Biomedical Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Given the interest in electronic payment (often referred to as e-commerce)
by persons with disabilities as an enabler if it were accessible, and its grow-
ing use and deployment [
6
], the Neil Squire Society recently carried out a
large study on the accessibility of mobile payment systems with the blind,
the hard-of-hearing, the deaf, and persons with mobility impairment [
5
]. The
study highlights 12 key accessibility issues that affect the four different trans-
action methods that were studied (for more details on how these were selected,
see Lew et al. [
5
]). A few examples of the barriers encountered were: voice
menu systems that did not allow sucient time for users with mobility im-
pairments; voice menu systems that did not have a text-based alternative to
allow access for deaf users; and web-based systems that did not adhere to all
the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines [
7
], which made them largely un-
usable by the blind. For a video overview of some examples, including those
noted above, of persons with severe mobility impairments using existing and
potential emerging ICTs and related services see the website in [
8
].
10.3 Three Strategies
There are at least three main strategic approaches to improve accessibility
of emerging ICTs: (1) working with industry, (2) developing government reg-
ulations and related standards, and (3) educating students who will design
future ICTs.
1. Work with industry
The not-for-profit sector that has specific domain
expertise with persons with disabilities and technology needs to engage with
industry to help them better understand the design challenges and potential
solutions. The key is to help companies better understand their role, whether
it be from a business case point of view or from the requirement to meet regu-
lations, or both. Despite the fact that around the world there are a number of
not-for-profit organizations that are attempting to engage with industry, the
relationships have generally been very dicult, with only a few examples of
what most would consider minor successes. Neufeldt et al. explores these chal-
lenges in greater detail [
9
]. Some of the ways that the not-for-profit sector can
engage with industry are: consumer focus group facilitation; needs determina-
tion studies; usability and accessibility evaluations; sophisticated simulation
studies; device development and adaptation; accessible design consultation;
usability guideline and standards development; and demonstrations of proof-
of-concept solutions in real and/or simulated environments. Given that most
not-for-profit organizations do not have the capacity to do this for free, in-
dustry needs to understand the benefit for them to support these kinds of
engagements and therefore retain these not-for-profits on a fee-for-service ba-
sis. Currently, few industries have been ready to seriously entertain a business
case to do this work, although with the growing aging demographics there
