Speech Technology - June 2008 - (Page 42) ROBIN SPRINGER VOICE VALUE Full Access Granted Ignoring people with disabilities could mean bad news for mobile companies ection 255 of the Telecommunications Act requires “The iPhone has great features, but people who are blind telecom services and equipment, including cell can’t find them,” says Jenifer Simpson, senior director of phones, to be accessible to and usable by people with dis- telecommunications and technology policy at the American abilities. Manufacturers must comply with Section 255 Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD). “They when it is readily achievable (i.e., when implementation is can’t use what everyone else takes for granted.” “easily accomplishable and able to be carried out without According to the AAPD, at least a dozen complaints have much difficulty or expense”). been filed with the FCC against Apple. As part of the inves“Where human capability falls short and the functional- tigation, Apple will be compelled to provide documentation ity of the product falls short, accessibility bridges the gap,” as to what testing it did in designing the iPhone and how says Timothy Creagan, senior accessibility specialist at the the company determined it was not readily achievable to federal U.S. Access Board, an agency that make the phone accessible. ensures accessibility for the disabled. This may be a difficult burden to carry Designing Compliance may not be readily achievable in because the M600i and the Instinct have products that are not several circumstances. For example, a manualternative access. In contrast to the iPhone, accessible is facturer can claim that adding accessibility feaSony Ericsson’s M600i has touchscreen access bad business. tures would result in financial hardship; a along with a keypad with tactile, discernible manufacturer designing a phone with a small keys. And the Instinct, in addition to having footprint might not be able to accomplish its objective if it a touchscreen, has several features that make it accessible. is required to include a QWERTY keyboard; or a manufac- With haptic feedback, the screen vibrates when a keystroke turer could be precluded from including an additional is implemented, confirming the function; audio tags tell mode of input because the technology required to do so is users where they are in the menus; and three hard keys on owned by another company. the bottom of the phone never change, always taking the If a company believes compliance with Section 255 is not user Back, Home, or to the Phone. readily achievable, it must document why it cannot comply The main objective in designing the Instinct was to make and disclose the specific testing that was undertaken and it as customizable as possible so that a user could get to her solutions that were explored but ultimately discarded. favorite functions in a single touch, according to a Samsung Section 255 also states that there cannot be a net representative. Interestingly, in executing its objective, the decrease in the accessibility of a manufacturer’s product design features that make the Instinct easier to use also line. If, for example, a manufacturer had three accessible make it accessible to a wider range of consumers, including phones last year, but this year has only two models that are those with disabilities. accessible, then there has been a net decrease in accessibilDesigning products that are not accessible is bad business. ity and, as such, the manufacturer is not in compliance. But More than 20.3 million adults in the United States are visueven if a manufacturer has other products that comply, it ally impaired, representing roughly 10 percent of the popustill must be accountable using the Readily Achievable stan- lation, according to the AAPD. Add to that the baby boomers dard for every product it brings to market. The determina- who are losing their vision and have the money to spend on tion of compliance is made on a case-by-case basis. new technology and gadgets. The consequence of lost sales When it comes to cell phones with flat-screen displays, Apple by disregarding such a large consumer base is staggering. has its iPhone, Sony Ericsson has its M600i, and Samsung’s “We want companies to make products that will sell U.S. release of its Instinct is imminent. If not designed with while keeping their competitive advantage,” the U.S. Access care, a phone with a flat-screen display will be inaccessible. Board’s Creagan says. “The point of accessibility is so that Apple’s iPhone, for example, is not accessible for people it doesn’t matter if you are disabled.” *Apple declined to comment for this column. who are blind or have very poor vision because it does not have redundancy; it doesn’t have tactile, discernible keys or Robin Springer is the president of Computer Talk (www.comptalk.com), audio tags, nor does it allow for voice control or alternative a consulting firm specializing in the design and implementation of speech recognition and other hands-free technology services. She can be reached access. Because the display is dynamic, visually impaired at (888) 999-9161 or contactus@comptalk.com. users cannot navigate the menus. S 42 | Speech Technology JUNE 2008 www.speechtechmag.com http://www.speechtechmag.com
For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.