. First, closed systems are exempted to
comply with 302. This means a closed system does not have to provide
spoken output, since it would not be required to be usable with "only
the attachment of a personal headset." Under this assumption, there
is no requirement for these systems to be accessible. Second, drive-up
kiosks are exempted.
Although people with certain disabilities are not drivers, they are
all passengers who may encounter a drive-up kiosk; and exempting
drive-up units is discriminatory to a disabled passenger. The NFB
encourages the board to ensure that all kiosks be required to be
accessible.
These comments and others were compiled and formally submitted by the
NFB to the Access Board. Now it is time for our members to make a
statement and emphasize our concerns regarding kiosks. Your comments
can be short--the act of sending in feedback is more important than
the length of your remarks. You could say something as simple as "I
think the definition of kiosks is too limited. Please expand the
definition and remove the exemptions." You could also say "I think
the definition of kiosks should be expanded and all exemptions removed
to ensure full accessibility." You can call Tim Creagan at (202)
272-0016, e-mail your thoughts to
<mailto:ictrule@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx ictrule@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx with
"2010-1" in the subject line, fax to (202) 272-0081, or post your
comments on <http://www.regulations.gov/ www.regulations.gov. To view
the full draft, visit
<http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/draft-rule.htm
http://www.access-board.gov/sec508/refresh/draft-rule.htm.
If you need more information, please contact Lauren McLarney at (410)
659-9314, extension 2207.
Sincerely,
Joanne Wilson
Executive Director, Affiliate Action
jwilson@xxxxxxx
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