It is important to listen to the voices of people who are blind or vision impaired in order to have a clear picture of what their needs are for particular types of information, formats and delivery forms. As Hoeg (1994) states "most advances in public policy on disability issues have been generated and politically advanced by disabled people themselves. They are the experts." To this end, focus group discussions took place in March, 1996. The data is complemented by information from a number of key informants from blindness and disability organisations, consumer organisations as well as researchers in this area.
There has been no previous studies in Australia on consumer information access for people who are blind or vision impaired. However, Kirsty Williamson's study entitled "Older adults: Information, communication and telecommunications" is relevant because of its relative currency and since a considerable number of aged people have vision impairments. This study provides a wealth of information about technology usage during the data collection period between 1992 and early 1994. The size of the sample was 202 people and included one person who was blind. There was no mention of other people who may have had low vision. Some of the data from this study is referred to in the ensuing discussion.
The term "needs" has many different meanings with regard to information. In this Project, the term will be used in a similar context to that of Williamson (1995, p. 20) where respondents describe a particular issue such as health and what type of information they use to meet their needs. For this Project, needs will be identified together with the consequent implications for the provision of access to meet those needs.
Therefore, this chapter not only covers needs for consumer information but also the awareness of consumers of information about products and services and which types of information they prefer to use. Also, suggestions for information delivery forms not currently available are provided here.
The chapter will be organised in a similar way to the focus group discussions,
with sections dealing with telecommunications companies, banks and the Department
of Social Security.
The Commonwealth Disability Strategy states that "access to telecommunications services is essential for people to have the opportunity to participate in the community." (Commonwealth Disability Strategy, 1994, p. 26) The use of the telephone and products and services associated with it is considered indispensable by the majority of people in Australia and this is reflected in comments by blind and vision impaired people:
"A huge source of information"
"I like to sit at home and be able to phone up the world"
The RNIB survey found that among 54% of the vision impaired people sampled
in the U.K., the telephone was an important means of obtaining information.
Furthermore, "given the low income of visually impaired people, telephone
costs necessarily consume a disproportionately large part of their income
compared with the general population which indicates how essential the telephone
is seen to be." (Bruce, 1991, p. 140)
4.1.1 Telephone bills
The participants in the focus groups indicated many different methods of paying phone bills. These ranged from use of the pay by phone facility, paying cash at the post office and asking family members to pay by cheque. In some country areas, people pay at shops such as Retravision which are authorised Telstra agents. Some people ask their family to check their bill while others do not check it at all. As one focus group participant said "if you have two visually impaired people in the same house, how do you do it?" A small number scan their bill into their computer but they experienced problems with columns, shaded boxes etc which are difficult or impossible for screen reading software to interpret.
Many people expressed a wish for Telstra and Optus to supply bills in Braille, electronic form or large print on request. One participant mentioned that she had asked Telstra to ring her if her bill was overdue as this could inadvertently happen if she did not have a person to read to her for a while. Other participants agreed that this sometimes happened and were concerned that their phone service may be cut off.
Many participants were concerned about the possibility of timed local calls
which could greatly affect their phone usage.
4.1.2 Learning about products and services
Williamson's research has shown that older consumers (like most other parts of the population) get information in many different ways including the telephone, radio and TV as well as family and friends. An important part of finding information is by serendipity while browsing. Browsing is not as straightforward for people who are blind or vision impaired. However, the focus group participants obtained their information in a wide variety of ways. In some cases, they contacted a company for further information after being told about a new product or service from family or friends as well as from the media. It is this diversity of information sources which is important in reaching the greatest numbers of consumers, especially people who are blind or vision impaired who may not have as many options for acquiring information as people who rely on print.
The Telstra Disability Enquiry Hotline was not widely known by the focus group participants who stated that often their queries were not disability-related and they used a general sales enquiry number.
Very few of the participants liked advertising material that was delivered to their letter box and hardly anyone bothered to have it read to them. This is in contrast to Williamson's study where older people very frequently read advertising material which was received, for example, with their Telstra bill. (1995, p. 161) However, one participant would be happy to receive product and service information by e-mail.
One person wanted a regular newsletter in the style that health funds provide rather than leaflets included with the phone bill. She stated that information "comes in chunks, not neatly bundled which covers all." Another person suggested that the local paper could have a column on Telstra news. Presumably this would be read to them by a family member or a friend. The local paper seems to be a popular and cheap source of information. Williamson in her study (1995, p. 153) states that 91% of aged people read the local newspaper.
It is interesting to note that one person felt that Telstra's product and service information should be included with the Department of Social Security's audio magazine "Social Security Update". The information provided on this audiotape was considered extremely useful by all the participants. The comparison of Telstra's information services with that of DSS may be as a result of the continued perception that Telstra is a government supplier. This is supported by the study completed by Consumers' Telecommunications Network (CTN) on residential consumers and telecommunications competition. (CTN, 1995, p. 174) However, there was divided opinion whether further audiotapes would be preferable or not. Some participants felt that they were inundated with tapes while others felt that a well-designed tape with a table of contents could be most helpful.
One man summed up the general need for consumer information:
"If you want to do something good for people who are print handicapped, you
should have in alternative format, ie large print, on cassette, in Braille,
a listing which is available on application of all these services which are
available to customers."
Focus group participants said that the orientation dot on the "5" key on the phone keypad was considered very important. One person stated that she would not use a mobile phone because it did not have this orientation dot.
The issue of mobile phones was raised by many participants who found this service extremely valuable. It was stressed that a mobile phone for women was a "super defence device." However, the cost of calls and rental was prohibitive for some people. "Telstra or Optus would gain a hell of a lot of friends if they brought in a policy of a mobile phone for visually impaired people and maybe for people with other disabilities at a realistic rate, especially for women who don't want to be running around in time of a crisis looking for a public phone." One woman suggested that as companies negotiate special discount rates for their mobile phone usage, NFBCA could also negotiate special rates for its members. There was a clear understanding that there would need to be strict criteria for people to get this low rate.
Payphones were used by many people. Some found phone cards convenient and easy to insert and remove from the slot while others had to ask a passerby for assistance. However, the main concern was knowing how much credit was left on the card as this was only shown on the digital display and therefore was unreadable for a person with a vision impairment. Another concern was the difference between various payphones so that people had to work out if the phone took phone cards, coins or both. Tactile tiles around payphones was considered an excellent orientation. However, people were very concerned about cutaway phone booths as those using canes could not detect them before they had walked into them. The colours used in the cutaway phone booths were difficult to distinguish for some people with low vision. Telstra's commitment to relocate, where possible, payphones that constitute a mobility hazard for people who are blind or vision impaired is welcomed.
One touch dialling of programmed numbers was used a great deal by a broad range of people. One older woman said that her son had programmed in often-dialled numbers in the phone's memory and made a large print list next to each of the keys to be pressed. Another person mentioned that his mother who is in her eighties and living alone in her own house next door to his brother is blind and severely hearing impaired. She uses a cordless phone with one touch dialling. "That phone is a life-line and she knows she has only got to press one digit and my brother is in there like a flash."
Focus group participants used 013 a great deal not only for directory assistance but to request referral information for other services. Some people were unsure about obtaining fax numbers through Directory Assistance.
In Brisbane, all focus group participants knew about Hello Yellow, a service provided by Yellow Pages where a person can enquire about particular businesses in a certain location and the operator supplies several names and phone numbers which meet the criteria. This service is available only in Brisbane and is not specifically directed at people with vision impairment but was much used and appreciated by the participants of the focus groups. It was initially announced on 4RPH and advertised heavily in other media so there was widespread knowledge of this service.
Some of the information in the first few sections of the White Pages was considered useful and participants felt this should be made available in alternative formats. Williamson's study (1995) also highlighted the importance of the White and Yellow Pages as sources of information but indicated that respondents had difficulties in locating what they wanted. This was especially the case with the Yellow Pages.
One man expressed his frustration with the phone directory which he reads with a lens and a light. The numbers in the column closest to the binding were extremely difficult for him to see. Some people surveyed had requested the phone directory on computer disk. A couple of focus group participants have used the CD-ROM for Telstra directory information and found the DOS version good. However, the Windows version was considered inaccessible. There were few people, if any, who were attempting to use Windows applications with screen reading software. This is quite difficult and there are still only a limited number of screen reading programs available for Windows. Some people had tried using Telstra's White and Yellow Pages on the Internet but felt that the design still had to be improved for better accessibility using screen readers. They felt it was faster and easier to ring 013.
One person was interested in 0055 numbers and wanted a listing of these numbers in an accessible format. However, most people were unaware of the information available from 0055 numbers because they can not access the listing in the White Pages.
It is very positive that Telstra is planning to produce the TTY Directory in alternative formats and that a pilot Braille edition has been issued.
Quite a few people had used the discount call rates, Family and Friends. One woman learned about this when Telstra personally called her. Telstra had rung her on other occasions and she was very positive about Telstra's service.
Overall, there was a lack of awareness about services such as Easycall and
Messagebank.
4.1.4 Improving products and services
Suggestions from participants included bills to be available in alternative formats such as Braille and audiotape. One person would like the bill to be e-mailed to her. Participants initiated discussion about the Internet but there was concern about the cost of STD calls to the nearest Internet Service Provider for country people. There were at least one or two people in each of the groups who used a computer and had used the Internet. Computer usage was higher in the groups with younger participants.
Participants would like to use banks other than the Commonwealth Bank to make Telstra payments. It was suggested that bills should be clearly presented for people with low vision and those who wish to scan the bill into their computer system. No boxes, shading or reverse printing as well as a vertical layout instead of a horizontal layout would be useful.
There was also a wish to have the full inside front cover of the White Pages (as was previously the case) to write emergency phone numbers. The large space was needed when a thick pen was used to write in large letters.
A suggestion was made to provide an automatic re-dial facility so that a busy number is re-rung automatically. When the number is free, the caller's phone is automatically rung and the connection made.
The design of the Touchfone was of concern in that the receiver was so light
and flat, that it was difficult to know if the receiver had been replaced
properly.
It is interesting to note that some focus group participants who had complaints about wrong bills or other matters remembered the complaint after several years. As corporations know, it is vital to arrive at a satisfactory result for both parties in as short a time and with as much courtesy as possible.
People were confused about the different calling rates.
"Costing system is so confusing."
"Average person would give up."
These comments are supported by CTN's findings. (1995, p. 176) For country people, it is important to have a clear appreciation of the cost of STD calls between different towns. In the past, this was outlined in the White Pages. One person had written to Telstra and complained but was told that the information was available but she felt it was not properly explained. As one participant stated, "you have to be some sort of geographer - you have to work out where you are relative to the call you are making, see whether it's via the road distance, as the crow flies or as the telephone lines are laid or what. Nobody really knows."
One person had a dispute about a phone bill but did not reach a satisfactory outcome. She did not know how to take her complaint further after she was told by the Telstra staff member that nothing more could be done. "When you get a point of contact and they are so assertive on the other end of the line and say this is it, what do you do?"
Participants felt it was important that staff are kept up-to-date with changes
in regulations for service provision such as those at Telstra's Aged and
Disability Centres so that consumers are adequately informed about these
changes.
4.1.6 Other information required
A type of mobile Aged and Disability Centre was requested for country people who are disadvantaged by the lack of services available to them.
Focus group participants felt that an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service to learn about "spot specials" for reduced STD rates would be useful. The IVR service should also include information on products and services such as InContact (a low-cost phone connection which allows only incoming calls except for emergency outgoing calls) and Easycall. It could also include bill paying facilities with the option to be connected to an operator for account details.
There was a suggestion that "NFBCA News" should include a regular column about information on new phone products and services.
The banking system is changing from "a branch in every suburb" to
supermarket-style outlets where there are more self-service machines than
staff. This leads to less personal service, the need to rely on automated
banking or to travel further to a branch. This is especially an issue in
country areas. Therefore, it is important that machines such as ATMs and
smart card readers (see 7.2) are accessible for people who are blind or vision
impaired.
Participants reported difficulties in organising receipt of regular Braille bank statements. Often people had to request these statements each time a statement was required and there often seemed to be a long time lag before the statement in Braille was received. Furthermore, bank statements in Braille were available only for customers of the Commonwealth Bank.
Many people relied on family and friends to check their bank statements for them. Some people preferred to have a passbook account even with a lower interest rate because then there was more control over their finances.
Some participants used phone banking and considered it a great advantage.
However, a few people expressed concern that a totally unknown person on
the phone had access to their account details.
Participants had a general mistrust of the information received from banks and were very concerned about acquiring accurate and consistent information. There were cases of bank officers providing conflicting information. Participants related stories such as incorrect information being given when a loan was being refinanced and that a woman was told she was too old to apply for a credit card. People seemed to have encountered problems with credit card information and were concerned that accounts earning high interest could attract hidden charges.
One suggestion was that if a leaflet was sent with a bank statement, the customer could ask at the bank about it and, if interested, request further information in an alternative format.
The point was made that it sometimes was not a problem with the lack of information but rather being given selective information which favours the banks.
There was general interest in an IVR service for banking information but
some people would still prefer to talk to a person at their local branch.
It must be kept in mind, however, that the participants discussing banking
were from an older age group and therefore may be more resistant to a new
service.
4.2.3 Using bank accounts and other banking services
There was concern among focus group participants about privacy when dealing with a bank teller. Some people would like privacy booths to more securely conduct their banking business.
Most participants found that it was extremely difficult to use an ATM and are annoyed that they can not use these machines. While some ATMs have Braille keys, this does not help to complete the entire transaction if there is a reliance on screen information. While a number of people would still not use ATMs because of security reasons, some would be keen to use ATMs if speech output was available. The supply by the bank of an earphone which could be connected to a headphone jack at the ATM was considered an ideal solution. Another issue was that the ATMs had different configurations which created difficulties when using another machine and having to learn its layout.
Other terminals such as EFTPOS were used by a few people but were considered
difficult to handle because of the touch sensitive keys. However, the EFTPOS
facilities offered by Woolworths were described as quite good. These facilities
were developed in conjunction with the Royal Blind Society in N.S.W.
People felt that the bank's computer system should register that they received
the Disability Support Pension and therefore were entitled to Braille bank
statements.
4.2.5 Complaints handling
Focus group participants felt that consumers were often given conflicting information by different members of staff. In some cases, consumers asked several times about the same issue. If they still had not achieved a satisfactory outcome, consumers had requested to speak to the supervisor or manager. At that stage, focus group participants felt that they had received satisfactory service and usually the issue had been resolved. However, it was necessary for the consumer to be assertive.
There was often an inordinately long wait on the phone line when calling DSS. It was suggested that more staff time and phone lines be devoted to answering calls.
Some people felt that, upon a request for information, if the staff member
did not know the answer, the consumer was referred somewhere else rather
than the staff member pursuing the request.
If participants wished to visit a Department of Social Security (DSS) office, they were often concerned about privacy. Discussing personal financial matters at a DSS counter raised concerns. Suggestions were made that more privacy booths should be installed as provided in some DSS offices when a meeting was held with a Financial Information Officer.
A blind person who applies for a Disability Support Pension is given a form
to fill out which obviously is very difficult. It was suggested that an audiotape
be available in each DSS office describing the questions asked on the form
so that the person can "have the dignity to fill out the form properly."
The form could also be available in large print.
4.3.3 Complaints handling
This is similar to dealing with banks where consumers were often given
conflicting information by different members of staff. However, the Disability
Support Pension for blind people has unique eligibility criteria which can
lead to some counter staff being less familiar with these details. In some
cases, consumers asked several times about the same issue and if they still
had not achieved a satisfactory outcome, had requested to speak to the supervisor
or manager. This had happened with some of the focus group participants who,
at that stage, had received satisfactory service and usually the issue was
resolved.
Participants felt that more organisations such as government offices were installing electronic queuing systems. These were entirely visually-based. Government offices used a machine where the consumer needed to choose a key to press according to the service required whereby a slip of paper was issued with a number on it. This number was then displayed on a board together with the number of the counter. This type of system is, of course, entirely inaccessible to a blind or vision impaired person. To overcome the queuing system problem, many participants rang the DSS office in advance to let counter staff know that they were coming in.
In Sweden, there have been pilot projects that attempted to solve this problem. Ticket machines were equipped with an extra key which, when pressed, activated a device with a pre-recorded synthetic speech output which announced the ticket number. When that number came up, the speech device was again activated and announced the number and the relevant counter. A sound beacon at the counter guided the person to the right place.
It would be valuable to conduct testing on various auditory queuing systems to determine the viability of installing such systems in government departments in Australia.
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Provision