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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Introduction