New Guidelines for Accessibility in PIN Entry on Touchscreen Terminals
MEDIA RELEASE
3 December 2019
In a world first, AusPayNet takes steps to improve accessibility of touchscreen payments for Australians living with disability
Coinciding with International Day of People with Disability, Australian Payments Network (AusPayNet), the self-regulatory body for Australian payments, today released Guidelines for Accessibility in PIN Entry on Touchscreen Terminals, designed to make it easier for people living with vision and/or motor impairments to make transactions on point-of-sale (POS) touchscreens.
The guidelines are the first in the world to address access to POS touchscreen technology for people living with disability and are a key step in efforts to ensure innovations in payments technology are accessible to the widest population.
In developing the guidelines, AusPayNet consulted extensively with more than 250 stakeholders, comprising people living with vision and/or motor impairments, representative bodies for the disability community, their networks and their supporters. The consultation process involved workshops, one-on-one interviews and an online survey.
“The ability to enter PINs independently on touchscreen-only POS devices, without compromising personal security, can be challenging for some people living with disability,” AusPayNet CEO, Andy White, said.
“Our guidelines are a big step forward in helping overcome these challenges. It is our hope that the principles underpinning the guidelines quickly become the norm in the design and procurement of touchscreen terminals used in Australia,” Mr White said.
The Guidelines include five key principles for people involved in the design or procurement of touchscreen technology on payment devices:
- Embed accessibility into payment projects
- Make equity and inclusion fundamental
- Overlay security and privacy as critical factors
- Consider the end-to-end user experience
- Work to increase accessibility capability and awareness
“The industry wants to ensure that the payments system is as accessible and inclusive as it can possibly be. These guidelines mark the start of collaborative work on enhancing accessibility and inclusion in payments,” Mr White said.
“We urge everyone involved in designing or buying touchscreen technologies for payments to keep the new principles top of mind.
“We’re grateful to the many stakeholders who helped us better understand the impact of the barriers and worked closely with us on how to overcome them,” Mr White said.
Incorporated into the guidelines are Supplementary Accessibility Design Considerations, and supporting material providing more detailed information on the barriers faced by the more than four million Australians living with some form of disability.
The Guidelines for Accessibility in PIN Entry on Touchscreen Terminals can be viewed here.
ENDS
Peak advocacy groups and organisations that contributed to development of the guidelines:
- Able Australia
- Australian Human Rights Commission
- Australian Network on Disability
- Blind Citizens Australia
- Centre for Inclusive Design
- Cerebral Palsy Alliance
- Deafblind Australia
- Digital Gap Initiative
- Guide Dogs Australia
- Macular Disease Foundation
- People with Disability Australia
- Public Interest Advocacy Centre
- Royal Society for the Blind
- TCC Strategic Consulting
- Vision Australia
