Consumer information is essential for the activities of everyday life such as paying bills, considering the purchase of a new product or trying out a new service. Because this information is often temporary, it is difficult for people who are blind or vision impaired to obtain access to it. This report is the result of a project funded by the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council to find solutions to these issues.
The project surveyed the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired for various types of information from telecommunication companies, banks and the Department of Social Security. The project also investigated current Australian and overseas products, services, projects and policies. The rapid development of information delivery using new and emerging technology was an important focus.
Recommendations were made for the more widespread availability of information in alternative formats and the use of smart cards, interactive voice response systems and the Internet to provide a broader range of options. The need for universal design and awareness raising, and the importance of legislation and standardisation were also discussed.
As consumer information is “everybody’s business”, it is a pertinent topic to which everyone can contribute.
This report is the key outcome from a project funded by the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council.
The information in this report is, to the best of our knowledge, current as at October, 1996. While every effort has been made to ensure that the information is as up-to-date and accurate as possible, telecommunications and information technology are changing rapidly and this may have led to unforeseen inaccuracies.
Copies of this publication are available in print, Braille and electronic
form from:
National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia
87 High Street
Prahran Vic. 3181 Australia
Ph. +61 3 9521 3433
Fax: + 61 3 9521 3732
Email: bca@bca.org.au
ISBN 0 9587065 0 6
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Funding by the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (TCCC) to the
National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia (NFBCA) for this
Project is gratefully acknowledged.
The focus groups could not have taken place without the assistance of NFBCA executive members in Brisbane, Sydney and Kempsey who selected and contacted focus group participants. They also arranged premises and facilities for the meetings. I would like to thank Karen Knight in Brisbane, Pat Downie and Naomi Clarke in Sydney and Richard Mackay and Louise Patmore in Kempsey for their work. Also to be thanked are the notetakers: Lynne Davis and Des Millican. Lynne Davis provided much appreciated advice in the conducting of focus groups.
Bill Jolley (NFBCA), the Project Manager is sincerely thanked for his inspiration, energy and support during the Project. All the staff at NFBCA have been extremely helpful and are thanked for their hard work. I wish to especially thank Cheryl Gration and Sandra Knight for their administrative assistance.
All the members of the Project Steering Committee provided guidance and feedback during the course of the Project: Liz Atkinson (Telstra), Lynne Davis (NFBCA), Gerard Goggin (Consumers' Telecommunications Network), Karen Knight (NFBCA), Christopher Newell (TCCC Research Committee) and John Simpson (NFBCA).
Many people, who are too numerous to mention, assisted with information during the course of this Project. Christopher Newell and Tim Noonan were especially helpful in the provision of information and advice. Jan-Ingvar Lindström of Telia in Sweden and John Gill of the Royal National Institute for the Blind in the U.K. provided many leads to follow. The libraries at the Swedish Handicap Institute and the Royal Blind Society were important sources of material.
Finally, I wish to thank Prof. Rodney Topor, School of Computing and Information Technology, Griffith University for his friendship and support throughout the Project.
Gunela Astbrink
GSA Information Consultants
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People who are blind or vision impaired have had great difficulty in accessing consumer information from public utilities, companies and government departments. This type of information is essential for the activities of everyday life such as paying bills, considering the purchase of a new product, trying out a new service, being aware of an entitlement or participating in a community consultation. In fact, the free exchange of consumer information should be "everybody's business". However, because this type of information is often temporary and short-lived, it is usually not made available in alternative formats as books and journals might be. In fact, information providers are making increasing use of new computer-based technologies, such as multimedia, often rendering the information completely inaccessible to people who are blind or vision impaired.
This Project, which was funded by the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (TCCC), examined the information needs of blind or vision impaired people as consumers of products, services or public information from bodies such as telecommunications companies, banks and government departments. The Project highlighted telecommunications issues more than banking and government information issues because the telecommunications infrastructure and usability factors are considered to underpin many aspects of information access. A key part of the research was the use of focus groups in Sydney, Brisbane and country New South Wales. Information was also gathered from key informants with an intimate knowledge of consumer needs, an understanding of current services and an appreciation of potential technological solutions.
The Project also surveyed current Australian and overseas products, services, projects and policies. Because information access depends on the technology used for the provision of that information, it was important to broadly investigate policies and projects relating to technological developments. This included coordinating bodies, universal design principles, information kiosks, smart cards and interactive voice response systems. Finally, the Project proposed a number of strategies, set out in the recommendations listed below, for the effective and efficient delivery of accessible consumer information to people who are blind or vision impaired. These strategies do not constitute a set of prescriptions of when to use Braille, audio, large print or Interactive Voice Response technology. The reality is that most people who are blind or vision impaired can use one or more such formats but they can not comfortably use all of them. People will have their favourite formats based on their personal circumstances such as eyesight, onset of vision impairment, living arrangements, age, level of literacy and nature of the material or information to be accessed.
Focus group participants had, in some cases, considerable gaps in their knowledge about services and products on offer. This should be addressed by the provision of more focused information such as a directory of telephone products and services available in Australia for people with disabilities. It could also be possible for consumers to specify particular products and services of interest in the telecommunications or banking area so that when new products and services are launched, information can be sent directly to consumers in a format which has been previously agreed upon.
Many of the Project's focus group participants indicated an interest in new technology for obtaining consumer information and offered useful suggestions in this regard. The Internet was used by a number of participants and some wanted information via e-mail and the World Wide Web.
The World Wide Web was seen as an excellent source of information on telecommunications, banking and government services but due to the highly graphical nature of some of its information, it can be extremely difficult to use for a blind or vision impaired person. However, there are a number of guidelines on accessible Web page design which need to become better known by Web page designers. An accessibility symbol for placement on well-designed Web pages is being promoted with this in mind.
It is obviously more costly to make adaptations to equipment at a later date. Therefore, if a product or service was designed from the outset to take into account a broader section of the population, it would be more cost-effective in the longer term. The resulting products and services will actually benefit the whole community. This is the case with ramps which are also used by people with prams, shopping trolleys and delivery carts. Another example is high contrast computer screens in bright environments. For this type of design to be achieved successfully, there needs to be increased interaction between disability organisations, researchers and industry through consultative groups, awareness-raising and collaborative research.
Disability as well as telecommunications legislation are important avenues of ensuring that access to information and services is increased. Telstra's development of a Disability Action Plan is to be applauded.
Information kiosks for the delivery of government and consumer information through the use of touch screens and multimedia are becoming popular. At present, they are totally inaccessible to a blind or vision impaired person. However, research has been carried out in USA on a "Talking Fingertip" technique where auditory feedback is obtained when the finger touches various parts of the screen. Using a smart card, which has a microcircuit embedded in it to increase its intelligence, where the user's preferences on terminal interfaces are stored, it can be possible for a blind person to use information kiosks. The smart card can also be coded to instruct many other terminals such as payphones and ATMs on the user's preferences such as a larger type size or a backlit screen.
Interactive voice response (IVR) systems are an excellent way for a person who is vision impaired to pay bills and obtain information over the phone. Many of the focus group participants stated that they found these systems useful and wanted more information from telephone companies, for example, to be provided in this way. However, there was some concern raised about the impersonal nature of this type of interaction.
In Sweden and USA, there are fax-based reading services. This enables a blind or vision impaired person to fax any correspondence or other printed material to a person or centre where the fax is read back to them. There are methods of automating this service so that human intervention is reduced. In Australia, the TTY Relay Service could be a suitable location for such a service but privacy concerns need to be carefully addressed.
An underlying key issue in improving information access is awareness-raising. This needs to be done by disability organisations in a wide sweep covering all sections of the community from government departments, public utilities, companies to product designers and researchers. It is only when the community better understands the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired that there will be a change of perception which hopefully will lead to action.
As a focus group participant stated: "We have to be able to stand on our own two feet so you have to give us the tools with which to do it."
1. That NFBCA initiate discussions by March, 1997 with the
Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other appropriate
organisations towards a more detailed demographic analysis of people
who are blind or vision impaired. This should be part of the next
proposed Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers to be conducted by
the ABS.
2. That NFBCA discuss with the TCCC Customer Information Working Group the mechanism for including a representative from a disability organisation on the Working Group by March, 1997.
3. That Telstra consider publicising their products and services more by producing an annual directory of products and services for people with disabilities in print and in alternative formats.
4. That Telstra and/or Optus consider distributing leaflets in accessible formats on specific relevant services to disability and aged organisations.
5. That Telstra consider making available the general information found in the White Pages and the booklet, "A guide to using Telstra's telephone service" in alternative formats.
6. That Telstra and/or Optus consider the sponsorship of a short program on Radio for the Print Handicapped to provide information on new products and services.
7. That Telstra consider undertaking a feasibility study for the production of an audio magazine outlining new products and services.
8. That Telstra consider the installation of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR) service as part of its general sales enquiry line with one menu choice being for disability services.
9. That NFBCA work with telecommunications companies and banks to establish mechanisms by June, 1997 for information to be provided in alternative formats upon request.
10. That NFBCA initiate a discussion by June, 1997 with
telecommunications companies and banks for the introduction of a
system of targeted information that is provided to consumers on
request. When relevant new information becomes available, it is sent
to the customer in a pre-arranged accessible format.
11. That NFBCA discuss the feasibility of the expansion of Hello Yellow into a nation-wide service with the Yellow Pages company by April, 1997.
12. That Telstra consider introducing a service for the automatic
dialling of a phone number from a fixed phone after an enquiry has
been made to Directory Assistance similar to Call Connect which is
used with mobile phones.
13. That Telstra and Optus issue phone bills in alternative formats.
14. That NFBCA hold discussions with banks by March, 1997 to work towards streamlining services for people who are blind or vision impaired e.g. regular provision of Braille bank statements or large print statements; plain format statements for scanning or statements on disk.
15. That NFBCA develop guidelines for accessible form design by
May, 1997 and distribute these widely to companies, organisations and
government departments.
16. That NFBCA initiate a feasibility study by July, 1997 with the
Australian Communication Exchange's TTY Relay Service for the
establishment of a fax-based reading service. Relay service staff
could use off-peak times to read back faxed mail and other print
material.
17. That NFBCA, in association with other national organisations
of people with disabilities, negotiate by April, 1997 with
telecommunications companies, banks and government departments to
provide customer service training in assisting people with
disabilities.
18. That NFBCA seek funding by July, 1997 for a research project to investigate the acceptance and use of new technology by people who become vision impaired late in life.
19. That NFBCA conduct a survey by May, 1997 on Australian Web sites set up by telecommunications companies, banks and government departments to analyse their accessibility. For those sites which are not accessible, NFBCA should advise regarding accessible Web design.
20. That NFBCA set up and maintain a Web site by January, 1997 to disseminate information on its advocacy activities.
21. That NFBCA provide an assessment service of other Web sites' accessibility. This should be set up by April, 1997.
Information sharing and coordinating bodies
22. That NFBCA initiate discussions with the ACROD National
Technology Committee and ARATA by February, 1997 to form a reference
group with representatives from disability organisations, government,
telecommunications companies, industry and research organisations.
The group will monitor activities in all areas of telecommunications
and disability. It should have frequent interaction with similar
groups in USA and Europe such as COST 219 bis. There should be
government support and funding for the ongoing work of such a
group.
23. That Telstra and banks develop mechanisms so that people with disabilities are included in market testing of new products and services.
24. That the ACROD National Technology Committee encourage and advise large corporations to provide training and professional development for their research engineers and information technology specialists to give them an appropriate knowledge of disability issues relevant to their field of expertise. This will enable them to appreciate universal design principles and to develop "disability impact statements."
25. That NFBCA actively participate in the development of universal design guidelines "Design of hardware and software for universal access" with Standards Australia by March, 1997.
26. That NFBCA encourage companies to use the completed universal design guidelines developed by Standards Australia on an ongoing basis to incorporate "disability impact statements" in new products and services.
27. That Telstra develop a strategy to incorporate universal design policies into its product and services development processes. Goals toward achieving this should be included as part of Telstra's Disability Action Plan.
28. That Telstra's Product Development Fund consider incorporating universal design provision, wherever possible, in the products it supports.
29. That NFBCA present a proposal to the ACROD National Technology Committee by March, 1997 for an application to be developed to the Commonwealth Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) for the establishment of a new Cooperative Research Centre. This Centre would undertake collaborative research between industry including Telstra and universities in conjunction with disability organisations to speed the development and uptake of new technology based on universal design principles. Close contact would be maintained with overseas research and development organisations in similar areas.
30. That NFBCA write to the Office of Disability (Commonwealth
Department of Health and Family Services) by January, 1997 expressing
its support for the funding of technological research and expressing
its wish for this to continue and be expanded.
31. That NFBCA commence to monitor the developments occurring overseas in accessible document design by May, 1997 and continue to develop closer links with projects working in this area.
32. That NFBCA investigate the ICADD service and its applicability to Australia by March, 1997.
33. That NFBCA arrange to test the usefulness of the pwWebSpeak browser by January, 1997 and continue to test new Internet applications for people who are blind or vision impaired as they become available.
34. That NFBCA participate in discussions by February, 1997 with
Standards Australia on the feasibility of incorporating Australian
accessible Web design in the guidelines for "Design of hardware and
software for universal access".
35. That NFBCA recommend to the appropriate Commonwealth government department by May, 1997 to establish a federally-funded information and demonstration centre on accessibility. This would provide guidance for the government departments and agencies and companies to meet their obligations under the Disability Discrimination Act's Communication and Information Standard. It would also provide training, support and technical consultation to federal government departments and agencies.
36. That NFBCA produce a consumer information action guide by July, 1997. It will give guidelines to consumers on methods of alerting public utilities and corporations regarding the need to provide their information in alternative formats.
37. That NFBCA hold discussions with the banking industry by March, 1997 to establish increased awareness of information access in banking terminals such as ATMs and smart card readers for people who are blind or vision impaired.
38. That Telstra and banks consider including in their advertising campaigns a focus on Australia as an inclusive society and demonstrate use of services by people with disabilities.
39. That NFBCA actively encourages an increased focus on information accessibility and vision impairment at telecommunications and disability conferences. Examples are the Australian Conference on Technology for People with Disabilities to be held in Canberra in November, 1997, CTN's annual conference and the annual Communications Research Forum.
40. That NFBCA seek funding by April, 1997 to establish an Information Technology project managed by a project officer. This will ensure that recommendations in this report relating to NFBCA activities can be pursued.
41. That NFBCA have discussions with other peak disability
organisations to develop and present a strategy to the Sydney
Organising Committee for the Olympic Games by August, 1997 for the
provision of accessible consumer information through the availability
of accessible touchscreens, ATMs and Web pages at the Sydney Olympic
Games.
42. That NFBCA develop links by January, 1997 with information kiosk designers to recommend increased accessibility of screen-based information systems.
43. That NFBCA conduct a pilot project to test information kiosks using the "Talking Fingertip" prototype by September, 1997.
44. That NFBCA, as part of its activities in working with
information kiosk designers, raise awareness for accessible public
screen-based information systems.
45. That NFBCA develop close contact with the Asia-Pacific Smart Card Forum and the industry's leading consultants and researchers by February, 1997 to ensure that smart cards in Australia are designed according to emerging international standards.
46. That NFBCA develop close links by March, 1997 with Telstra's
Payphone Services Section which has been and will continue to be
collaborating in Australian smart card trials. This would help to
ensure that accessibility features are incorporated when smart card
operated payphones are implemented.
47. That Telstra develop a comprehensive IVR service incorporating sections of the White Pages and information on new products and services such as InContact and Easycall.
48. That Telstra consider the introduction of a voice dialling service.
49. That NFBCA discuss with blindness agencies the expansion of
existing IVR services to provide further government information and
other consumer information by March, 1997.
50. That NFBCA seek funding by July, 1997 for a project to investigate the provision of audio-on-demand for people who are blind or vision impaired as part of the development of video-on-demand services.
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"Access to information may be the most critical requirement of all people in their everyday lives" (M. Goggin, 1982, p.5 in Williamson, 1995, p.4)
The Telstra Consumer Consultative Council has provided research funding to the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia (NFBCA) for a project on Consumer Information Access for People who are Blind or Vision Impaired. The primary target group for the research is people who are blind or vision impaired and who are consumers of products and services from telecommunication companies, banking institutions and government departments.
Information pertinent to consumers includes:
(Victorian Association of Citizens Advice Bureaus, n.d. in Williamson [1993])
While it is obvious that blind or vision impaired people need consumer information in alternative formats, there are emerging technologies which can create both opportunities and obstacles for access to information. This is why the Project has taken a very wide view of the issue of consumer information access to encompass a discussion of new technologies and universal design.
The purpose of the Project was to undertake joint social and technical research
aiming to:
There were three main aspects of the Project:
The members of the Project Steering Committee were:
Bill Jolley (Project Manager)
Liz Atkinson (Telstra)
Lynne Davis (NFBCA)
Gerard Goggin (Consumers' Telecommunications Network)
Karen Knight (NFBCA)
Christopher Newell (TCCC Research Committee)
John Simpson (NFBCA)
Gunela Astbrink of GSA Information Consultants was appointed Research Consultant for the Project. She has many years of experience in the disability field in Australia and overseas. Gunela has also worked for Swedish Telecom in its Telematics and Disability Centre which included extensive liaison with researchers throughout Europe.
The Project investigated the information needs of consumers with a vision impairment through the primary mechanism of focus groups. Discussion was held based on a number of questions such as how payments for products and services were made, how people learned about and used products and services, what suggestions they had for the improvement of products and services, how they complained about products and services and finally, further information they would prefer about products and services. The group participants proved a valuable source for current practice in the knowledge and use of services and products. It was made clear that people who are blind or vision impaired use a variety of formats for accessing information depending on personal circumstances. The focus groups were supplemented by interviews and discussion with key informants in Australia - people with a good understanding of consumer needs, access methods and services currently available, future technologies, possible solutions and emerging issues.
Within the community of people who are blind or vision impaired, there are people who have not been addressed by mainstream approaches. For example, people from non-English speaking backgrounds who become vision impaired later in life and people who are Deafblind. The Project did not explore the needs of such groups in any detail. NFBCA is addressing some communications issues for people who are Deafblind including Braille TTY access.
The Project researched present and next generation technology as well as underlying policies to ensure that people with vision impairment have access to consumer information in the future. It investigated products, services, projects and policies both in Australia and overseas. If these were not available in Australia, it was determined if they were appropriate for Australian conditions and if so, how they could either be adopted or enhanced for use by blind or vision impaired people.
It was not the intention of the Project to investigate specific products such as screen reading software for computers but rather to provide an overview of projects and services in Australia and overseas which can have applications in the provision of consumer information by large private and public organisations.
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A number of different methods was used in the course of the Project in order to obtain a clear picture of the issues relating to consumer information access for blind or vision impaired people.
A demographic analysis was undertaken to provide an underlying foundation
for the other sections of the Project. Then, a qualitative analysis of consumer
information needs and access was completed through focus groups and discussions
with key informants. A survey of policies, projects, products and services
in Australia and overseas ensured a fuller understanding of the complexity
of issues relating to information access. It became clear that a broad analysis
was necessary to encompass the many factors which have an impact on the provision
of accessible information.
An overview of statistical surveys conducted on blindness and vision impairment in Australia and the U.K. was undertaken. While the broader definition of print disability was considered, it was felt that the complex and often contradictory area of print disability was inappropriate for this Project.
The surveys studied included "Blind and partially sighted adults in Britain: the RNIB survey" conducted in 1991, the Australian Bureau of Statistics "Disability, ageing & carers: Visual impairment" conducted in 1993, the "Print disability review" by the Department of Community Services and Health in 1989 and the Melbourne Visual Impairment Study in 1994. The Royal Guide Dogs Associations of Australia conducted a survey in 1987. However, the figures contained therein did not provide substantial new data. Both this survey and the "Report on an investigation into telecommunications needs of disabled persons" conducted by Telecom Australia around 1980 provided some useful background information.
The data which is of relevance to this Project was the incidence of blindness
and vision impairment in the population and the methods used by blind and
vision impaired people to obtain information.
Focus groups were used as a valuable method of obtaining data from consumers in a direct and interactive manner. This technique has been used effectively in many research projects and was considered especially valuable in the Consumer Needs Assessment Project conducted with people with disabilities in USA. Not only are focus group participants able to directly provide feedback to the researcher but also participants can share information and learn from each other. (Ward, 1990) In one of the Project's focus group meetings, some participants had not met since school days and old friendships were renewed.
Because there were three distinct subject areas (telecommunications companies, banks and Department of Social Security) where many issues needed to be addressed, it was decided to concentrate discussion on one specific subject area for each group. The groups were divided into older and younger groups and the subject areas covered and number of participants were as follows: Because there were three distinct subject areas (telecommunications companies, banks and Department of Social Security) where many issues needed to be addressed, it was decided to concentrate discussion on one specific subject area for each group. The groups were divided into older and younger groups and the subject areas covered and number of participants were as follows:
Location Subject Age group Females Males Total Brisbane DSS (older group) 7 4 11 Brisbane Telco. (younger group) 2 3 5 Sydney Bank (older group) 6 1 7 Sydney Telco. (younger group) 5 4 9 Macleay/ Telco. (mixed group) 5 2 7 Nambucca Total 25 14 39
The age range of participants was from people in their early twenties to people in their seventies.
A result of this allocation of subject areas to the focus groups was that telecommunications issues were explored more deeply by younger people who were more experienced in using a range of alternative information access techniques. Further research on information access in other areas such as the banking sector, in particular, may prove beneficial.
Local executive members of NFBCA organised the focus group meetings by selecting and contacting suitable focus group participants. They also arranged premises and facilities for the meetings.
A short audiotape was sent to focus group participants outlining the Project and the focus of the discussion. The sessions were facilitated by the Research Consultant, Gunela Astbrink. All sessions were audiotaped and most of the sessions had a notetaker. Each group was aware that the session was being taped and informed that there was a notetaker. When there was no notetaker, the facilitator relied on the audiotapes and her own notes.
Each focus group meeting commenced with a 5-minute overview of the Project. Each person was given the opportunity of having their say by being asked individually for their opinion. However, there was also free-ranging discussion over a wide range of topics within the subject area. A scenario was used in order to open up opportunities to cover the listed questions. (App. A)
Sessions were two hours in duration and participants were open and involved in the discussion. In only one case, was there reluctance to answer a question. Many participants were well-informed and articulate about their requirements.
Towards the end of each session, people were asked to comment on the other two areas not discussed in their focus group. Some useful observations were obtained this way. No one felt the need to stay after the end of the session to discuss any further points.
The composition of the focus groups could be broadened to include people
who become vision impaired later in life. This is a particularly difficult
group to reach as many people are housebound and/or socially isolated and
find it difficult to attend a focus group session away from their familiar
surroundings. This research would be ideal to include in future studies together
with why people undertake different behaviours in their method of obtaining
information.
Information about Australian and overseas developments was obtained in a
number of ways.
Members of the Project Steering Committee were key people in the provision of details about current and planned projects, products and services. This included Christopher Newell, a pioneer in Australia on telecommunications and disability issues. The Committee acted as a springboard to contact with other opinion leaders in Australia such as staff and members of NFBCA, the Association of the Blind (Vic), the Royal Victorian Institute of the Blind, the Royal Blind Society (NSW) as well as other blindness agencies through participants of the focus groups.
Consumer organisations such as the Consumers' Telecommunications Network provided valuable policy information and contacts with other related organisations such as the Communications Law Centre.
Patricia Gillard and Kirsty Williamson at the Telecommunications Needs Research Group based at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) provided much useful information on the social aspects of telecommunications usage.
Attendance at the Summit “Negotiating the information superhighway with a print disability” which was sponsored by the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities provided a useful perspective on issues such as legislation and technology and its effects on the provision of information.
In October, 1995, a visit was made to Europe to pursue other interests but this presented an opportunity to discuss the Project with colleagues in Sweden, Switzerland and Portugal.
In Sweden, meetings were held with representatives from Telia, the Swedish Handicap Institute, the National Swedish Board for Consumer Policies and the Nordic Committee on Disability.
In Switzerland, Telecom 95 was attended which is held every four years and is the largest telecommunications exhibition in the world.
A paper was given about the Internet and disability at ECART3 (European Conference on the Advancement of Rehabilitation Technology) in Portugal. This was an opportunity to meet with experts in the field such as John Gill from the Royal National Institute for the Blind.
Contact details for organisations and projects relevant to the Project are listed in App. B.
Searching on-line databases was carried out for relevant literature that could "plug the gaps" for information.
A most useful source of information was the Internet where a number of different methods were used for data collection. Electronic mail was used to communicate with colleagues and others to confirm or obtain further details on projects. Internet discussion lists or listservs are set up for people all over the world to provide input and gain answers to questions on a particular topic. Relevant discussion lists were subscribed to and questions were posted relating to this project. Lists used, discussing topics such as computer access for blind people, equal access to software and information, are listed in Appendix C.
A particularly useful source of information relevant to the Project was the World Wide Web. (App. D) The information is usually very up-to-date and, as reports from government and non-profit organisations are often not indexed in bibliographic databases, it is a very effective means of discovering this type of data. To supplement the on-line information, publications were obtained from a variety of projects and sources. (App. E)
As technology and telecommunications is changing very rapidly, the report
can not be entirely up-to-date but an attempt has been made to ensure currency
as much as possible. The examples used for activities in Australia and other
countries is not exhaustive but are designed to give an overview of the area
under study.
The report is divided into four major sections. These are a demographic analysis and a discussion on consumer information needs; specific types of consumer information provision; the underlying policies to information access; and the underlying technologies used to provide information access. As there is, relatively speaking, not as much activity in Australia as in many other countries, U.S. and European activities are covered in reasonable detail to provide a picture of the developments occurring in information access for people with disabilities.
Recommendations are described within each section and are also listed in the Executive Summary.
Appendices list the questions asked in the focus groups; relevant contact people; Internet discussion lists and Web sites; a bibliography; list of acronyms and examples of information material in alternative formats from Telia.
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The best demographic data in Australia on vision impairment comes from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) survey (ABS, 1993). This used a sample of 17,800 private households, 1,600 special dwelling units and 700 establishments and resulted in 47,000 persons being surveyed. Establishments are defined by ABS as hospitals, nursing homes, hostels and retirement villages. One person in each household was asked to state if any household member had a vision impairment which was not corrected by glasses. If so, they were asked a number of questions relating to that impairment such as education, lifestyle and community activities, print disability and help needed. Because of the small sample size in some areas, the ABS states that the data should be treated with caution.
Extrapolating from the survey data, the ABS estimated that there were 278,700 persons with vision impairment and of these, 17,000 persons had a total loss of sight. It is estimated by the ABS that 18% of the Australian population have a disability and of these, 8.8% have a vision impairment. From this, it is estimated that 1.58% of the total Australian population had a vision impairment in 1993.
This figure is supported by the Melbourne Visual Impairment Study which reported that 1.5% of its sample had a vision loss. The Study was conducted in 1994 on 3,266 people over the age of 40 years in nine randomly selected areas of Melbourne. This study was organised by the Department of Ophthalmology at the University of Melbourne and aimed to "determine the distribution and determinants of eye disease in an urban population; the impact of eye disease on visual function and the activities of daily living; and the accessibility of eye health care services in the community." (Livingston, 1994, p. 139) A free sight test was given.
However, the survey conducted by the Royal Guide Dogs Associations of Australia in 1987 estimated that there were between 2.8% and 3.4% of people over the age of 15 years who could not see normally even when wearing glasses or contact lenses. This was a survey done of 4,500 households. Due to the methods used in this survey, it is considered that the resultant estimate of incidence of vision impairment may be less accurate than the ABS survey.
ABS data show that vision impairment is strongly age-related and this is supported by other population-based studies conducted in USA. (Livingston, 1994). The ABS estimated that 13.6% of the population aged 75 years and over had a vision impairment. This figure may actually be higher as the ABS used a self-reporting technique and many aged people consider that some vision loss is a natural part of the ageing process and may not have reported this loss in the survey.
Studies show that, in Australia, the population of people over 65 years of
age is expected to double by the year 2020 (Livingston, p.139) and thus the
number of people with a vision impairment can also be expected to increase
markedly. This will have important implications for the services which are
offered to this age group as accessible information provision for people
with vision impairment is also advantageous for aged people who are experiencing
gradual vision loss. In fact, the issue of access to consumer information
becomes even more complex when one considers that it is not only people who
are blind or vision impaired who may have difficulty in reading print. The
Department of Community Services and Health in its Print Disability Review
(1989) defined people with a print disability as:
While the concept of print disability is important and the statistics indicate the number of people with a print disability to be twice as high as the ABS figures for people with a vision impairment, it is not appropriate in the Project to expand the scope into print disability but rather to be aware of some of the complexities in this area.
However, it is important to note that people with a vision impairment may also have another impairment. The survey conducted in the U.K. by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) found that 35% of people with a vision impairment also had a hearing impairment. Excluding hearing impairments, 67% of people with a vision impairment also had another disability such as arthritis (25%). This was comparable to the ABS figure of 19.1% of people with a vision impairment also having arthritis or other musculoskeletal disorders.
The RNIB survey is considered the most comprehensive of its kind in recent years. The survey was conducted to coincide with a survey of disability undertaken by the U.K. Office of Population Censuses and Surveys (OPCS) in the late 1980's. The OPCS sent a short questionnaire to 100,000 randomly selected households. All those who responded that they had difficulty in recognising a friend across the road or reading ordinary newsprint, were visited by OPCS interviewers who administered acuity tests for near and distant vision. These tests were given in conjunction with an interview relating to health, social services and income. RNIB were then given permission to follow-up with a more detailed interview with those who met a residual vision criterion. As well, RNIB contacted a number of local authorities which were asked to identify blind or vision impaired people in their municipalities. Local government in the U.K. have registers of blind or vision impaired people and this is regarded as an avenue of ensuring access to services and entitlements. However, it seems that most entitlements (except for the blind person's tax allowance) are obtainable anyway.
The RNIB survey covered demographics, reading habits using different media such as large print, Braille and tapes, any other disabilities incurred as well as extensive questions on mobility and daily living. People with a vision impairment identified printed materials as one of the biggest challenges to daily life. 59% of people with a vision impairment needed assistance in dealing with mail, leaflets and paying bills. It is interesting to note that, in the U.K., telephoning people was considered an important way (54%) of "finding things out". This is a significant figure bearing in mind that phone ownership in the U.K. is quite low especially among people with an unregistered vision impairment who had a phone ownership rate of only 67%. This is in contrast to Australia where the estimated number of households with a phone connection is over 95%.
There is some variance between the surveys undertaken in Australia and the U.K. due to different methodology used. Although the ABS data is less detailed, the figures are reasonably consistent with the survey done by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB). Only the surveys done by RNIB and the Melbourne Visual Impairment Study included sight tests. The question asked by the ABS relating to seeing normally is subjective and can be interpreted quite differently by many people.
The RNIB survey provides useful data on peoples' methods of obtaining information about services and their telephone usage. However, these figures can not be transferred easily to the Australian context. It would be very valuable to have statistical data on the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired with regards to assistance required in dealing with mail, leaflets and paying bills. Also, it would be useful to have Australian statistical data on the usage of the telephone by blind or vision impaired people.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA initiate discussions by March, 1997 with the Australian Bureau
of Statistics (ABS) and other appropriate organisations towards a more detailed
demographic analysis of people who are blind or vision impaired. This should
be part of the next proposed Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers to be
conducted by the ABS.
Go to Contents Page
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.
Go to Contents Page
Consumer information from telecommunications companies, banks and the Department of Social Security currently available to people who are blind or vision impaired in Australia is limited by the lack of provision of that information in accessible formats.
The Disability Discrimination Act's Standard on Communication and Information
should, when completed, act as an important guide and incentive to the provision
of increasingly accessible consumer information. Telstra's Disability Action
Plan, once approved, should also be an important instrument in the provision
of information in alternative formats.
Telstra has developed a set of principles for meeting customer information needs. These were formulated in consultation with the Customer Information Working Group of the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (TCCC). The principles are designed to assist Telstra when developing and implementing customer information. Unfortunately, at this stage, there is no representative from a disability organisation on the Working Group.
The TCCC Customer Information Working Group has commented on the second edition of "A guide to using Telstra's telephone service" which was released in mid-1996. It provides an extensive coverage of Telstra's products and services (including disability services) and is available from Telstra shops, consumer organisations and on the Internet. The first edition of the Guide, published in 1994, was produced in Braille by Telstra in 1995. However, it appears that no arrangement has yet been made to produce the 1996 edition in alternative formats. This illustrates that mechanisms are needed to ensure that good initiatives are developed into regular practice.
The Telstra Disability Enquiry Hotline is a free call service (Ph. 1800 068424) where people can enquire about Telstra's products and services designed specifically for people with a disability. If the call is of a more general nature, the caller is referred to the appropriate section.
Telstra's Aged and Disability Centres are located in each State capital city and provide an advisory service to people with a disability. Staff at these centres understand peoples' special communication needs and can advise customers about the ways they can improve their use of the phone. Telephones which have features useful for people with disabilities are on display. The most relevant aid for people who are blind or vision impaired is a finger guide for the standard Telstra Touchfone 200. This is a keypad overlay which is designed to assist people with low vision or limited motor dexterity to dial with greater accuracy. There are also large number rings available for rotary dial phones. There is a Telstra Disability Tariff Concession Policy for the supply of these types of aids to people with disabilities. As far as is known, information about these services is not available in alternative formats but it can be obtained from the Disability Enquiry Hotline.
An example of a generic service which is of particular value to people who are blind or vision impaired is the bill enquiries number. People can ring this number to request information about any detail of their phone bill.
As far as is known, there is no consumer information provided by banks in alternative formats apart from the issuing of Braille bank statements on request by the Commonwealth Bank.
The Department of Social Security produces a regular audio magazine "Social
Security Update" which is sent to all blind people who receive the Disability
Support Pension or the Aged-Blind Pension.
British Telecom (BT) publishes an annual guide called "The BT guide for people who are disabled or elderly: The latest products and services to help you use the phone." It is a comprehensive listing of not only products and services supplied by BT but also by a range of other organisations in the U.K. It is a useful general guide to BT network services, telephones and payphones. The catalogue is then divided into sections for hearing, speech, sight and mobility and dexterity with product and services listed under each section. Finally, information is provided on alarm systems, telephone conferencing, publications, directory enquiries and some disability organisations. The catalogue is available in print, Braille, audiotape and on the Internet.
BT also produces a quarterly newsletter called "Dovetail". It is principally staff to keep them up to date with developments for disabled customers. However, it is freely available on request to disability organisations and the general public.
Some UK banks provide some brochures in Braille. The conversion to Braille is undertaken by the Royal National Institute for the Blind as a commercial enterprise. It is an established operation and many financial institutions and BT consider it good public relations to provide such a service.
Government agencies in Sweden provide information in alternative formats if requested to do so. The National Swedish Board for Consumer Policies and the National Board of Health and Welfare produce their newsletters on audiotape. The state-run pharmacies have tapes of their information sheets about various illnesses and medicines.
A great deal of information material from Telia (formerly Swedish Telecom) is available in large print and some is available in Braille. The type of material in alternative formats is listed in Appendix G.
Telia produces a small newsletter which is sent out with the phone bill. People with a vision impairment can choose instead to ring a certain number for a phone version of the newsletter. The newsletter is then read out. It is possible for those with a touch tone phone to use the interactive voice response system to control the reading by relistening to a certain section or by jumping over a certain section.
Information about Telia's PLUS services (roughly equivalent to Telstra's Easycall services) can be obtained by ringing a certain number for pre-recorded details.
Information on prices and other services is also available from Telia through recorded messages or it can be faxed to the caller.
There are at least nine disability BBSs in Sweden which are connected together under the name Fruit Tree. One particular BBS was established by the Association of the Swedish Deafblind and is called Träffpunkt 44. This BBS is primarily aimed at the association's activities but is open to everyone. In January 1992, there were 90 active users while in April, 1994 there were 450 active users (who login at least once per fortnight). As the BBS is open to anyone and is connected to the other BBSs under the Fruit Tree, there is a broad range of discussion topics and messages sent between members. Of the nine BBSs, Träffpunkt 44 has the most active number of users. The news from Text-TV is made available on the system. This form of information exchange has proved most useful to people who are Deafblind.
There is a free Braille service for Deafblind people through the Swedish Library of Talking Books and Braille. About 80 users send in texts from their post and newspapers and receive them back in Braille. Pictures can also be interpreted through this service.
Pacific Bell has a database of 600 disability organisations in California
and regularly sends these organisations updates on its disability program.
A video has also been produced which has been distributed to these organisations
and Pacific Bell's business offices.
There is a large amount still to be done in the provision of accessible consumer information in Australia.
As the needs of people with disabilities are quite specific with regard to accessible information, it would be advantageous for a representative from a disability organisation to be included on TCCC's Customer Information Working Group. This provides further input on the most appropriate presentation of information for those with low vision as well as giving advice on alternative formats.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA discuss with the TCCC Customer Information Working Group the mechanism
for including a representative from a disability organisation on the Working
Group by March, 1997.
There is a wide range of consumer information from telecommunications companies
which needs to be made available to people who are blind or vision impaired.
This will enable these consumers to gain more from products and services
and may increase their usage of services. Information on those products and
services which are specifically designed for people with disabilities could
be provided in the form of an annual directory. This directory could be available
in alternative formats.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That Telstra consider publicising their products and services more
by producing an annual directory of products and services for people with
disabilities in print and in alternative formats.
That Telstra and/or Optus consider distributing
leaflets in accessible formats on specific relevant services to disability
and aged organisations.
"A guide to using Telstra's telephone service" contains some of the information which is available in the front section of the White Pages relating to customers' rights, Telstra's responsibilities, and an overview of services including disability services. It also contains a useful list of general service numbers. It was emphasised by focus group participants that such information would be particularly valuable in alternative formats for use as reference material.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider making available the general information found in the
White Pages and the booklet, "A guide to using Telstra's telephone service"
in alternative formats.
Other ways of publicising products and services for people who are blind
or vision impaired is to make use of the Radio for the Print Handicapped
(RPH). This radio network with stations in the capital cities of Australia,
while directed at people with a print disability, has a much broader following
and could be an excellent marketing application. The Hello Yellow service
was well-known through the exposure received on RPH. While only a certain
percentage of their programming is allocated to commercial segments, a short
spot on the latest specials together with relevant products and services
would reach a wide target audience.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra and/or Optus consider the sponsorship of a short program
on Radio for the Print Handicapped to provide information on new products
and services.
Some focus group participants expressed a wish to have a Telstra audio magazine while others felt they needed to limit the number of tapes which they could listen to. There might, however, be a considerable number of aged people with low vision who would value such a method of obtaining information about new products and services. A feasibility study might therefore be necessary to evaluate the need for such a service.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider undertaking a feasibility study for the production
of an audio magazine outlining new products and services.
The Disability Enquiry Hotline is a valuable service and continued promotion of this service is important so that people can benefit from it. However, often people may not be aware of what services to ask for. An Interactive Voice Response service as part of the general sales enquiry line could offer a menu choice for disability services which would provide an overview of products and services. This could be a supplementary choice besides talking to the operator.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider the installation of an Interactive Voice Response (IVR)
service as part of its general sales enquiry line with one menu choice being
for disability services.
The above recommendations cover general information which the company believes the consumer may be interested in. However, there might be specific information which a person who is blind or vision impaired has heard about and wants further information. There needs to be a mechanism in place where this information can be provided, within reason, in the alternative format which is most appropriate for that person.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA work with telecommunications companies and banks to establish
mechanisms by June, 1997 for information to be provided in alternative formats
upon request.
There may be consumers who are specifically interested in a certain product such as mobile phones and may want updated information on new services relating to this product. This is an opportunity for telecommunications companies and banks to set up a system of targeted information to consumers on request. The consumers state on an initial application form that they wish to be sent regular updated information and in what format. Privacy considerations are very important and these types of mailing lists should not be shared with or sold to other companies.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA initiate a discussion by June, 1997 with telecommunications companies
and banks for the introduction of a system of targeted information that is
provided to consumers on request. When relevant new information becomes
available, it is sent to the customer in a pre-arranged accessible
format.
5.2.1 Australian activities
Directory assistance is provided free of charge using a semi-automated system. A person speaks to an operator to request a number for a person or organisation and then the number is provided by synthetic speech. The number is repeated twice and if the person requires further assistance, the line is switched through to an operator again. This is a much used and appreciated service by all sectors of the Australian community.
A new Telstra service called Call Connect enables mobile phone users to request a number for a person or organisation and be automatically connected to the number. This service could be extremely useful for people who are blind or vision impaired as the number given does not have to be memorised and then dialled. In fact, the mobile phone user is not given the number as the service is designed as connection assistance rather than directory assistance. There is an additional charge for this service. It is not available for fixed phone services at this stage.
Hello Yellow is a service provided by Yellow Pages in south-east Queensland only. A person can ring Hello Yellow and ask about a selection of companies in a certain area. For example, what home delivery pizza shops are available in a particular suburb. The operator provides the person with several different numbers and additional information if requested. This service is extremely useful for blind or vision impaired people as it offers an element of choice which is otherwise seldom available. Hello Yellow is a general service but it has realised the potential for people who are blind or vision impaired and promoted its services on Radio for the Print Handicapped.
Telstra's White Pages are available on CD-ROM in both DOS and Windows versions.
Both the White Pages and the Yellow Pages can be searched on the Internet
from the Telstra Web site.
Talking Pages is a service in the U.K. similar to Hello Yellow where details from the Yellow Pages are provided over the phone by specially trained operators. The caller states what type of shop or business he or she wants (both locally or nationally) to contact. The operator can then provide details on products or services of relevant businesses and even opening hours, phone and fax numbers, credit card acceptance and whether any facilities are provided to people with disabilities. This service is available 24 hours per day to the general public.
A service offered by Bell Atlantic is called Connect ReQuest (similar to
Telstra's Call Connect). This enables the customer to be automatically connected
to the number requested after contacting Directory Assistance.
Directory Assistance is an extremely important and well-used service by the whole community. It is vital for people who are blind or vision impaired and unable to use the print version of the White and Yellow Pages.
The Hello Yellow service in Brisbane has been enthusiastically received by focus group participants as providing them with a choice of phone numbers for a particular service. It is important to stress that this a generic service and not one directed principally at people with disabilities.
Focus group participants outside Brisbane were very interested in the service. However, country people were concerned that STD rates might be charged for such a service.
Hello Yellow should be expanded to cover the rest of Australia as has been successfully done in the U.K. Obviously, there would be a cost involved in the delivery of the service and so the feasibility of an expansion should be undertaken.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA discuss the feasibility of the expansion of Hello Yellow into
a nation-wide service with the Yellow Pages company by April, 1997.
The recent introduction of Call Connect for mobile phones makes it much easier to quickly phone a person when their number is not easily available. Obviously, this type of service would be invaluable for a person who is blind or vision impaired and has to rely on their memory or have a recording mechanism close by. Therefore, this service should include fixed phones as well as mobile phones.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider introducing a service for the automatic dialling
of a phone number from a fixed phone after an enquiry has been made to Directory
Assistance similar to Call Connect which is used with mobile phones.
The majority of blind or vision impaired people receive bank statements and
telephone bills on a regular basis and have to rely on family and friends
and in some cases, other people to read these rather personal accounts to
them. This is a typical example of the lack of privacy in their personal
affairs which many people with disability have to endure.
As far as is known, telephone bills are not provided in alternative formats at this stage.
With regard to bank statements, the Commonwealth Bank can provide these in
Braille but there are a number of privacy issues regarding outside organisations
doing Braille embossing.
5.3.3 Overseas activities
In the U.K., four major banks and British Telecom (BT) provide statements in large print and Braille. It is also possible to have the details of the BT bill read over the phone to the blind person before the bill is posted.
In France, there are a variety of services in different parts of the country. For example, in Toulouse, there is an independent production centre where bank statements are received electronically and then produced in Braille for clients. The Centre de Transcription et d'Edition en Braille has produced Braille versions of municipal information and bank statements from 34 banks since 1989. It also produces gas and electricity bills in Braille.
The Swedish bank, Nordbanken provides a service for blind people which includes
Braille bank statements. Customers do not need to use bank forms but can
contact the bank with their payment requirements. There are about 600-700
customers who use this service.
There is a very pronounced need for telephone bills and bank statements to be provided in alternative formats as indicated by focus group participants.
Both Telstra and Optus should investigate, with urgency, the most appropriate mechanism for providing bills in Braille and large print. Usually, Braille production is contracted out to blindness organisations which have the necessary equipment and expertise.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra and Optus issue phone bills in alternative
formats.
The Commonwealth Bank currently provides bank statements in Braille but there have been some problems with the processing of these statements. Privacy issues have been of concern to some people due to the production of Braille being done by a blindness agency. There needs to be discussions with the Commonwealth Bank to streamline procedures. As well, talks should be held with other banks for the provision of statements in alternative formats.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA hold discussions with banks by March, 1997 to work towards
streamlining services for people who are blind or vision impaired e.g. regular
provision of Braille bank statements or large print statements; plain format
statements for scanning or statements on disk.
People with low vision may be able to read clearly presented forms, invoices and cheques. However, they are often handicapped by forms which use small and/or light print and serif fonts such as Times New Roman. Some people scan forms into their computer and thus use speech reading software to read the form's contents. However, horizontal tables can be a bugbear as screen reading programs can not read these properly. As companies design new forms, some of these considerations could be taken into account so that a larger number of people would have access to forms.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA develop guidelines for accessible form design by May,
1997 and distribute these widely to companies, organisations and government
departments.
5.4.1 Introduction
The RNIB survey found that, of all daily living tasks, dealing with paperwork such as mail and bills causes the most difficulty. "A higher proportion of respondents than for other tasks across all age groups and both sight levels stated that they found these tasks either 'very difficult' or 'impossible'."(Bruce, p. 204)
Most people ask family or friends to read their mail and bills for them. According to the RNIB survey, postcards and letters (88%), bills (77%) and official forms (76%) were the items most frequently read to them. It is interesting to note that the items that people who are blind or vision impaired most disliked having read to them were private letters and bills due to privacy reasons. (Bruce, p. 112-113)
Another approach to having material read is through the use of a remote reading
service using the telephone. Mail and other print-based documents can be
faxed to a sighted reader or reading service which reads the material back
to the blind person over the telephone. To ensure privacy, it is vital that
the reader signs a confidentiality contract and does not know people in the
particular community he or she is serving.
5.4.2 Australian activities
There are no such services, as far as is known, in Australia.
The survey conducted by the Royal Blind Society in New South Wales on interactive
voice response (see Section 7.3.2) asked respondents if they would use a
free service where volunteers read their mail over the phone. Only 23.1%
would definitely use this service while 41% would definitely not use this
service. Because of the large numbers of questions being asked in the survey,
only brief explanations were given. It is possible that people did not fully
understand how the service would operate and that they believed that people
they knew might read their personal mail. Some focus group participants indicated
an interest in such a service but there were concerns about the cost of a
fax machine.
The fax-based reading service was initially a Swedish Telecom pilot project which made use of Swedish Telecom's TTY relay centres for reading back faxed messages from blind people. It is now a service operated by the Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired (SRF) with a fax reading centre in one city. Funding was obtained by the Ministry of Health and Social Affairs for SRF to run the centre and purchase fax machines for those who need them. There are over 100 users.
Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Center have provided a similar
service but used people with mobility impairments in their own homes as the
readers of the faxed messages from blind people. The initial funding provided
for a project manager, two readers, the phone service and two computers with
fax software. Twenty-six blind people throughout USA participated in the
project and of these, twenty-two received fax machines. This service is being
streamlined through the scanning of text and reading back being done by a
voice synthesiser so that not all text has to be read back by a human reader.
However, an override facility would refer pictures and diagrams and other
difficult machine-readable material to a human reader.
As dealing with mail is such an important issue in the daily lives of people who are blind or vision impaired, further work needs to be done to find alternative methods for the provision of reading services.
The possibility of using a fax-based reading service should be considered
and a feasibility study undertaken to ascertain its acceptability by people
who are blind or vision impaired. This study could be done in conjunction
with the Australian Communication Exchange's (ACE) TTY Relay Service. This
is a consumer-run organisation providing a national relay service for people
with hearing or speech impairments who use a TTY. There are strict guidelines
on confidentiality throughout the service. During off-peak times, operators
could read back faxed mail and other printed material to people who are blind
or vision impaired.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA initiate a feasibility study by July, 1997 with the Australian
Communication Exchange's TTY Relay Service for the establishment of a fax-based
reading service. Relay service staff could use off-peak times to read back
faxed mail and other print material.
Consumers are often given conflicting information by different staff of telecommunications companies, banks and the Department of Social Security.
The CTN study on residential consumers identified the fact that "misunderstandings between older consumers and customer service staff are more likely to occur because staff are not trained to work with sensitivity with those customers." (1995, p. 176) This also applies to older people with a disability.
Ongoing customer service training in companies and government departments is vital to ensure that staff are trained in dealing with clients who come from all parts of the community and have a range of different requests. It is especially important that service staff have an awareness of dealing with people with disabilities. Induction training could include experiential exercises, talks given by, for example, people who are blind or vision impaired and videos illustrating positive interactions with people with disabilities. Information on current relevant products and services should be provided at this training and on an ongoing basis.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA, in association with other national organisations of people with
disabilities, negotiate by April, 1997 with telecommunications companies,
banks and government departments to provide customer service training in
assisting people with disabilities.
The Internet is rapidly becoming more and more widely used by many sectors in the community. Blind or vision impaired people are also making use of the Internet as it provides an opportunity of accessing, on an equal basis, material previously only available in print such as newspapers, consumer information and scholarly journals. (See heading "The Internet" under section 6.5.3)
Quite a few of the younger people in the focus groups use computers and the Internet. Older people may show resistance to the technology for a considerable while longer. For example, Williamson's study (p. 261) found that only 14% of respondents had a computer at home or work and there was resistance to computer usage. Reasons stated were "cost and the fear of something which was seen as complicated and difficult to master." It is important to realise that the data collection period was between mid-1992 and early 1994 before the widespread media coverage of the Internet.
There are clear examples of Internet usage by older people such as SeniorNet based in Ipswich, Queensland and the popularity of the computer training skills program developed by Flinders University called Seniors Online. Experiences from the latter program indicate that older people prefer to be taught by older people.
Williamson, in a recent study on Internet usage in public libraries by people over 50 years of age, found that people were reluctant at first but then had positive experiences when relevant information was retrieved. Of the 90% of people who had never used the Internet before, 85% said they would use it again. (Williamson, 1996, p. 166)
There is still the risk though that, in the short term, older people (and
certainly people who are blind or vision impaired) may be disadvantaged as
more consumer information is delivered by computer-based systems. This is
one reason why the Victorian Department of Human Services will be holding
a one-day consumer seminar in March, 1997 on information technology and older
people as part of Seniors Week. This seminar is directed at consumers
themselves.
Telecommunications services
Telstra has an excellent and informative Web site on the Internet. The electronic
version of "The guide to using Telstra's telephone services" is available
for browsing. It provides a listing of all general service contact numbers
and outlines benefits, allowances and disability services.
The White and Yellow Pages can be searched on the Internet and there are links to electronic phone directories in other countries.
Telstra also provides much useful general Australian information on the Internet.
It provides listings of links to news such as daily newspapers including
the Sydney Morning Herald, the Age, the Australian Financial Review and the
Australian. There are also listings of links to travel, arts, finance, sport
and children's pages. Thus, Telstra's Web site can be considered an important
entry point for this type of information.
Banking services
The major banks in Australia all have a presence on the Internet. For example,
Westpac has a good overview of its services including personal bank accounts
and its Web pages are reasonably accessible.
The Advance Bank offers the facility of transferring funds between accounts
over the Internet. However, the design of the Web pages make them quite
inaccessible to people who are blind or vision impaired and using a screen
reader.
Government services
The Department of Social Security's Community Information Network (CIN) has
been designed to provide information on government and community services
through the Internet. For example, there are details about DSS pensions and
benefits as well as local community information. Accessibility features for
CIN's Web pages on the Internet were not initially taken into account but
after some further development work, there is improved access to the present
Web pages.
The pilot project established a series of 300 Local Access Points to ensure that people who did not have facilities at home to use the Internet still had access to the information. These Local Access Points were set up in libraries, health centres and community centres at a number of pilot test sites in different parts of Australia. The sites had standard PCs and some test sites were to evaluate the access requirements of blind or vision impaired people. However, after the completion of the pilot phase, the facilities at the Local Access Points have been withdrawn and much of CIN's work will be discontinued due to budgetary cutbacks.
There are several other Internet-based services on Australian government information such as EdNA which provides a comprehensive listing of educational facilities, services and policies in Australia. It is a good example of a thoughtful approach to accessible information access.
The National Library of Australia is the main Internet entry point to all government information including federal government departments. It provides a very useful and easily accessible service on the Internet.
The Victorian government is aiming to expand its Internet communications
network, VICNET to the entire state by the end of 1997. Thus, people in Victoria
will have local access to the Internet either through their public library
or from a home computer. In addition, a network of Community Communications
Centres will be set up throughout the state with online information and services
available on multimedia computers. It is unknown whether the interests of
people who are blind or vision impaired have been taken into account.
5.6.3 Overseas activities
Telecommunications services
In USA, the telecommunications companies provide a great deal of information
on their Web pages. Some companies offer much broader information than merely
about telecommunications. For example, AT&T is one of the sites which
provided a coverage of the Atlanta Olympics.
Nynex has set up a Yellow Pages directory on the Internet called Big Yellow. It provides business listings throughout the country and it claims to contain 16 million listings. It provides a text only version and has placed the Web Access Symbol on its home page.
Companies such as Pacific Bell and Nynex provide details of their services to people with disabilities while Bell Atlantic provide in-depth information about their products and services generally.
Banking services
There are many banks with services on the Internet. One of these is the Bank
of America which offers comprehensive information services on its Web pages.
It is also possible to conduct homebanking through the Internet such as making
payments and transferring funds. It uses encryption so that transactions
completed this way can be considered to be reasonably secure. The bank also
offers what they term "Build your own bank". This is a service where a personal
profile is kept of customers' information requirements and as soon as new
relevant information is available, it is posted to the customer's special
electronic mailbox.
Government services
There are many government services which provide consumer information on
the Internet. In USA, those relevant to this Project include:
The majority of this consumer information is accessible to people with a print disability. However, in some cases, documents can be downloaded in PDF (Portable Document Format) only. This format is not accessible although a beta version of an accessible plug-in program is currently being tested.
A number of the agencies listed above are operated by the General Services Administration (GSA). The Consumer Information Center is part of the Office of Public Affairs of GSA and this is where Americans can order booklets published by more than 40 federal government departments and agencies. Much of this information is available on the Internet. The Web pages are highly graphical but there is a text-only version as well. The Consumer Information Catalog is published four times per year and is distributed to millions of consumers. The publications listed in the catalogue cover health, housing, car purchasing, career information and federal benefits. The Catalog can be downloaded from the Web pages.
GSA also operates the Federal Information Center which provides information and referral to questions on the US Federal Government. Toll-free numbers including TTY numbers are available in many cities throughout the country for this service. A Web page has been set up which provides access to frequently requested information.
The Catalog of Federal Domestic Assistance is produced by GSA and is a directory of a variety of federal government programmes, projects, services and activities which provide assistance or benefits to American consumers. Financial and non-financial assistance can take the form of grants, loans, insurance, mortgage loans and scholarships as well as statistical and other expert information. This directory is available for purchase on floppy disk with ASCII text.
Social Security Online has been operating since May, 1994 and was recently designated as one of the top 5% of Web sites on the Internet. Their Web page claims to provide links to over 600 documents on Social Security Administration programmes and policies. This includes the latest benefit information, statistics, legislation, the Social Security Handbook as well as certain information available in Spanish. It is even possible to request a personal earnings and benefit estimate statement online. To use this service, the consumer needs to use secure browser software which supports a certain type of encryption as the person's name and social security number will be sent over the Internet. This service is still being tested and is only available during business hours as at June, 1996.
The National Technical Information Service (NTIS) established FedWorld in 1992 to assist in the task of providing access to US government information online. It is possible to use the FedWorld Web page to gain access to over 130 government BBSs, many of which are not available on the Internet. The government BBS servers are arranged under broad subject headings. These headings include behaviour and society, communication and health care. NTIS receives over 700 new information products each week and these are available for downloading. Recent government reports, commerce information and a world news connection is also available from this Web page.
The US Postal Service's WINGS project aims to provide local, state and federal
government information through information kiosks as well as the Internet.
The concept is to provide one stop shopping based on events in the life of
the consumer rather than the consumer having to contact offices of different
government departments. For example, if a person is moving, WINGS can be
used to organise a change of car registration and the readdressing of mail
which is forwarded to specified government departments, the telephone company
and commercial enterprises. While WINGS is highly graphical in nature, there
is a text version available as well.
With the increasing amount of consumer information on the Internet and the growing number of people using the Internet, the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired should be taken into account with regard to this technology.
This Project supports Williamson's statement (1995, p. 269) that there is a need for further research into "the best ways to assist older people to overcome the potential disadvantages resulting from technological change." With regard to older people with a vision impairment, research should be directed to an investigation of attitudes and various training methods in the use of the Internet and other technologies.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA seek funding by July, 1997 for a research project to
investigate the acceptance and use of new technology by people who become
vision impaired late in life.
There is a considerable problem with the design of Web sites becoming more multimedia oriented. This is an enormous obstacle for people who are blind or vision impaired using screen readers to access the text on the Web site. Often, it is only lack of awareness by the Web designers as some reasonably easy accommodation is all that is necessary to make a Web site accessible.
Thus, it would be very valuable to undertake a survey of the most relevant consumer information sites set up by telecommunications companies, banks and government departments to ascertain their accessibility. For those which are not accessible, messages could be sent to the Webmasters informing them of the issue of access for people who are blind or vision impaired and the emerging DDA guidelines on accessible Web design (see 6.5.2). Additionally, bulletins could be sent to major Australian Internet news groups and discussion lists to raise awareness and discussion on the issues of access to information.
NFBCA can raise awareness of these issues by addressing them on their own
Web site. The NFBCA Web site could also have the facility of an assessment
service of other Web sites' accessibility. A Web site owner could send its
URL to NFBCA where it is checked against accessibility criteria. A response
would be sent to the sites' Webmaster advising of any changes required. Once
these are met, the Web site can use the Web accessibility symbol.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That NFBCA conduct a survey by May, 1997 on Australian Web sites set up by
telecommunications companies, banks and government departments to analyse
their accessibility. For those sites which are not accessible, NFBCA should
advise regarding accessible Web design.
That NFBCA set up and maintain a Web site by January, 1997 to disseminate information on its advocacy activities.
That NFBCA provide an assessment service of other Web sites' accessibility. This should be set up by April, 1997.
Go to Contents Page
The issue of consumer information access for people who are blind or vision impaired can not be taken in isolation without referring to underlying policies which help to ensure that accessible information provision actually takes place.
To study the underlying policies, it is necessary to take a broad view of what is occurring in the disability field in Australia which might have an effect on accessible information provision. However, there is also a great deal happening in other countries and this activity should be considered for its applicability to the Australian situation.
The important areas to consider are coordination efforts and joint project work, legislative advances, the impact of universal design and accessible document design. Lastly, but importantly, an outline is given of awareness raising mechanisms to assist the general community in understanding the information needs of people who are blind or vision impaired.
The consumer movement is strong in Australia and this is reflected in the activities of consumer organisations such as the Consumers' Telecommunications Network (CTN) and the work undertaken by the Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (TCCC). The Australian telecommunications regulator, AUSTEL has recently established a Consumer Consultative Forum and various consumer working groups including one on consumer information.
However, the focus on research and development with respect to disability and information technology in Australia is not as strong. The majority of products are imported and there has been a limited interest and support of technological advancement in disability-related products and services until very recently.
Universities are undertaking some research work in this area. Other important initiatives include the funding of a number of one-year technology projects in 1996 by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services through the Office of Disability.
ACROD, the national industry association for disability services established a National Technology Committee in 1995 and has developed a National Technology Plan. This is a first step in the coordination of activities in Australia and needs to be supported to avoid duplication of effort.
Conferences such as the Australian Conference on Technology for People with Disabilities will provide a spotlight on Australian activities in the area.
The Disability Discrimination Act is an extremely significant piece of legislation and the development of DDA Standards in areas such as communication and information will lead to improved information access.
Also important in this regard is the Telecommunications Bill 1996 which will
incorporate some disability provisions in its legislation.
6.1.2 Overseas activities
There are a number of organisations both in USA and Europe working on technical and awareness-raising projects to provide better access to information services for blind and vision impaired persons. The working methods in the two continents are, however, considerably different.
In Europe, many countries are working on joint projects which are often centrally funded by the European Union, in particular by TIDE (Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People). There are also a certain number of projects which are funded by individual countries, significantly in the Nordic countries, which are lesser-known outside Europe. There is often a reasonable amount of communication between various countries about current projects through forums such as COST 219 (Telecommunications: Access for Disabled and Elderly People) which is described further under section 6.2.3 and the HEART (Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology) study. HEART, now completed, was a joint effort by a consortium of 21 institutions, organisations and companies in twelve European countries to study the assistive technology market for people with disabilities and aged people.
Legislation has been considered much more important in USA than in Europe but this attitude is gradually changing. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the Telecommunications Act of 1996 together with other earlier legislation such as sections of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 provides a framework to work towards a more accessible environment. The US federal government has been instrumental in providing more accessible information provision through various government agencies.
However, while there are national funding structures in USA such as the National Science Foundation which supports a wide range of projects and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR) of the Department of Education which funds Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centres, sometimes there is segmentation into state-wide activities. Attempts are being made to develop a more national approach through projects such as the Universal Access Project and Info Curbcuts which will be described in more detail in Section 6.4.3.
It is important to note that the amount of cooperation between USA and Europe has been rather minimal in the past. This was partly due to the fact that the European Union has traditionally felt that it was in market competition with USA. However, this has been changing in the past year with a marked increase in interaction between the two continents. For example, COST 219 bis is aiming to focus more on cooperative activities and information sharing between such countries as USA, Canada and Australia.
There have also been conferences such as the Rank Prize Fund Meeting on
Technology to assist the Blind and Visually Impaired held in the U.K. in
March, 1996 which brought together experts from USA and Europe. In Europe,
there have been conferences organised by COST 219, ECART (European Conference
on the Advancement of Rehabilitation Technology) and TIDE (Technology Initiative
for Disabled and Elderly People). Recurring conferences of relevance are
CSUN (California State University, Northridge), RESNA (Rehabilitation Engineering
Society of North America) and Closing the Gap in USA.
With so many developments in telecommunications which could affect the ability of blind or vision impaired to access consumer information, it is vital to monitor policy as well as research and development on an ongoing basis. This has been achieved by establishing consumer-oriented information sharing and coordinating bodies. These organisations monitor and aim to influence changes for the benefit of people with disabilities and people who are blind or vision impaired in accessing information.
It is important to use scarce resources to best effect so that there is no
duplication of effort in researching and developing new products and services
in Australia.
The Australian telecommunications regulator, AUSTEL has established a Consumer Consultative Forum which had its inaugural meeting in November, 1995. It includes a member from the National Caucus of Disability Consumer Organisations. At the end of May, 1996 AUSTEL announced the formation of a number of consumer working groups, one of which relates to consumer information. Members have been sought for representation on these working groups. As the Australian telecommunications market becomes more competitive, this is one way where AUSTEL can take a more active role in working closely with consumer organisations to ensure that telecommunications companies provide accessible products and services.
The merging of AUSTEL with the Spectrum Management Agency to become the Australian Communications Authority (ACA) in 1997 will hopefully not have any effect on its consumer activities. (See 6.3.2)
The Telstra Consumer Consultative Council (TCCC) was established in 1989
as a process of consultation to bring together representatives of residential
customers and Telstra's senior management. From the start, the Council was
conceived as a forum for a two-way exchange of views. "It was a recognition
that consumer and community groups had a crucial role to play in the development
of one of the most important national services, and in ensuring that the
benefits of today's advanced telecommunications systems and products were
made available on a reasonably accessible basis to all
Australians." (Telstra, 1996) The TCCC's Research Committee funded this Project
and there are other committees and working groups such as the Disability
Services Consultative Committee on which NFBCA is represented. Since its
inception, the Telstra Consumer Councils have considered over 100 issues
of direct relevance to Telstra's residential customers. Consultation on some
issues involves information sharing, and on others direct input to policy
and product/service development.
TCCC funds the Telstra Regional Consumer Councils (TRCC) which meet regularly in every state and territory. The TRCC's roles are to identify and resolve regional issues and refer national policy matters to the TCCC.
The Consumers' Telecommunications Network (CTN) identifies and develops policies based on consumer needs. It does this through consultations, seminars and publications. It is a non-government organisation which represents the community interest, including people with disabilities, in telecommunications policy. CTN has focused on access to and the affordability of the telephone for consumers. However, it is now increasing its focus on information technology services delivered by telecommunications networks.
ACROD, the national industry association for disability services, established a National Technology Committee in 1995 which aims to "provide a focus for lobbying on national technology issues, to foster cooperative approaches by major players, and to maintain links with international organisations." (Seeger, 1996) This Committee has developed a National Technology Plan 1996-1998 which features seven elements. These elements are information, equity, education and training, resources, consumer involvement, research and development and design. The Technology Plan is an important step towards a coordinated approach for technology and disability issues in Australia.
The Australian Rehabilitation and Assistive Technology Association (ARATA)
was formed in 1995 to serve as a national forum on relevant rehabilitation
technology issues. Special Interest Groups have been formed such as Service
Delivery and Government Policy as well as Computer Applications. ARATA is
steadily becoming more active and is hosting the third Australian Conference
on Technology for People with Disabilities to be held in November, 1997.
In USA, the National Council on Disability was established by Congress in 1973 and was transformed into an independent federal government agency in 1984. The fifteen members who are appointed by the President and confirmed by Congress review all laws, programmes and policies of the federal government that affect people with disabilities. The Council then makes recommendations to the President, Congress and federal government agencies on these issues.
The Council holds regular Tech Watch meetings where senior representatives from telecommunications and technology companies are invited to discuss their company's products and services. Members from Tech Watch committees in areas such as education, standards and distance learning are able to exchange views and information on developments.
In March, 1995, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set up the Disabilities Issues Task Force (DITF). It is an internal, FCC-wide Task Force involving every Bureau and Office of the FCC. The aim is to ensure that people with disabilities will be able to access telecommunications services and equipment to the greatest extent possible. The first year concentrated on bringing the telecommunications industry and people with disabilities closer together so that differing viewpoints could be aired. This created the possibility of forming future strategic alliances. Much of the driving force behind the DITF is through the Disabilities Issues Commissioner who is also the FCC Chairman.
Some of the current work undertaken includes a study to determine whether the Commission's regulations ensure that advances in network services are accessible to and usable by people with disabilities. The DITF also plans to hold an "Access 2000" Summit bringing together people with disabilities, industry leaders and government regulators to develop an agenda for action for the next five years.
An "Accessibility Handbook" will be published by the FCC based on an accessibility survey of Commission offices and facilities. A video will be produced to educate Commission staff about disability access issues and disability-related initiatives which the FCC have undertaken.
In Europe, there is a European Union supported project which specifically deals with telecommunications and disability. This is COST 219 bis (Telecommunications: Access for Disabled and Elderly People) which consists of representatives from research and disability organisations as well as telecommunications companies from the majority of European countries. The main objectives are to study, analyse and propose solutions in order to make services generally accessible to all, make services adaptable when they cannot be made generally accessible and to propose special solutions to meet explicit problems. COST 219 bis will also support cooperation between technical specialists of telecommunications, standardisation, legislation and specialists working with disabled and elderly people. Underpinning this work, is the active dissemination of information and the promotion of appropriate research activities.
On a smaller scale, British Telecom (BT) is sponsoring the formation of an
"Informatics Opportunities Forum" for blind people. It is designed to coordinate
viewpoints on how technology, from a telecommunications perspective, can
be harnessed effectively for people with a vision impairment. The forum will
consist of consumers, service providers, BT specialists, suppliers of goods
and services and researchers. The inaugural meeting was scheduled for
mid-1996.
The initiatives that are under way in Australia are commendable and need to be continued and expanded to link in more with activities in other countries. Australia can thus adopt what is appropriate and relevant for conditions here and develop products and services which enhance consumer access to information for blind or vision impaired people.
However, it requires funding to achieve goals at the same pace with which industry develops products and services. It is also important that there is regular and ongoing interaction between disability organisations, government, telecommunications companies, industry and research organisations so that all parties develop a better understanding of each other's priorities and working methods.
When coordination does not occur, there is duplication of effort. For example, two blindness organisations in the same city have developed different interactive voice response systems. (See 7.3.2)
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA initiate discussions with the ACROD National Technology Committee
and ARATA by February, 1997 to form a reference group with representatives
from disability organisations, government, telecommunications companies,
industry and research organisations. The group will monitor activities in
all areas of telecommunications and disability. It should have frequent
interaction with similar groups in USA and Europe such as COST 219 bis. There
should be government support and funding for the ongoing work of such a group.
Legislation provides a framework which clearly delineates the rights and obligations of various parties. Disability discrimination legislation has clearly been extremely important so that people with disabilities are not discriminated against and are able to participate as equitably as possible in the daily life of the community.
With the deregulation of the telecommunications market in the last few years,
it has been necessary to enact legislation to ensure that the provision of
telecommunications services is regulated to some degree.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) impacts on service providers in the provision of goods, services and facilities to people with disabilities in a non-discriminatory manner. To assist in formulating strategies for change, a service provider may institute an Action Plan. The Action Plan will identify and plan to eliminate discriminatory practices. Telstra is to be applauded for developing an Action Plan.
As part of the Disability Discrimination Act, Standards are being developed to provide guidelines to the requirements set out by the DDA. The Standards relate to areas such as transport and employment but of interest here is the development of the Communication and Information Standard which will provide guidelines on the provision of accessible government information.
The Commonwealth Disability Strategy is also important in this regard. It was initiated by the federal government in 1994 and is a ten year plan of action to remove barriers in Commonwealth policies, programs and services for people with a disability. Action 2.2.3 states: "Each department and authority will, in consultation with people with a disability, develop strategies to make information services and documentation accessible for different groups of people with a disability, taking into account language and cultural needs." The first progress report in 1995 states that very few departments and agencies have made their information accessible with 32% of departments and agencies having made some progress while only 12% have recorded significant action. (Disability Services Program, 1995)
The Telecommunications Act 1996 is in its final draft form and will come
into force on 1st July, 1997 with the deregulation of the Australian
telecommunications industry. Provisions in the Bill currently before Parliament
include disability standards. These standards would be made by the new Australian
Communications Authority, the regulatory body which will be formed on 1st
July, 1997 after the merger of AUSTEL and the Spectrum Management Agency.
Examples of features mentioned are an induction loop designed to assist in
the operation of a hearing aid and the raised dot on the button labelled
"5" on the telephone.
There are two significant pieces of U.S. legislation which can have broad influences both in USA and in other countries.
The Telecommunications Act of 1996 encompasses many areas but two sections (255 and 713) are of special significance.
Section 255 is entitled "Access by persons with disabilities" and requires all manufacturers of telecommunications equipment and providers of telecommunications services to ensure that such equipment and services are designed and developed to be accessible and usable by people with disabilities, if readily achievable. Whenever these requirements are not readily achievable, a manufacturer or provider shall ensure that the equipment or service is compatible with existing peripheral devices (such as TTYs and screen readers) commonly used by people with disabilities, if readily achievable.
Section 713 specifies that video services should be accessible to people with hearing and speech impairments. It also directs the FCC to study the use of video description to ensure accessibility by people with a vision impairment.
The Telecommunications Act directs the Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (commonly called the Access Board) to develop guidelines for accessible telecommunications equipment. A Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee has been formed and consists of telecommunications manufacturers, carriers, disability organisations, research organisations such as the Trace Center and Gallaudet University and an adaptive technology company (Arkenstone). It will report its findings and recommendations in early 1997.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) is well-known but some other legislation which forms the framework of the ADA may be lesser-known.
Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act which was enacted in 1986 and amended in 1992 requires all office electronics in government departments to be accessible to staff with a disability. The guidelines need to be used when the federal government purchases computer systems and as the US government is the world's largest consumer of computers, this can have an impact on the accessibility of computer products and the development of screen readers for graphical user interfaces.
Section 509 which is part of the Rehabilitation Act amendments of 1992 (Public Law 102-569) relates to electronic and information technology accessibility guidelines. It states that guidelines shall be created to ensure that people with disabilities have access to information from federal government agencies comparable to the access to information provided to people without disabilities.
The new UK Disability Discrimination Act was enacted in November, 1995 and
provisions relating to the rights of access by people with disabilities to
goods, services, facilities and premises will come into force in late 1996
or early 1997. This Act will influence access to information. For example,
if a request for information in Braille or audiotape is necessary and reasonable
then the service provider will be expected to meet that demand.
The Disability Discrimination Act establishes a framework in philosophy and
process to make Australia a more accessible society for people with disabilities.
In particular, there are many emerging initiatives concerning better access
to information for people who are blind or vision impaired. It is important
to monitor international developments because many of the responses to disability
rights legislation can be transferred to and applied in Australia.
Universal design can be defined as "the process of creating products (devices, environments, systems, and processes) which are usable by people with the widest possible range of abilities, operating within the widest possible range of situations (environments, conditions, and circumstances)." (Trace Center, 1996)
There are two components to universal design. The first component is to design products which are flexible enough, as is commercially practical, to be directly used by people with the widest range of abilities. The second component is to design products so that they are compatible with the broadest range of assistive technologies for people who can not use or efficiently access the products directly.
The importance of universal design is that the product is designed in a flexible manner to accommodate more people than was previously considered. The typical example is the installation of ramps in buildings. These are not only used by people in wheelchairs, but also by people with shopping trolleys, baby carriages and delivery carts.
Therefore, universal design:
and results in product designs which:
Universal design is not to be considered as a social obligation to assist a less fortunate minority of the population. It does not imply that design should attempt to be stretched to cover every possible functional limitation. What universal design does mean is that there should be more flexibility in thought and implementation when new products and services are developed.
Standards Australia
A draft for the "Design of Hardware and Software for Universal Access" has
been developed by the Open Learning Technology Corporation (OLTC). This draft
will be distributed for community consultation and be considered by the
Information Technology Committee of Standards Australia. It is envisaged
that the draft will later be incorporated into a Handbook of Guidelines for
use by Australian designers. At this early stage, the draft comprises guidelines
on Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), information kiosks and computers. It
uses much material from work which has been done by the Trace Center and
in the U.K.
Information technology research in Australia
Research on disability and information technology in Australia has been quite
limited outside the social policy area. While important studies have been
undertaken with funding from the Telstra Fund for Social and Policy Research
in Telecommunications such as that conducted by the Consumers' Telecommunications
Network (CTN) and the Telecommunications Needs Research Group at RMIT, there
also needs to be more focus on multidisciplinary research regarding emerging
technologies and disability. This will lead to methods of using technologies
to best effect by people with disabilities and to guard against expensive
retrofitting of products. The Commonwealth Department of Health and Family
Services' Office of Disability has funded nine research projects in 1996
on communication and technology issues affecting people with a disability
which is a valuable step in the right direction.
Telstra operates a Product Development Fund which aims to assist Australian entrepreneurs and inventors to design and develop innovative products in the field of telecommunications associated technologies. It is important to ensure that universal design principles are taken into account when products are assessed for support.
Consumer Products Guidelines Project
Some of the current work on universal design can be said to be built upon
previous work undertaken on the guidelines for the design of computers (both
by the Trace Center and the Nordic Committee on Disability) as well as the
accessible design of consumer products undertaken by the Trace Center in
1992 and which is continually being updated. Accessible design can be considered
as a subset of universal design in that it concentrates on the extension
of design features to cover a wider range of human abilities and limitations.
The guidelines cover the functional categories of output/displays, input/controls, manipulations, documentation and safety. Each guideline is phrased as an objective such as "Maximise the number of people who will not miss important information if they can't see" followed by a statement of the problem faced by people with disabilities; "Visual output (e.g., information presented on screens, paper printouts, cuing and warning lights, and dials) may not be seen at all by some users. Examples are given of occurrences and design options and ideas are provided as well as additional information for consideration.
While these guidelines are generic in nature, they provide many useful ideas and examples which designers may wish to consider.
A national conference entitled Inforamps 96 on designing and using an accessible information infrastructure was held on 11th and 12th July, 1996 in Washington DC. There were workshops on market research, accessible information kiosks, the Telecommunications Act of 1996, and the World Wide Web. This conference provided an overview of the work done on bringing about universal design.
Universal Access Project
This project is funded by the National Telecommunications and Information
Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce and run by the World Institute
on Disability, the Trace Research and Development Center and CPB/WGBH National
Center for Accessible Media. The World Institute on Disability is a research,
training and policy development centre which is headed by people with a
disability. The Trace Center is a Rehabilitation Engineering Research Centre,
based at the University of Wisconsin-Madison specialising in communication
and the design of accessible information systems. The CPB/WGBH National Center
for Accessible Media develops strategies and technologies to make all public
media accessible at home, school and in the community.
The project's aim is awareness-raising rather than product or service development. It will bring together people with disabilities, researchers and the information industry to develop a common understanding of the barriers and methods of overcoming them in next generation information and transaction systems.
The main focus is the need to incorporate accessibility features in the early design stages of telecommunications and information systems. This will obviate the need to add more expensive and less workable accessible features after the system is completed. This is an extremely important issue that is stressed by all researchers and policy makers in the field of technology and disability both in USA and Europe.
Info Curbcuts
The Info Curbcuts project which is run by the Trace Center in association
with the World Institute on Disability is described as the development of
human interface protocols and design guidelines to allow access to next
generation information and transaction systems by people with diverse
disabilities.
The information superhighway will impact on many aspects of life from education, through employment to recreation. It is already possible to book theatre tickets, do home shopping and access the local library catalogue from home in certain places in USA. More and more so-called user-friendly devices will be made available to the consumer for accessing information and conducting business. These systems will provide access to banking, information, purchasing and a wide range of government services. It is vital that the design element includes accessibility features. The Info Curbcuts project aims to maximise the access efficiency for users with or without a disability. To do this, a set of compatible interface protocols for cross-disability access to public, shared and mass-marketed information systems and devices will be developed. Also, design guidelines will be developed for public and mass-marketed information and transaction systems.
The project needs to ensure that these design guidelines are developed quickly as the next generation information and transaction systems are already at the production prototype stage.
The Trace Center is developing an on-line design and evaluation tool to provide assistance to product developers in creating more accessible and usable products. The concept revolves around a designer taking their product idea to the Trace Center's Web site on the Internet. The design tool will lead the designer through a set of questions and provide feedback on possible access limitations. Suggestions and strategies will be offered to improve the product's accessibility. Examples together with video and audio clips, references to documents and experts to contact will also be included as well as the opportunity of joining a discussion list on the Internet to get feedback from researchers, other designers and consumers.
A portfolio of universal design examples including illustrations of products will be developed to assist designers. Emphasis will be given to good and bad examples of design as well as the developmental sequence in working towards universal design.
The project's goal is to ensure that disability access is built into the interfaces of phone/modem based information services, cable/broadband home-based information services, Internet applications, public information kiosks and ATMs.
Rehabilitation Engineering and Research Center on Universal
Telecommunications Access
This is a new Center which was established in September, 1995 and is funded
for four years by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation
Research. It is a collaborative project of Gallaudet University's Technology
Assessment Program, the Trace Center and the World Institute on Disability.
The Center will concentrate on six different activities:
The major goal of the Center is to promote accessible telecommunications.
This should have an impact on the universal design of products and services
as well as to create more informed consumers.
Pacific Bell
Pacific Bell is a telephone company based in California. It commissioned
a report by its Advisory Group for People with Disabilities (AGPD) on making
its products and services more accessible. This report represented one year's
work by the Group which reported its findings and recommendations in 1994.
There was a strong emphasis on universal design as well as enhancing existing
products and services as well as creating accessible future products.
The company set up a marketing group to work with product teams and develop a marketing plan. This plan includes the market size of people with disabilities and identifies opportunities and strategies for the company to pursue.
Pacific Bell's marketing data for 1993 indicated that:
"People with disabilities in California represent more total revenue to Pacific Bell than the home office market segment.
People who are blind or have vision impairment spend much more on Pacific Bell products than the general market." (Pacific Bell's Advisory Group for People with Disabilities, 1994)
The company has also considered developing a training course on universal
design for one member of every major product team. It will also draft principles
on universal design for product design teams. Two products will be selected
for the application of universal design principles. Pacific Bell has worked
with Bellcore in its product screening process. Bellcore now includes as
part of its regular assessment, the impact of the product concept on people
with disabilities and the size of the potential market.
There is a need in Australia to undertake more work with the practical issues of universal design so that any new product or service developed here will incorporate universal design features as far as possible. In fact, one of the conclusions from the "Have your say" national seminars where consumers had the opportunity of discussing issues of future communications technology was that "formal and informal consultation processes need to occur at all levels of product development and service provision." (Elix & Lambert, 1994 in G. Goggin & C. Newell, 1996, p. 7)
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra and banks consider developing mechanisms so that people
with disabilities are included in market testing of new products and
services.
If there is more understanding of universal design issues amongst companies'
research and product development departments, this could lead to the design
and production of more accessible products and services. The changes would
occur from within companies rather than solely being a push from outside
regulatory bodies and advocacy organisations.
RECOMMENDATION
That the ACROD National Technology Committee encourage and advise
large corporations to provide training and professional development for their
research engineers and information technology specialists to give them an
appropriate knowledge of disability issues relevant to their field of expertise.
This will enable them to appreciate universal design principles and to develop
"disability impact statements."
The guidelines being developed by Standards Australia are an excellent basis for NFBCA and other disability organisations to work with product designers in industry and research institutions to increase awareness of universal design features. These guidelines could be used as the basis for "disability impact statements" when a new product or service is designed.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That NFBCA actively participate in the development of universal design
guidelines "Design of hardware and software for universal access" with Standards
Australia by March, 1997.
That NFBCA encourage companies to use the completed
universal design guidelines developed by Standards Australia on an ongoing
basis to incorporate "disability impact statements" in new products and
services.
Telstra could be seen as a leader in the field by marketing its new products and services with a universal design "stamp" based on the Standards Australia guidelines. To achieve this, a multi-disciplinary team could work with various product development sections. Telstra's Product Development Fund could assist by using universal design principles as one of its guidelines for supporting product development. This would act as a method of reinforcing the usefulness of universal design at the early stage of a product's life.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That Telstra consider developing a strategy to
incorporate universal design policies into its product and services development
processes. Goals toward achieving this should be included as part of Telstra's
Disability Action Plan.
That Telstra's Product Development Fund consider
incorporating universal design provision, wherever possible, in the products
it supports.
Research in Australia to underpin this universal design framework in the area of information technology and disability needs to be expanded considerably. Based on the Commonwealth Government's support for Cooperative Research Centres in which universities and industry work together on projects, an application for funding of a new Cooperative Research Centre should be considered. In fact, the Broadband Services Expert Group (see Section 7.4) discusses this in reply to the point made by CTN that "social and consumer requirements need to be explicitly considered in the development of new technologies". The Group suggested that the "Cooperative Research Centres program could be a vehicle to address this by combining social, business and technological development with consumer research." (Broadband Services Expert Group, 1995, p. 86)
A new Cooperative Research Centre could develop products and services based
on universal design principles. This Centre would have project partners from
Telstra, other relevant companies and universities to undertake collaborative
research in conjunction with disability organisations. Suggested projects
include accessible information kiosks and smart card software.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA present a proposal to the ACROD National Technology Committee
by March, 1997 for an application to be developed to the Commonwealth Department
of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs (DEETYA) for the
establishment of a new Cooperative Research Centre. This Centre would undertake
collaborative research between industry including Telstra and universities
in conjunction with disability organisations to speed the development and
uptake of new technology based on universal design principles. Close contact
would be maintained with overseas research and development organisations
in similar areas.
The funding of technology-based projects through the Office of Disability is a valuable start to Australian research in this area. However, much more needs to be done and it is vital that there is funding for continued research.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA write to the Office of Disability (Commonwealth Department
of Health and Family Services) by January, 1997 expressing its support for
the funding of technological research and expressing its wish for this to
continue and be expanded.
With the pervasive growth of technology and its influence on more and more
aspects of our lives, the traditional alternative formats of Braille, audiotape
and large print are being supplemented by electronic means of information
provision. Thus, the methods in which documents are designed and presented
in electronic media are becoming important issues for the access to consumer
information for blind or vision impaired people.
The Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities has developed four sets of guidelines on the production of Braille and large print documents, documents on disk as well as the production of audio tapes. For example, the guidelines on documents on disk, which is currently being reviewed, cover table of contents, naming conventions, hyphenation, font changes and other relevant areas.
The Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission has released for comment
a proposal for guidelines for accessible Web design under the Disability
Discrimination Act. While the guidelines issued by the Commission do not
have direct legal force or substitute for the provisions of the DDA itself,
"failure to provide information in a form equally accessible to people with
a disability could constitute unlawful discrimination under the DDA if access
could reasonably have been provided." (HREOC, 1996, p. 4)
International Committee for Accessible Document Design
(ICADD)
ICADD is an international consortium of representatives from industry, education
and disability organisations working to ensure that information in
electronically-based printed materials is accessible to persons who are blind
or vision impaired. Tim Noonan of the Royal Blind Society in New South Wales
is the Australian representative. ICADD has developed an SGML-based document
standard for accessibility (ISO 12083). SGML is the Standard Generalised
Markup Language which is widely used in the publishing industry of which
HTML (HyperText Markup Language) is a subset generally used on the World
Wide Web. SGML separates the structure from the contents of the document.
The structure is designated by tags indicating, for example, a new paragraph.
SGML documents can easily be converted to a wide range of other formats including
the ICADD format for information dissemination.
ICADD, through UCLA in California, has provided an HTML to ICADD transformation service on the Internet. This means that a person with a print disability can input the URL (Uniform Resource Locator) of an HTML document and this will be converted to ICADD format and then to Braille. This is one way for people with a print disability to have access to print documents which are stored electronically in SGML or HTML format.
InfoUCLA
UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) has used this system for InfoUCLA
(Access for people with a print impairment). In a joint project of the UCLA
Library and the UCLA Disabilities and Computing Program, InfoUCLA documents
are converted to ICADD format to allow the entire university community access
to relevant information.
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration (GSA) is an important US government
department in terms of this Project.
Especially significant is GSA's Center for IT Accommodation (CITA). This Center was formed in 1984 as the Clearinghouse on Computer Accommodation (COCA) and has served as a model demonstration centre for accessible information environments and services. This has been of assistance in meeting the government's legal requirements to ensure an accessible environment for its goods and services especially since the implementation of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The centre provides training, support and technical consultation to federal government agencies. It also acts as a demonstration site in Washington DC for accessible information systems.
CITA has developed a network of federal government employees with disabilities together with support staff to provide early consumer feedback on new service delivery technologies. CITA, for example, advises on accessible information kiosk services to customer agencies. A CITA handbook called Managing Information Resources for Accessibility was updated in December, 1995 and provides guidance to federal government managers who are unfamiliar with policy and practice of information accessibility. Current projects include cooperation with the Government Printing Office, the National Institute of Standards and Technology and the Internal Revenue Service to ensure that accessible document design is achieved. CITA also provides guidance on the development of accessible CD-ROMs and is developing a tutorial for blind users to become oriented with Windows. Finally, CITA has evaluated Internet browsers such as Mosaic and Lynx (a text-based browser) and produced guidelines on the design of accessible HTML documents.
CAPS
The CAPS (Communication and Access to information for Persons with Special
Needs) project which was funded under the European Union's TIDE programme
has adopted the ICADD format in the development of a pilot system which tests
the concepts of an information access model for people with a print disability.
This system has been tested with the provision of a digital newspaper, some
books as well as shorter documents. There have been some additions made to
the ICADD standard to take into account the interactive nature of some of
the CAPS applications. These include interactive voice response used in the
Telephone Access System.
HARMONY
The CAPS project was completed towards the end of 1994 and has now been extended
into the HARMONY project (Horizontal action for the harmonisation of accessible
structured documents). HARMONY will promote the use of structured documents
within the publishing community in order to increase the quality and quantity
of accessible documents. A workshop on Accessible Structured Electronic Documents
was held in June, 1996 in Belgium to bring together experts in accessible
document delivery and to provide information on projects about this area.
The Internet
Over the last three years, the Internet has developed from a primarily academic
tool to take a pivotal position in all areas of communication and information
exchange. Individuals and large corporations have similar opportunities to
publicise their activities or interests to the rest of the world through
the World Wide Web. The World Wide Web (WWW) is an Internet application which
provides hypertext linking from one document on the Internet to another document,
file, image or piece of information on different computers on the Internet.
While, initially, the Internet was purely text-based, it was an ideal method of information access for people with a vision impairment. For the first time, blind and vision impaired people using speech reading software and a voice synthesiser or a refreshable Braille display had the same opportunities of accessing material as anyone else. However, with the growing popularity of the Internet, browsing software for the World Wide Web is now Windows-based and Web pages are increasingly based on images, even when linking from one document to another. There are HTML tags to describe images but not all Web designers use these alternate tags.
Guidelines to accessible Web design have been developed by a number of organisations and it is important that awareness-raising continues to ensure that designers use these guidelines. In USA, CPB/WGBH National Center for Accessible Media has designed a special symbol for inclusion on accessible Web pages to assist in the awareness-raising program.
Special browsing software called pwWebSpeak has been developed in USA. This
browser is entirely speech-based so that a person with a vision impairment
does not need any additional speech reading software to access Web pages
as long as the PC has a suitable sound card installed. The browser provides,
in speech output, a thumbnail sketch of each Web page indicating such features
as the number of lines of text and the number of links.
Java
Events move extremely rapidly with regards to the Internet. For example,
many browsers now have Java interpreters. Java is a programming environment
which facilitates the expedient transfer of multimedia electronic documents
across various platforms and enables programs to be executed on the user's
own Internet browser. Java is an important extension to HTML but there are
no accessibility standards considered for Java applications at this stage.
6.5.4 Conclusion
With the amount of activity overseas in accessible document design, it is important that Australian disability organisations monitor these activities and develop links with projects in other countries. This would have benefits for blind or vision impaired consumers in Australia to provide them with a wider choice in accessing information. For example, the ICADD service, where HTML documents are converted to Braille, could be tested for its applicability to Australia.
RECOMMENDATIONS
That NFBCA commence to monitor the developments occurring overseas in accessible
document design by May, 1997 and continue to develop closer links with projects
working in this area.
That NFBCA investigate the ICADD service and its
applicability to Australia by March, 1997.
The Internet is becoming an integral part of information provision and in the near future, it will be used by broader sections of the community to the extent that many believe that there will be divisions in society between the "information rich" and the "information poor". Therefore, it is vital to ensure that the information provided on the Internet is accessible. Testing new Internet products such as the pwWebSpeak browser is one way to ascertain whether people who are blind or vision impaired in Australia would find the products useful for their needs.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA arrange to test the usefulness of the pwWebSpeak browser
by January, 1997 and continue to test new Internet applications for people
who are blind or vision impaired as they become
available.
To further strengthen the role of accessible Internet information, it is
important to formally include these concepts in any guidelines or standards
which may be applicable. For example, the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity
Commission is developing guidelines for Web access under the Disability
Discrimination Act. It may also be included in the document by Standards
Australia on "Design of hardware and software for universal access".
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA participate in discussions by February, 1997 with Standards Australia
on the feasibility of incorporating Australian accessible Web design in the
guidelines for "Design of hardware and software for universal access".
To achieve more support and understanding in the community of the information
needs of people who are blind or vision impaired, it is vital that the public
are educated about these needs. Often it is ignorance which is the major
barrier to making, in some cases, minor adjustments or accommodations to
achieve better accessibility. However, most often these accommodations need
to be incorporated at the design stage of a product or service.
The set of guidelines on the production of documents in alternative formats developed by the Round Table on Information Access for People with Print Disabilities has been sold to schools and government agencies but need further promotion to achieve a broader market.
To the best of the author's knowledge, there are no other specific awareness-raising programs taking place in Australia in the area of accessible consumer information for people who are blind or vision impaired.
However, an example of a step in the right direction is Telstra's use of
phonecards as a method of illustrating various aspects of community life.
In September, 1996, Telstra launched a phonecard on behalf of the Western
Australian School of the Deaf with sign language depicted on the phonecard.
The card was also an avenue of fundraising for the School and is expected
to become a collector's item.
The RNIB See It Right Awards were launched by the Royal National Institute for the Blind (RNIB) in the U.K. in September, 1995. They are designed to act as an incentive for companies and information providers to provide accessible information to blind or vision impaired people. One of the winners in 1996 was British Telecom (BT).
BT takes the view that disability directed programmes can open up new market opportunities and become profit generators. It also considers that the employment of people with disabilities can provide talented employees who can contribute to the company's profitability. Finally, BT believes that "these more enlightened companies are reaping the real marketing benefit to their core business from being seen to be balancing human need against the commercial imperative." (Perrett, 1995)
It is estimated that BT's annual income from the residential sector in the U.K. is approximately 5.4 billion pounds which is derived from 20 million households. Data provided by the non-profit organisation Aged Concern indicate that there are 6 million households where at least one resident is over the age of 65, has a disability or perhaps both. BT estimates that this market is worth 1.6 billion pounds. (Perrett, 1995)
The See it Right campaign has produced booklets for information providers on the various methods of providing accessible information as part of its Access to Information Policy which RNIB hopes will be adopted by other organisations. The policy objectives are to ensure that print materials are clear and legible to maximise the number of people who can read them: to communicate with people in their preferred format without undue delay or additional charge and to produce publications in alternative media when the target audience includes people with vision impairment.
Pacific Bell has featured people with disabilities in some of its advertising campaigns such as the "Good enough isn't" video series showing a person using a wheelchair and an autistic girl. Another series called "It's real California" showed a background shot of a person using a wheelchair.
A number of U.S. federal government departments have accessibility programmes
principally for their staff. For example, the Department of Defence and the
Internal Revenue Service run CAP programs. In the case of the Department
of Defence, this stands for Computer/Electronic Accommodations Program and
provides technical, educational and financial support to assist employees,
supervisors and managers identify and procure appropriate technology. The
Internal Revenue Service with its Computer/Telecommunications Accessibility
Program attempts to ensure that their electronic information is accessible
to people with disabilities. Programmes are also run by the Department of
Agriculture (TARGET), Department of Commerce (CREATE) and the National Security
Agency (CCAT). The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) claims to be an international
toll-free consulting service providing information on employment opportunities
for people with disabilities. JAN also provides information on the Americans
with Disabilities Act (ADA).
There seems to be very few specific Australian activities in awareness-raising for accessible information provision for people who are blind or vision impaired.
The DDA Standard on Communication and Information, when completed, may contain a number of complex guidelines which need detailed understanding for compliance. An excellent way of achieving this is through a Commonwealth Government funded centre showcasing information and communication accessibility. Examples could be demonstrated of methods of producing clear, legible documents through to Web design on the Internet to examples of accessible computer hardware and software. This centre could also provide training and awareness-raising programs in the development of such services.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA recommend to the appropriate Commonwealth government department
by May, 1997 to establish a federally-funded information and demonstration
centre on accessibility. This would provide guidance for the government
departments and agencies and companies to meet their obligations under the
Disability Discrimination Act's Communication and Information Standard. It
would also provide training, support and technical consultation to federal
government departments and agencies.
Partnering this thrust could be the development of a consumer action guide. This would assist blind or vision impaired consumers to explain their requirements for information in accessible formats in a manner which will produce positive results.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA produce a consumer information action guide by July, 1997.
It will give guidelines to consumers on methods of alerting public utilities
and corporations regarding the need to provide their information in alternative
formats.
There also needs to be a more focused campaign of awareness raising directed
at the business and research sector in various areas. Banks which are
increasingly moving towards a self-service customer model, need to be made
aware that a proportion of their market is less able to access their current
services. In particular, Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) and smart card
readers (See 7.2) could be made more accessible by the provision of alternative
methods of screen output. The ATMs could be angled to assist people wearing
bifocals and to prevent sunlight obscuring the screen. Voice output through
an earphone is also a possibility.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA hold discussions with the banking industry by March, 1997 to establish
increased awareness of information access in banking terminals such as ATMs
and smart card readers for people who are blind or vision
impaired.
Large companies like Telstra and banks could include people with disabilities in their advertising campaigns to present an image of a caring company that reflects Australia as an inclusive society. This should be considered as a good company marketing strategy rather than merely as assisting a disadvantaged community sector. CTN (1995, p. 174) states that "lack of understanding of the sector inhibits carrier capacity to recognise the business potential for new products and services in the sector, even in obvious areas such as mobile services."
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra and banks consider including in their advertising campaigns
a focus on Australia as an inclusive society and demonstrate use of services
by people with disabilities.
An important way to ensure that more researchers and policy-makers become familiar with the multi-faceted requirements for accessible information for people who are blind or vision impaired is to actively participate at conferences and seminars. The conferences to be targeted can range from disability conferences to more general conferences on communication and telecommunications. For example, papers could be presented at the third Australian Conference on Technology for People with Disabilities to be held in Canberra in November, 1997. Other conferences to target include CTN's annual conference which brings together Australian telecommunication policy-makers. The Communications Research Forum held annually would also be a useful conference to raise relevant issues.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA actively encourages an increased focus on information accessibility
and vision impairment at telecommunications and disability conferences. Examples
are the Australian Conference on Technology for People with Disabilities
to be held in Canberra in November, 1997, CTN's annual conference and the
annual Communications Research Forum.
There is much work to be done in many areas of consumer information access for people who are blind or vision impaired. Many of these tasks naturally fall to NFBCA as the peak advocacy body in Australia for people with a vision impairment. Substantial resources in time are required to achieve results from the recommendations made in this report. Therefore, an information technology project should be established with funding to employ a project officer.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA seek funding by April, 1997 to establish an Information Technology
project managed by a project officer. This will ensure that recommendations
in this report relating to NFBCA activities can be
pursued.
International events are often an ideal opportunity to present the best a country has to offer in many different arenas. With the staging of the Olympic Games and the Paralympics in Sydney in the year 2000, huge resources will be directed towards showcasing Australian innovation and excellence. This type of event needs a huge array of information provided about the Games itself, about Sydney and Australia as well as information about telephone and banking services. Australia thus has an opportunity of showing how consumer information can be made accessible to a wide variety of people.
While this is a one-off event, the spinoff will be that once systems and services have been developed, they can be put into place on a more permanent basis.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA have discussions with other peak disability organisations
to develop and present a strategy to the Sydney Organising Committee for
the Olympic Games by August, 1997 for the provision of accessible consumer
information through the availability of accessible touchscreens, ATMs and
Web pages at the Sydney Olympic Games.
Go to Contents Page
"The ability to communicate and the right to have access to information are fundamental to a democratic society. Access to digital information and the ability to communicate electronically may become just as fundamental in the future." (Broadband Services Expert Group, 1995)
There are many useful solutions currently available to support the consumer information needs of people who are blind or vision impaired. However, because of rapid developments in telecommunications and information technology, there are new products and services in the process of being implemented which will have a profound effect on the way consumers obtain information. Consumers will, in the very near future, rely more and more on automated systems such as information kiosks, interactive voice response systems and smart card readers so it is important that these systems have built-in accessibility features. This will ensure that people who are blind or vision impaired will continue to be able to obtain consumer information.
While the technology used by the service provider may be quite complex, the user interface is designed to be user-friendly. Thus, consumers should not have to understand the underlying technology to be able to exercise their right to influence the interface they use to access information.
It is, therefore, vital to ensure that consumers are made aware of and take
an active role in the potential impact these changes will have on their lives.
Information kiosks, often located in public areas such as shopping centres and community centres, are multimedia computer terminals linked to a central database. These information kiosks provide information on a wide variety of services which may range from details about shops in the centre to much broader information on community and government services.
Information kiosks are interactive and make use of multimedia incorporating sound, text and video as output. Many information kiosks use touchscreen technology. This means that virtual buttons on the screen itself can be pressed to choose a particular service. It is even possible, as with the information kiosks provided by the Brisbane City Council, to pay your rates through the information kiosk.
It is expected that information kiosks will become more widespread in the future.
7.1.2 Australian activities
In Australia, the ACT government has developed an information kiosk system called AUSTOUCH and this has been piloted in Canberra for the provision of information on government and community services. A complaint was lodged with the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission that the information kiosks were not accessible for people who are blind or vision impaired. This resulted in presentation standards and visual design guidelines for the information screens being developed as a useful guide for developers of screen-based information systems. The topics covered in the presentation standards include the size and font preferred for text and headings, the type of pointers to use, the colour of lettering and backgrounds and the type of formatting to use. It was recommended that a contact number for further information be provided in audio at the beginning of menu choices for people who were unable to use the system. No other inclusions of audio information were considered feasible at the time of writing the presentation standards in September, 1995.
The Victorian government is moving rapidly forward with information technology
(IT) and multimedia. The government's "Victoria 21" is aimed at giving the
state a key stake in the IT industry towards the next century. As part of
this, the government is planning a pilot project to establish streetfront
information kiosks for the delivery of public services in the first half
of 1997. Touch screens will be used similar to some types of ATMs. The
information kiosks will provide government information and also mechanisms
for the payment of rates, power and water bills. It is uncertain whether
accessibility issues have been addressed in the planning process.
In December, 1995, the US Postal Service announced that it was testing "Citizen Kiosk" prototypes for the delivery of local, state and federal government information. This is an integral part of WINGS (Web Interactive Network of Government Services) where similar services will be available on the Internet and the information kiosks. If market testing is successful, it is anticipated that more than 10,000 information kiosks could be placed in post offices, libraries and shopping centres within the next few years. These information kiosks will provide social security information as well as a range of other consumer information and bill-paying services. The kiosks will range from basic functionality in shopping centres and post offices to enhanced functionality in more secure locations such as libraries and community centres. Those kiosks with enhanced functionality, which offer services such as the lodgement of tax returns, may have accessible features such as large screens, audio output, Braille keyboards or touch screens suitable for blind users.
The Info Curbcuts project will seek methods of ensuring that blind or vision impaired people can use these systems. As part of this project, the Trace Center has focused attention on methods of accessing touchscreens in information kiosks and ATMs for blind and vision impaired people. Work has been carried out on "the Talking Fingertip" technique which uses auditory feedback to enable people with vision impairment to use touchscreens. This is done through the use of hybrid touch and auditory techniques. Thus, every element on the screen that is actionable or provides information is given a verbal name. Touching the top left corner of the screen provides an auditory description of the screen (when the voice mode has been activated). Then by sliding a finger over the screen, a person is made aware that a key is being entered by a small clicking sound and if the finger is pressed on this space, verbal feedback is given. To activate a choice, a separate key located off-screen is pressed. The person also has the option of using a speedlist to activate all parts of a particular screen by running their finger down the left hand side of the screen. It is also possible for the screen to be blacked out and the auditory feedback to be provided through the headphone jack for security reasons.
The system has been tested using a university campus information system as an example and has also been demonstrated at several conferences. Over this time, it has been refined to take into account peoples' usage patterns. Performance specifications have been drawn up and costings done. It is estimated that since the software development has already been completed, the additional costs would be minimal for the extra switch, voice synthesis software, headphone jack and other license costs.
The "Talking Fingertip" method may have more general applications such as for people using their mobile phones while driving a car. This is an important application for those mobile phones with many built-in features which can be only activated by a touchscreen.
As part of the Info Curbcuts project, a Universal Access Infrared Protocol
is being developed. The objective is to incorporate a bi-directional infrared
link in an information kiosk or ATM so that people with vision impairments
who are equipped with specialised access devices can both locate and interact
with the information kiosk or ATM. A set of guidelines or protocols could
then be written based on industry standards such as those of the US Infrared
Data Association. In this way, through working closely with product developers,
it may be possible to have the infrared link incorporated into a wide range
of mainstream electronic devices. In fact, many PCs have an infrared (IR)
device built-in at present to transfer data between the PC and other devices
such as Personal Digital Assistants, laptop computers and printers.
7.1.4 Conclusion
The presentation standards developed as part of the AUSTOUCH project in the ACT for improved access to public screen-based information systems is a useful starting point for the use of information kiosks by people who are vision impaired. However, with the use of audio output, there are many more ways to further enhance access to these systems.
Accessibility testing in Australia needs to be undertaken in close cooperation
with information kiosk designers. As the Victorian government is embarking
on the use of information kiosks, it is imperative that work is done quickly
in this area.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA develop links by January, 1997 with information kiosk
designers to recommend the increased accessibility of screen-based information
systems.
Furthermore, the testing of the "Talking Fingertip" technique in Australia to evaluate its viability and feasibility should be pursued. It is also important to monitor developments in other countries of alternative methods of accessing public screen-based information systems.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA conduct a pilot project to test information kiosks using
the "Talking Fingertip" prototype by September, 1997.
An increased understanding and awareness of the needs of people who are blind or vision impaired should gradually evolve as more contact develops between disability organisations and information kiosk designers.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA, as part of its activities in working with information
kiosk designers, raise awareness for accessible public screen-based information
systems.
A smart card is a credit card sized plastic card which contains an integrated microcircuit. This circuit holds a wide range of information which can be accessed by many different types of terminals such as Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), payphones and information kiosks.
Smart cards can store details about a person's preference for large type
or speech synthesis when using an ATM, for example. There are contactless
cards which can be used for paying bus fares obviating the requirement to
place the card in a slot. Specifications on the smart card can be activated
when used in a payphone to give voice guidance by confirming the number dialled
or the provision of larger display characters or backlighting.
Many banks are considering the use of "personalised ATMs" in peoples' homes through the use of smart cards and screen-based phones. The National Australia Bank together with Telstra have performed market testing in Sydney and Melbourne with 600 business and residential customers on a touch screen phone called PowerTouch. The terminals are imported and the software has been developed by Telstra.
The PowerTouch phone can access the bank's services such as account balances, deposits and bill payments and also Telstra's services such as Easycall, MessageBank and the electronic White Pages. The consumer does not have to remember long strings of numbers to access the system. Instead, the phone's touch screen is designed in a similar way to an ATM with labeled keys next to a list of functions shown on the screen. It may be likely that a stored value card such as a smart card can be replenished by using terminals such as PowerTouch. To ensure that these types of terminals are accessible for people with a vision impairment, the coding on smart cards must be standardised in order to activate the network to provide large type or speech feedback as required.
Four different sets of technical trials have been undertaken with regard to smart card technology. These are Quicklink in Newcastle with a rechargable, anonymous value card mainly for use on public transport, Transcard in western Sydney, MasterCard in Canberra and Visa on the Gold Coast. The Gold Coast trial used an electronic cash system as the basis of the smart card. This card can be used to pay for a wide variety of small purchases in shops and can be used in payphones. The card can be replenished at a variety of terminals including special home phones and payphones by connecting to a bank account and transferring cash to the card. At this stage, there are no notches on the cards or voice prompts used in the terminals. As the trials develop further, it is important that accessibility features are considered.
Mondex is another smart card system which has been on trial in the U.K. for the last year and the major Australian banks have indicated interest in adopting Mondex here.
There have been concerns about the security of information contained in the microcircuitry of the smart card especially if vulnerable information such as an individual's personal details are stored on it as well as the various transactions made over a period of time. (Clarke, 1996)
The Australian Commission for the Future has undertaken a study to explore the technical and social ramifications of smart card technology on retail financial transactions. Part of the project investigated whether a regulatory framework is needed to safeguard the privacy of consumers and prevent abuse of the technology.
A large European Union project called SATURN (Smart Card And Terminal Usability Requirements and Needs) has been working on a number of smart card and terminal issues. This project includes partners from the Royal National Institute for the Blind (U.K.), AT&T Global Information Solutions (Scotland), University of Hertfordshire (U.K.), Human Factor Solutions (Norway), Telia (Sweden), ICL Financial Terminals and Payment Security (Sweden) and Gemplus Card International (France). Specifically, the project has been analysing the user interface requirements for various groups of people with disabilities with regard to the development of smart card technology. One of the primary aims is to ensure that individual requirements (with the user's permission) can be coded on the smart cards so that terminal functions are optimised with regard to the user interface. Work is under way with standards bodies to ensure that the various coding combinations are included in the design stage of the smart card systems.
While ATMs and payphones are some of the main areas being investigated, there
are other uses for smart cards. In Sweden, a project is being undertaken
on the use of smart cards for the payment of electricity and water bills
through the use of a cardreader attached to the consumer's TV set. It is
being tested in about 100 households and will provide an insight into consumers'
expectations and ability to use the cardreaders. A survey of consumers'
information needs and interest in distributed communications technology will
also be carried out. While there does not seem to be any people with vision
impairment taking part in the project, the outcomes of the project may have
significant implications.
There are many developments occurring in smart card technology in Australia and it is vital that standard specifications are built into the smart cards to ensure that accessibility features in the terminals used by the smart cards can be triggered.
Urgent liaison needs to take place with the major players in Australia before the specifications and terminals have been finalised. The major players are the previously mentioned companies which have conducted trials as well as the four major banks. The industry association, the Asia-Pacific Smart Card Forum should be a good focus for discussions about accessibility features.
As well, the leading consultants and researchers on smart cards, Electronic Trading Concepts (ETC), Roger Clarke of the Australian National University and the Centre for Electronic Commerce at Monash University should be made aware of the issues of accessibility for people who are blind or vision impaired.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA develop close contact with the Asia-Pacific Smart Card
Forum and the industry's leading consultants and researchers by February,
1997 to ensure that smart cards in Australia are designed according to emerging
international standards.
As Telstra's Payphone Services Section are working closely with smart card developers and have previously had some experience in disability issues through the provision of TTY payphones and other services, it would be beneficial to develop close links with this Section.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA develop close links by March, 1997 with Telstra's Payphone
Services Section which has been and will continue to be collaborating in
Australian smart card trials. This would help to ensure that accessibility
features are incorporated when smart card operated payphones are
implemented.
Interactive voice response (IVR) systems are used extensively worldwide
especially for phone banking, billing and general information services. It
enables a consumer to call a service and by following the instructions to
press various numbers on the phone's keypad, to receive details about their
bank account, pay the phone bill or obtain information. Examples of information
services are newspapers, weather details, museum calendars and transport
information. This information is provided by digitised or synthetic speech.
The Royal Blind Society (RBS) has conducted a survey entitled "Information via synthetic speech" to ascertain the interest in an IVR service, initially for access to newspapers. The survey sample consisted of 39 clients of RBS's Transcription Service. These people were sent a tape using synthetic speech for a business letter, financial details from RBS's Annual Report as well as sections from a novel. The aim was to gain an appreciation of people's reaction to synthetic speech. Respondents were also asked about their usage of automated or computerised telephone services such as phone banking or airlines bookings and information. 51.3% of the respondents used such a service and of these, 100% found it useful. People who did not use these types of services stated that they preferred human interaction and they were concerned with the lack of privacy. However, it should be noted that this is probably the view of most people who have not encountered an interactive voice response service. A suggestion was to increase the time allowed to key in account numbers and to have fewer numbers to key in.
Both the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind (RVIB) and the Association for the Blind in Melbourne offer IVR services. RVIB provides access to the Age newspaper, the library catalogue and provides information on Department of Social Security pensions and benefits. The Association for the Blind offers access to the Herald Sun through an IVR system. The two IVR systems are quite different from each other.
Australian banks provide phone banking services using IVR. This enables the
caller to obtain account information, transfer funds between accounts and
pay certain bills such as the Telstra phone bill.
7.3.3 Overseas activities
In New Zealand, the Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind has an interactive voice response service which provides library information, TV and radio guides, local news from the blind community as well as the spoken text from selected government pamphlets such as details on a new method of processing cheques and caller identification issues from Telecom New Zealand. About 1000 calls are received per week, some of which are from the general public.
British Telecom (BT) has developed an automated banking system which uses advanced speech recognition and verification methods. This is used by the Royal Bank of Scotland. The unit verifies if the caller is authorised to use the system by comparing the speech during the log-in procedure with previously analysed speech features. This is useful so that long account numbers do not have to be memorised.
The CAPS project considered that, while interactive voice response was useful in the development of their Telephone Access System, there were limitations with regard to the use of alphanumeric responses. Therefore, it was recommended that a voice recognition module be included in future systems. Voice recognition or voice dialling is a network service regardless of the subscriber's type of equipment. It is possible to say the name of a person which has been pre-stored in memory and the network will automatically dial the number.
Voice dialling has been tested by Telia in Sweden with 100 consumers of which ten were either mobility or visually impaired. It was found to be useful for people with low vision. This type of system can be used for phone banking as well.
Bell Atlantic provides a voice dialling service called Easy Voice where
often-dialled numbers are pre-recorded using a short name representing the
number to be called. This is a network-based system and so it is available
to most people irrespective of the type of phone they use. It means that
people who are blind or vision impaired do not have to remember long phone
numbers or even the memory buttons on their phone to call certain numbers
but merely to say the person's name when calling. The number for that person
will then be automatically dialled.
Interactive voice response (IVR) systems have benefits to many sections of the community. Companies can release operators, who are often repeating answers to similar types of questions, for other tasks. With IVR, the information is available 24 hours per day and can include standard information on services and updates such as Telstra's spot specials on STD and ISD calls. There is much valuable information in the front section of the White Pages some of which could be included in an IVR system.
While IVR is extremely useful for blind or vision impaired people, it is
a barrier for deaf and Deafblind people. Therefore, IVR can not be the only
means of delivering information. It is necessary to always provide information
in several formats.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider developing a comprehensive IVR service incorporating
sections of the White Pages and information on new products and services
such as InContact and Easycall.
A voice dialling service where people do not have to remember long strings of numbers but can just say the person's name (which has been pre-recorded) and the network dials the number would be of great value to many people. This could include busy business people as well as people with disabilities.
RECOMMENDATION
That Telstra consider the introduction of a voice dialling
service.
There are already several IVR services offered by blindness agencies in Australia. Some government information such as benefits and pensions from the Department of Social Security is offered by the Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind. However, other useful consumer information from government departments and instrumentalities could be added. For example, consumer information fact sheets provided by AUSTEL on resolving complaints, privacy and changing phone companies could all be incorporated into an IVR service.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA discuss with blindness agencies the expansion of existing
IVR services to provide further government information and other consumer
information by March, 1997.
Broadband communication using more telecommunication bandwidth to deliver interactive video, multimedia and high speed Internet connections will come into focus more within the next few years.
For example, a trial is taking place in Gunghalin, ACT where an interactive broadband network using a mix of optic fibre and coaxial cable has been established. This will reach 5000 homes. Unfortunately, there is some concern that there is not enough community consultation in this trial. (TCCC, 1996)
The Broadband Services Expert Group was established by the Commonwealth Government in 1993 to examine the technical, economic and commercial preconditions for widespread delivery of these broadband services to homes, businesses and schools in Australia. Their report points to the many issues surrounding this technology. For example, there will be wider bandwidth available for home consumption and, as part of this, various video-on-demand facilities will become available.
There is a clear application here for people with vision impairment who can derive great benefit from audio-on-demand services. This needs comparatively less bandwidth than video-on-demand but would serve a wide variety of uses such as direct access to consumer and community information, library material etc.
RECOMMENDATION
That NFBCA seek funding by July, 1997 for a project to investigate
the provision of audio-on-demand for people who are blind or vision impaired
as part of the development of video-on-demand services.
Go to Contents Page
"Finally, we should remember that the new technology is not an end in itself - but only a means to the wider end of ensuring that all our citizens are able to enjoy the basic human right of communication. This can involve extensive social and political action." (Hoeg, 1994, p.54)
While technology is inevitable, there needs to be a balanced approach to its usage. In this Project, a variety of low and high technological options have been considered for use in the provision of consumer information for people who blind or vision impaired.
Continued community consultation is essential to ensure that the correct mix of solutions is found. Together with this, is the need for further research both on a policy and technological level, to provide the most appropriate products and services for blind or vision impaired people.
The implementation of universal design principles in telecommunications companies, banks and government departments is extremely important. This would ensure that resulting products and services are accessible to many more people than is currently the case.
To achieve this will take much work and will require a long-term commitment by many organisations. In the meantime, the focus should be on the raising of awareness amongst all sectors of the community about the information needs of people who are blind or vision impaired. This will gradually change public perceptions and contribute to a better society for everyone.
Go to Contents Page
Scenario
How do you pay the phone bill?
eg in person, by mail, or by using the phone billing service
Question:
How do you check that the phone bill is correct?
Question:
Do you use Telstra or Optus?
Question:
How do you find out about a telecom company's products and services?
eg. advertising in media (radio, TV, press), advertising mail, family and
friends
Question:
Does this give you clear information or simply indicate that it is something
you want to find out more about?
Question:
How do you choose the products and services?
eg. talk to telecom staff, family and friends do this
Question:
Do you use these products and services:
Question:
How do you use these products and services?
Question:
Do you need any help in using these products and services?
If so, how do you get help in using these products and services?
From telecom staff, family and friends? By phone or in person?
Why do you get help in this way?
Question:
Do have any complaints? If so, who do you complain to? Were you satisfied
with the outcome? If not, what did you do?
Question:
How could these products and services be improved?
Scenario
How do you withdraw money from the bank?
How do you write out cheques?
Check your account balance?
Question:
How do you find out about different kinds of bank accounts and other banking
services?
eg. advertising in media (radio, TV, press), advertising mail, family and
friends
Question:
How do you choose between the bank's accounts and other services?
eg. talk to bank staff, family and friends
Question:
Do you use:
Question:
How do you use them?
Question:
Do you need any help in using them? If so, how do you get help?
From bank staff, family and friends? By phone or in person?
Question:
Do have any complaints? If so, who do you complain to? Were you satisfied
with the outcome? If not, what did you do?
Question:
How could banking services be improved?
Question:
Is there information that you would like to get from your bank which you
presently don't receive?
Scenario
How do you find out about DSS's pensions and benefits?
eg. directly from DSS, "Social Security Update", NFBCA, support groups or
welfare agencies, community information services, family and friends
Question:
Have you received expert advice from DSS, NFBCA and other agencies on your
entitlements to pensions and benefits?
Question:
What information do you get from DSS at present and in what format is it?
Is there other information you would like from DSS?
Question:
Is correspondence and communication with DSS a problem for you?
If so, why is it a problem?
Question:
Do you have any complaints about your communication with DSS? If so, who
do you complain to? Were you satisfied with the outcome? If not, what did
you do?
Question:
How could communication be improved?
Back to Top
Stig Ohlson
Association of the Swedish Deafblind
Sandborgsvägen 52
S-122 88 Enskede
Sweden
Fax: +46 8 659 5042
Kelvin Currie
Action for Disabled Customers
BT
Room 103 C, Proctor House
100-110 High Holburn
UK-WC1V 6LD London
United Kingdom
Ph: +44 171 728 8727
Fax: +44 171 728 8589
Email: curriek@prc4wc.igw.bt.co.uk
Celia Miller
Human Factors Team
BT Laboratories
Martlesham Heath
UK-IP5 7RE Ipswich
United Kingdom
Ph: +44 1473 647892
Email: celia.miller@bt-sys.bt.co.uk
Jan Engelen
CAPS and HARMONY project
Kath. Univ. Leuven
Kardinaal Mercierlaan 94
B-3001 Leuven-Heverlee
Belgium
Ph: +32 16 32 1123
Fax: +32 16 32 1986
Email: Jan.Engelen@kuleuven.ac.be
Centre de Transcription et d'Edition en Braille
3 rue du General Hoche
F-31200 Toulouse
France
Centre for International Research on Communication and Information
Technology (CIRCIT)
14/300 Flinders Street
Melbourne Vic 3000
Australia
Ph. (03) 9248 1177
Fax: (03) 9248 1170
Email: circit@circit.vut.edu.au
Tony Smith
Centre for Telecommunications Information Networking
(CTIN)
University of Adelaide
33 Queen Street
Thebarton SA 5031
Australia
Ph. (08) 8303 3222
Fax: (08) 8303 4405
Email: tsmith@ctin.adelaide.edu.au
Sarah Bridge
Consumers' Telecommunications Network (CTN)
1st floor, 128 Chalmers Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia
Ph. (02) 9318 2026
Fax: (02) 9318 2031
TTY: (02) 9318 2967
Jan Ekberg
Chairman, COST 219
National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health
Box 220
FIN-00531 Helsinki
Finland
Ph: +358 9 3967 2091
Fax: +358 9 3967 2054
Email: jane@stakes.fi
Gunela Astbrink
GSA Information Consultants
PO Box 2020
Ascot Qld 4007
Australia
Ph. & Fax: +61 7 3862 4538
Email: g.astbrink@gsa.com.au
Gunnar Fagerberg
Tomas Lagerwall
HEART
c/o Swedish Handicap Institute
Box 510
S-162 15 Vällingby
Sweden
Ph. +46 8 620 1700
Fax: +46 8 739 2152
Email: gunnar.fagerberg@hi.se
tomas.lagerwall@hi.se
William Jolley
Executive Officer
National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia
(NFBCA)
87 High Street
Prahran Vic 3181
Australia
Ph. (03) 9521 3433
Fax: (03) 9521 3732
TTY: (03) 9521 1200
Email: wjolley@bca.org.au
Lars Jönsson
Principal Administrative Officer
National Swedish Board for Consumer Policies
Box 503
S-162 15 Vällingby
Sweden
Ph. +46 8 759 8300
Fax: +46 8 38 2215
Email: joensson@kov.se
Barry Seeger
Regency Park Centre for Young Disabled
Days Road
Regency Park SA 5010
Australia
Ph. (08) 8243 8261
Fax: (08) 8243 8208
Email: barry_r._seeger@eol.ieaust.org.au
Tim Noonan
Royal Blind Society of NSW
4 Mitchell Street
Enfield NSW 2136
Australia
Ph. (02) 9334 3333
Fax: (02) 9334 3222
Email: tnoonan@softspeak.com.au
John Gill
Royal National Institute for the Blind
224 Great Portland Street
UK-W1N 6AA London
United Kingdom
Ph: +44 171 388 1266
Fax: +44 171 388 7747
Email: jgill@rnib.org.uk
Clive Lansink
Royal New Zealand Foundation for the Blind
Ph: +64 9 309 6333
Email: clansink@rnzfb.org.nz
William Crandall
Smith-Kettlewell Rehabilitation Engineering Research
Center
Smith-Kettlewell Eye Research Institute
2232 Webster Street
San Francisco CA 94115
USA
Ph: +1 415 561 1619
Lars Jeppson
Swedish Association of the Visually Impaired
Sandborgsvägen 52,
S-122 88 Enskede
Sweden
Ph: +46 8 39 9000
Fax: +46 8 39 9177
Stig Becker
Swedish Handicap Institute
Box 510
S-162 15 Vällingby
Sweden
Ph. +46 8 620 1700
Fax: +46 8 759 6630
Email: Stig.Becker@abc.se
Patricia Gillard
Kirsty Williamson
Telecommunications Needs Research Group
Faculty of Social Sciences and Communications
Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
GPO Box 2476V
Melbourne Vic 3001
Australia
Ph. (03) 9660 2903
Email: kirsty@connexus.apana.org.au
Jan-Ingvar Lindström
Telematics and Disability
Telia
Box 168
S-136 23 Haninge
Sweden
Ph: +46 8 707 3579
Fax: +46 8 707 3590
Email: Jan.I.Lindstrom@telia.se
Ramon Puig de la Bellacasa
TIDE Office
EC-DGXIII
Rue de la Loi 200 - BU29 3/13
B-1049 Brussels
Belgium
Fax: +32 2 299 0248
Gregg C. Vanderheiden
Trace R&D Center
Waisman Center and Dept of Industrial Engr.
University of Wisconsin - Madison 53705
USA
Fax: +1 608 262-8848
Email: gv@trace.wisc.edu
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adapt-l (adaptive technology)
to subscribe: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
axslib-l (access to libraries for people with disabilities)
to subscribe: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
blind-l (computer use by blind people)
to subscribe: listserv@uafsysb.uark.edu
Blind News Digest
to subscribe: wtm@bunker.shel.isc-br.com
EASI (Equal Access to Software and Information deals with disability and
technology)
to subscribe: listserv@maelstrom.stjohns.edu
Global Blind Exchange (BBS)
telnet to gbx.org
kiosk-l (strategies for making kiosks and touch screen products accessible
to people with disabilities)
to subscribe: listproc@trace.wisc.edu
taac-l (Telecommunications Access Advisory Committee)
to subscribe: listproc@trace.wisc.edu
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Astbrink, G. (1995) An overview of telecommunications and disability in Australia, 15th International Symposium on Human Factors in Telecommunications, Melbourne, March 1995, pp. 11-20
(1995) Automatic service machines: Service for everybody? National Swedish Board for Consumer Policies, Stockholm
Bakkum, J. & N. Svensson (1994) Datorkonferensnätet Fruktträdet: en studie av användarvanor [The BBS network called Fruit Tree: A user study] (Unpublished report)
(1994) Beyond the duopoly: Australian telecommunications policy and regulation
Boulet J.P. & Achemlal , M. (1995) Smart cards and their use description, in Trends in technologies for disabled and elderly people: Proceedings of the fifth COST 219 Conference, Tregastel, France, June 7-8, 1994, pp. 127-131
Brandt, A. (1994) Telephones for all: Nordic design guidelines. Nordic Committee on Disability, Stockholm
Broadband Services Expert Group (1995) Networking Australia's future:
The final report of the Broadband Services Expert Group, December
1994.
Australian Government Publishing Service, Canberra
Bruce, I. et al (1991) Blind and partially sighted adults in Britain: The RNIB survey Vol. 1. Royal National Institute for the Blind, London
[1994] CAPS (Communication and Access to Information for Persons with Special Needs) Final report, April 1993-September, 1994
Castles, I. (1994) Disability, ageing and carers Australia, 1993: Visual impairment. Australian Bureau of Statistics, Canberra
Clarke, R. (1996) Issues in technology-based consumer transactions. (Invited address to the Annual Conference of the Society of Consumer Affairs Professionals (SOCAP), 26th September, 1996) [http://www.anu.edu.au/people/Roger.Clarke/SOS/SOCAP96.html]
(1995) Commonwealth disability strategy: First progress report 1995. Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra
(1994) Commonwealth disability strategy: A ten year framework for Commonwealth departments and agencies. Department of Human Services and Health, Canberra
(1994) Creative nation: Commonwealth cultural policy, October 1994. Commonwealth of Australia, Canberra
(1996) The design of hardware and software for universal access: Draft Australian Standard
Disability Services Program (1989) Report on print disability review. Department of Community Services and Health, Canberra
Dopping, O. (1994) Informationsteknik och handikapp [Information technology and disability] Teldok, Stockholm
Fanstone, J. (1995) Sound and touch: A campus GIS for the visually impaired, in GIS Europe, April 1995, pp. 44-45
Fitzgerald, J. (1994) Include me in: Disability, rights & the law in Queensland. Queensland Advocacy Incorporated, Brisbane
(1995) For whom the phone rings: Residential consumers and telecommunications competition. Consumers' Telecommunications Network, Sydney
Gill, J. (ed.) (1994) Smart cards and disability: Proceedings of the COST 219 Seminar, November, 1994. (Available in print and on disk)
---- et al (1994) Research information handbook of assistive technology for visually disabled persons. Tiresias Consortium, London
Gill, J. (ed.) (1996) Smart cards: Interfaces for people with disabilities. Royal National Institute for the Blind, London
Gillard, P. et al (1995) Positioning telecommunications consumers. Telecommunications Needs Research Group, Melbourne
Goggin, G. & Newell, C. (1994) Reflections from the roadside: Residential consumers & information superhighways, in Media Information Australia, Nov. 1994, no. 74, pp. 34-41
--- (1996) Residential consumers & "rejected knowledge": Exploring and acknowledging the margins in broadband services in Australia [Article submitted to Telecommunications Policy in August, 1996]
Grigonis, R. (1995) The drunken Swede is dead? [Article discusses text-to-speech systems] in Computer telephony, October, 1995
[1994] A guide to using Telecom's telephone service for residential and business customers. Telecom Australia, Melbourne
Hansson, E. (1995) Fruktträdet i siffror: En statistiskt undersökning av ett datakonferensnät för funktionshindrade [The Fruit Tree by numbers: A statistical survey of a BBS network for people with disabilities] Swedish Handicap Institute, 1995
[1995] HEART (Horizontal European Activities in Rehabilitation Technology) - Main contractor, Final report. European Commission, Luxembourg
Hoeg, H. (1995) The basic right of access for disabled and elderly users, in Trends in technologies for disabled and elderly people: Proceedings of the fifth COST 219 Conference, Tregastel, France, June 7-8, 1994, pp. 49-55
(1993) Human factors kit. Telecom Australia, Melbourne
(1995) The Information industry and customers with disabilities: Results of a benchmarking study. Inclusive Technologies, New Jersey
(1995) Information poverty and older people: Interim discussion paper. Communications Law Centre, Melbourne
(1994) Interactive voice response systems - User interface - Dual tone multi frequency (DTMF) signalling: Interim Australian Standard AS 4263(Int) Standards Australia, Sydney
(1995) Introducing new blood: An overview of the Heart Line F report on emerging areas of potential rehabilitation technology research and development. Swedish Handicap Institute, Stockholm
Jolley, W. (1994) Digital technologies and blind people: Achievements, trends and opportunities, in Proceedings of the International Conference of the Japan ACM, Tokyo, March 1994
Kaplin, D. & J. de Witt [1993] Telecommunications and persons with disabilities: Building the framework (The second report of the Blue Ribbon Paenl on National Telecommunications Policy). World Institute on Disability, Oakland, California
Klein, G. (1993) Nya tjänster med smarta kort: Problem och möjligheter för äldre och funktionshindrade [New services with smart cards: Problems and possibilities for aged people and people with disabilities]
---- & Lindström, J-I. (ed.) (1995) SATURN (Smart card and terminal usability requirements and needs - Deliverable no. 5: Technical possibilities for adapted user inferface in card services (Restricted circulation).
Lansink, C. (1995) Technology - Barrier or breakthrough?, in Negotiating the Information Superhighway: A summit on print disability services, 29th July- 2nd August, 1995, Sydney, pp. 13/1-13/6
Livingston, P.M. (1994) Methods for a population-based study of eye disease: the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project, in Ophthalmic Epidemiology, v.1, no.3, pp. 139-148.
de Lusignan, P. (1995) The links between research, standardisation and production, in I & T Magazine, July 1995, pp.16 - 18
(1995) Manual of operations for the Melbourne Visual Impairment Project. University of Melbourne, Melbourne
Newell, C. (1988) Australian telecommunications and disabled people: An examination of how well Telecom is meeting the telecommunications needs of disabled people, with reference to some overseas situations, future planning and participation by disabled people. Research report, University of Wollongong.
--- (1994) People with disabilities and the information society, in Planning for an Information Society Project: Population group discussion papers & policy issues discussion papers, Telstra, Melbourne, pp. 69-80
Noonan, T. (1995) Building user friendly voice services, in Proceedings of the Computer Telephony and Telemedia Conference, September 1995
Olsson, U. (1993) Dokumentläsning via telefax [Reading documents by fax]. Telia, Stockholm
Perrett, B. (1994) Marketing to people with special needs, in Trends in technologies for disabled and elderly people: Proceedings of the fifth COST 219 Conference, Tregastel, France, June 7-8, 1994, pp. 56-60
---- (1995) Marketing considerations: The BT approach, in Telecommunications for all - COST 219 (edited by P. Roe). European Commission, Luxembourg
Prendergast, G. (1996) Information via synthetic speech. Royal Blind Society of NSW, Sydney (Internal document)
(1995) Proposal for UK design guideline for improving access to ATMs and similar equipment, (CAE Good Design Guide - Access to ATMs - Working Draft) version 3.0
[1980] Report on an investigation into the telecommunications needs of disabled persons. Telecom Australia, Melbourne
Roe, P. (ed.) (1995) Telecommunications for all - COST 219. European Commission, Luxembourg
Rundle, C. (1989) Feasibility study for a document reading service. Royal National Institute for the Blind, London
Schwartz, B. et al (1994) Usabiliity vs. accessibility: "Easy to get" is more important than "easy to use", in 15th International Symposium on Human Factors in Telecommunications, Melbourne, March 1995, pp. 115-119
Seeger, B. (1996) Advances in technology for people who have a disability; A summary of ACROD's 1996-1998 plan, in 18th World Congress of Rehabilitation International. Auckland, September 1996 (preprint)
Simpson, J. [n.d.] New information technologies: Opportunities and threats for people with a print disability. (Unpublished)
(1996) Smart cards: The coding of user interface requirements. ORGA Card Systems, Henley-on-Thames
Tait, S. (1995) A user guide to the Disability Discrimination Act. Villamanta Publishing Service, Geelong West
[1993] Telecommunications and persons with disabilities: Building the framework (The second report of the Blue Ribbon Panel on National Telecommunications Policy). World Institute on Disability, Oakland
(1996) Telstra Multimedia, in Consumer Exchange, February 1996, p. 4
von Tetzchner, S. (ed.) (1991) Issues in telecommunication and disability - COST 219. European Commission, Luxembourg
(1995) Textual and graphical user interfaces for blind people: Final report, GUIB Project. Royal National Institute for the Blind, London
(1994) TIDE (Technology initiative for disabled and elderly people): Bridge phase synopses, December 1994. European Commission, Luxembourg
Ward, C. (1990) Design for all: Consumer needs assessment project, year 2. Electronic Industries Foundation Rehabilitation Engineering Center, Washington DC
---- (1991) Increasing independence through technology: The views of older consumers with disabilities and their caregivers. Electronic Industries Foundation Rehabilitation Engineering Center, Washington DC
---- (1992) Listening to the experts: The views of Working-aged consumers with disabilities (Consumer needs assessment project). Electronic Industries Foundation Rehabilitation Engineering Center, Washington DC
Ward, M. (1994) Report on investigation into the needs of and services for people in Australia who are Deaf-blind
--- (1996) DeafBlind Project, August 1995-January 1996: Report from the project consultant to the Project Advisory Committee of the National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia
Williamson, K. (n.d.) 'Drinks on the phone at five o'clock': Telecommunications and the information and communications needs of older adults. Telecommunications Needs Research Group, Melbourne
---- (1994) `I can tell you a remedy for migraines': Telecommunications and the information and communication needs of older adults. Telecommunications Needs Research Group, Melbourne
---- (1995) Older adults: Information, communication and telecommunications. PhD thesis, RMIT, Melbourne
---- (1996) Older people, new technology and public libraries, in Reading the future: Proceedings of the biennial conference of the Australian Library and Information Association, Melbourne, 6-11 October, 1996.
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ABS Australian Bureau of Statistics
ACE Australian Communication Exchange
ACROD National Industry Association for Disability Services
ADA Americans with Disabilities Act
ATM Automated Teller Machine
AUSTEL Australian Telecommunications Authority
BBS Bulletin Board System
BT British Telecom
CAPS Communication and Access to information for Persons with
Special Needs (European Union project)
CIN Community Information Network
CITA Center for Information Technology Accommodation (U.S.)
COST 219 Telecommunications: Access for Disabled and Elderly People (European Union project)
CSUN California State University, Northridge
CTN Consumers' Telecommunications Network
DDA Disability Discrimination Act
DEETYA Department of Employment, Education, Training and Youth Affairs
DITF Disabilities Issues Task Force of the FCC (U.S.)
DSS Department of Social Security
EU European Union
EFTPOS Electronic Funds Transfer
FCC Federal Communications Commission (U.S.)
GSA General Services Administration (U.S.)
GSA Information Consultants
HTML HyperText Markup Language
ICADD International Committee for Accessible Document Design
ISD International Subscriber Dialling
ISO International Standards Organisation
IT Information Technology
IVR Interactive Voice Response
NFBCA National Federation of Blind Citizens of Australia
PDF Portable Document Format
RBS Royal Blind Society (NSW)
RMIT Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology
RNIB Royal National Insitute for the Blind (U.K.)
RPH Radio for the Print Handicapped
RVIB Royal Victorian Institute for the Blind
SGML Standard Generalised Markup Language
STD Subscriber Trunk Dialling
TIDE Technology Initiative for Disabled and Elderly People (EU
projects)
TTY Telephone Typewriter (for people with hearing & speech
impairments)
TCCC Telstra Consumer Consultative Council
UCLA University of California, Los Angeles
URL Uniform Resource Locator
WWW World Wide Web
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Examples of information material from the Swedish telecommunications company, Telia which is available in large print and in some cases, Braille.
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