Smart Cards: Accessible to all

1. Smart Cards: Accessible to all Jon Fell, partner 24 January 2005

2. Introduction • National Smartcard Project • Accessibility Considerations • Disability Discrimination Act 1995 • Web Accessibility Standards

3. National Smartcard Project Key themes: • Inclusive • Social exclusion • Access anytime, anywhere • Consistency of user-interface experience • The multi-application environment • Cross-agency working Provision of services: • Mandatory • Voluntary

4. Accessibility • What is accessibility? • Unhindered access to a service • Making your services accessible to the disabled • What is the legal landscape? • Disability Discrimination Act 1995 • Codes of Practice • Rights of Access, Goods, Facilities, Services and Premises 2002 • Disability Rights Commission • www.drc.gov.uk

5. General Design Considerations • Card • Interface - identify special needs (preferences, alternative method of ID) • Physical design - tactile identifiers (notch, shape, embossing etc.) • Reader • Interface – screens, standardisation, size and clarity of display. • Physical design – key pads, card contact, auditory feedback • Physical location – disabled users, privacy.

6. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 • Aims to end discrimination faced by disabled people • Gives disabled people rights in relation to: • Employment • Access to goods and services • Buying or renting land or property

7. What constitutes “Disability”? A disabled person is someone with “a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on his ability to carry out normal day to day activities” • “Impairment” • sensory, learning, mental • substantial affect on • Mobility, dexterity, co-ordination, speech, hearing, eyesight, memory, understanding • “Substantial” • more than minor or trivial • “long-term” • at least 12 months

8. Disability Discrimination Act 1995 A provider of services • Must not treat a disabled person less favourably because they are disabled • Must make reasonable adjustments “where a provider of services has a practice, policy or procedure which makes it impossible or unreasonably difficult for disabled persons to make use of a service which he provides…to other members of the public, it is his duty to take such steps as it is reasonable, in all the circumstances of the case, for him to have to take in order to change that practice, policy or procedure so that it no longer has that effect”

9. What is a reasonable adjustment? • No definition of “reasonable” in the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 • Code gives some guidance: • Would taking particular steps effectively overcome the problem? • Is it practicable to take such steps? • How disruptive will the adjustment be? • Is the cost reasonable bearing in mind the service provider’s financial and other resources available to it and the availability of financial or other assistance?

10. What standard is required for web sites? • No official standard • World Wide Web Consortium • Adopted as standard • Establishes 3 levels of conformance • www.w3.org • Enforcement: • Disability Rights Commission • Individuals • Maguire v Sydney OCOG (1999)

11. Disability Rights Commission Survey • 1,000 web sites • 81% websites fail to meet basic accessibility levels • Automated tools tell only part of the story • OS/browsers often include accessibility features • Assistive technology is too expensive

12. W3C Web Accessibility Initiative Guidelines 3 Priorities • Priority 1 (A) – Must satisfy this checkpoint otherwise one or more groups will find it impossible to access the web site. • Priority 2 (AA) – Should satisfy this checkpoint otherwise one or more groups will find it difficult to access the web site. • Priority 3 (AAA) – May address this checkpoint otherwise one or more groups will find it somewhat difficult to access the web site.

13. Priority 1 Checkpoints • Text equivalent for non-text element • Use of alt tags • Information conveyed by colour to be available also without colour • Organise documents so that they can be read without style sheets • Avoid causing the screen to flicker • Dynamic equivalents content to be updated at same time as dynamic content • Use clear simple language • Title each frame to facilitate frame identification • Provide auditory description of important information conveyed by a visual track

14. Priority 2 Checkpoints • Ensure that there is sufficient contrast between foreground and background combinations when viewed by someone with colour deficits or when viewed on a black and white screen • Mark up quotations • Avoid content “blinking” • Clearly identify the target of each link • Do not create auto-refreshing pages • Do not cause pop-ups or other windows to appear • Divide large blocks of information into manageable groups where natural and appropriate • Use navigation systems in a consistent manner

15. Priority 3 Checkpoints • Specify the expansion of each abbreviation or acronym where it first occurs • Identify primary language of the web site • Provide keyboard shortcuts to important links • Provide information so that users may receive documents according to their preference • Use navigation bars to highlight and access content • Group related links and identify group • Supplement text with graphic or auditory presentations where they facilitate comprehension • Provide summaries of any tables used

18. Fresh Flowers delivered John Lewis Gift List – opens a new browser window

19. Conclusion • Legal obligation not to discriminate • More accessible = more useable • Clear and simple • Design card and infrastructure with accessibility in mind

20. Contact Details Jon Fell Pinsent Masons • jon.fell@pinsentmasons • 020 7490 6377