Resolutions
2009-06
WHEREAS, point-of-sale (POS) and debit card transaction machines increasingly utilize touch screen interfaces for entry of sensitive personal information; and
WHEREAS, POS machines are not now required to present a standardized tactile keypad accessible to blind users, with the result that existing machines may or may not be independently used by blind people; and
WHEREAS, without the ability to independently use these devices efficiently, a blind user must obtain the assistance of a sighted person; and
WHEREAS, obtaining this assistance from a sighted individual requires disclosure of critical and highly confidential information to a third party in a public setting, possibly exposing a blind person to risks including, but not limited to, robbery, personal injury, credit card fraud, and identity theft; and
WHEREAS, many shopping centers claim to provide accessible overlays for POS touch screens, however these overlays are typically not immediately available at checkout time when and where they are needed, essentially negating the effectiveness of this accommodation: Now, Therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, by the National Federation of the Blind of Oregon in convention assembled this 10th day of October, 2009, in the city of Cottage Grove, Oregon, that this organization call upon shopping centers and other POS machine operators to keep touchscreen overlays with the machines upon which they are to be used. This will ensure that POS machines are independently and safely usable by all customers, including the blind.