Testing the Accessibility of Public Information and Communication Technologies (PICTs)

Anyone who has ever used an Interac© device, an automated banking machine, or purchased a transit, movie, or parking ticket from an electronic kiosk has probably noticed that not all of these machines are created equal. To assess the factors that affect the accessibility of these devices, Dis-IT’s Retail and Public Services research team created a survey that allows any individual or group to systematically measure and rate the accessibility and user friendliness of public information and communications technologies (PICTs).

This survey, which is called the PICT Accessibility Tool (PAT), is designed to rate:

• the surrounding or macro environment of a PICT (e.g., are there doors, stairs, or other barriers to get to the PICT?) and
• the accessibility of the device itself (e.g. are the buttons easy to press? can you see the print on the screen? etc). The PAT also provides specific recommendations for making PICTs more accessible.

During the summer and fall of 2005, Dis-IT researchers from the British Columbia Institute of Technology, University of Manitoba, and Laval University conducted a usability study of the PAT by using it to evaluate automated banking machines, ticket dispensers, and point-of-sale devices in Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Quebec City. A revised draft was developed in the spring of 2006, followed by reliability testing during summer 2006. Final testing took place in the winter of 2007.

Many people may benefit from the use of this tool, including business owners, disability advocacy groups, students, researchers, city planners and companies that use PICTs. For example, disability advocacy groups may wish to determine how accessible PICTs are in a defined community for one particular user group. This information could then be used to lobby for changes. Business owners may complete this questionnaire to determine the overall accessibility of a PICT in her/his business and to identify changes that could be made to the PICT and the environment to increase accessibility.

Future plans include seeking resources to convert the PAT to an accessible, electronic format. The Neil Squire Society is also exploring an opportunity to have the PAT used in community assessments in association with Legacies NOW, an organization that assists communities in developing inclusive social and economic opportunities leading up to, during and beyond the 2010 Vancouver Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.