Learn about making kiosks accessible Explanation of accessibility with kiosks by Nicky with Storm and Pete with imageHOLDERS. Shot at NRF 2026 First Alerts — info good to know today — Compliance: ADA, Section 504 (HHS), and HIPAA. (e.g., “How the Lobby Kiosks meet the May 2026 deadline”). Under HHS Section 504, kiosk compliance is service-based, not web-based. If a… Read More »
Why It Matters for Kiosks, AI, Payments, and Self-Service in 2026 American National Standards Institute (ANSI) quietly set the tone for the next decade of technology competition with the release of the U.S. Standards Strategy 2025 (USSS). While framed as a policy document, the implications are immediate and operational—especially for companies working in kiosks, unattended retail, payments, AI,… Read More »
Acrelec EAA ADA Demonstration Good to see clear video demonstrating accessibility as mandated by new EAA. Words can be difficult to judge. The European Accessibility Act (EAA) The European Accessibility Act (EAA) significantly impacts self-ordering in restaurants, particularly for those operating in or serving customers within the European Union. Starting June 28, 2025, all new consumer-facing digital devices—including self-service kiosks, table… Read More »
Restaurant Accessibility Survey Download Restaurant Accessibility Survey — Customer loyalty is crucial for any organization, including the restaurant industry. How a restaurant treats customers with disabilities can significantly affect that loyalty and have a lasting impact on their business. Between February and March 2024, Vispero and TPGi surveyed over 600 blind and low-vision people about their experiences accessing… Read More »
ABA ADA Countertop Placement Recommendations Update on ADA ABA Guidelines Hotels Restaurants. We keep seeing companies bragging on LinkedIn about their new projects, such as check-in kiosks at hotels and self-order kiosks for restaurants, as being “ideal.” Sometimes, these projects are in the US, and sometimes, they are outside the US (specifically, Europe). Before proclaiming accessibility, we suggest… Read More »
EAA Regulation Timelines Note June 2025 – Worth noting that EAA is a European directive like EN 301-549. The UK is not part of the European Union, although the geography makes it part of Europe. Politically and legally, it is not. If offering products and services to Europeans then those European regulations come into play. EN 301-549 is… Read More »
Standing Tall – Does ADA Discriminate? Editors Note: Being able to think critically about ADA is good practice. There are many forms of accessibility and many of those are ignored in favor of the more popular. The writer is expressing their own opinion and not Kiosk Industry Group/Self Service Kiosk Machine. Discussion was stimulated (see comments below) and… Read More »
Canada ADA Standards The CSA Group is seeking public comment for modified standards. Some new devices (biometrics) added. First off thanks to Laura for forwarding. Laura is Accessibility Consultant for Leidos on government contracts, responsible for strategic alignment with accessibility best practices and supporting customer experience through universal design. Note: generally this is pretty old school stuff and… Read More »
ADA Brief on Wall-Mount Kiosks This goes for any “interactive” display and/or kiosk mounted to the wall. Quick Guide Anything that is mounted on a wall along a travel (or circulation) path must comply with protruding object requirements. If you have a wall-mounted kiosk or a digital sign and its leading edge is between 27” and 80” above… Read More »
Restaurant Accessibility Works for Customers and Business Nice point — An important first step for restaurants is to consider the ADA the baseline and the bare minimum, Knackstedt said. It may be a new way of thinking for some operators. But all operators, ultimately, have the same goal: to offer great hospitality to all. Here’s a summary of the key… Read More »
ADA Kiosk Multi-Point Checklist With the new regulations coming soon this year, KMA has issued a draft revision of its 17 point ADA checklist. Best advice in plain english. Begin your project updates or initial design phase with accessibility in mind – a developer’s proverb says that you can spend time planning at the beginning or fixing at… Read More »
DOJ Title II final rule on web accessibility Very nice writeup and analysis of the key points on the just released (April 2024) rule on web accessibility. Here’s a summary of the key points: DOJ Title II Final Rule: The page discusses the Department of Justice’s final rule on web accessibility, which includes mobile apps. Definitions: It provides… Read More »
Storm’s New European Sales Manager Prioritizes EAA Although the deadline for complying with the European Accessibility Act (EAA) is June 2025, suppliers and deployers of self-service technology in the EU seem mostly unaware of its existence. This is a situation that Storm’s newly appointed European Sales Manager, Matthijs Verhagen, is determined to remedy. Having previously worked for a… Read More »
ADA and Accessibility “Advance Regulatory Guidelines” by Kiosk Association In June it is expected that we will see not one, but two documents from U.S. Access Board on ADA and Accessibility. See our December 2023 post – ADA Accessibility Update – U.S. Access Board Timelines. The Kiosk Association mission is to inform and educate on self-service. Membership is… Read More »
Braille Labels Decals Along with audio, one of the mandated requirements for ADA Accessibility are braille labels, especially ones that last… Regulations ATBCB-2022-0004 Quote — “As I had mentioned I am trying to figure out who handles the Airline Industry ticketing Kiosks, every time I travel, I see what is being installed on ticketing Kiosks or the lack… Read More »
ADA Accessibility Update – U.S. Access Board Timelines It pays to underestimate the completion of a government regulatory process and once again that is true. Both upcoming timelines for official guidance from the U.S. Access Board have been pushed back to January and June. We want to thank Steve Taylor with TaylorPOS for pointing it out to us.… Read More »
Assistive Technology for Unattended Assistive technology refers to a wide range of tools and services that help people with disabilities live more independently and participate fully in society. Some of the most common types of assistive technology include: Braille: Braille is a tactile writing system that uses raised dots to represent letters and numbers. It is used by people who… Read More »
Penn State Partners with TPGi® to Make Food Service Kiosks Accessible for Blind and Low-Vision Users CLEARWATER, Fla., Sept. 26, 2023 /PRNewswire/ — Penn State has partnered with TPGi®, a Vispero® company and global leader in accessibility software and services, to assist in providing students and faculty with more accessible food service kiosks. Recognizing that screen readers needed to be implemented into its current… Read More »
Kiosk Accessibility News AI and Digital Transformation: New Paradigms for Accessibility and Inclusion Strategies Note: Both Tech For All Consulting and TPGi (division of Vispero) are Sponsors for the Summit Join disability advocates, corporations, government agencies, academia, and accessibility executives at the 11th M-Enabling Summit, the leading all-inclusive conference and showcase dedicated to fostering innovations, solutions, and strategies for… Read More »
HHS Proposed Rule for Section 504 HHS Section 504 Proposed Rule There is a new entry on Federal Register for addressing disability. You may submit electronic comments at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for the Docket ID number HHS–OCR–2023–0013. Follow the instructions at http://www.regulations.gov online for submitting comments through this method. For more info contact Molly Burgdorf, Office for Civil Rights, Department of Health and Human… Read More »
EV Charging Station Accessibility Recently the U.S. Access Board presented on designing accessibility in EV charging stations. Here is some background on the upcoming NPRM which is expected in September. EV NPRM 9/00/23 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202304&RIN=3014-AA48 Note there are two different listings for the EV item. The links provided for the NPRM on electric vehicle charging stations are from two different… Read More »
WCAG Guidance Closed Systems Published on kma.global Our notes and correspondence. September 29th is last day to comment and best to do via the maillist — “[email protected]” <[email protected]> Hi Craig, The WCAG2ICT task force is glad you and other KMA members will be reviewing the WCAG2ICT First Public Working Draft. In answer to the questions in your previous… Read More »
DOJ Releases Standards for Review Editor Note: Self-service kiosks and digital signage/interactive displays such as wayfinding for example and smart city are both considered “closed systems”. Websites are considered open systems. Mobile applications are new and the proposed regulations there are likely to have the most impact The Department of Justice (Department) is publishing a Notice of Proposed… Read More »
The Disabled and Impaired Population 2023 We are always looking to improve accessibility and one method to do that is to establish the population segments with what impairment. The most good for the most people is a good starting point. Where do differences in accessibility manifest and to what degree. Generally, there are these main categories: The five… Read More »
ADA Regulations Update June 2023 June 15, 2023 — New updated dates for US Access Board NPRMs for EV and POS. Also, ANSI has just released their new EV standards, which include ADA considerations. Thanks to Steve Taylor with TaylorPOS for reminding us of the NPRM dates. Useful reference links: SELF-SERVICE Dec 2023 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202304&RIN=3014-AA44 EV NPRM 9/00/23 https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/eAgendaViewRule?pubId=202304&RIN=3014-AA48… Read More »
HIMSS 2023, Booth 7431 – Making Technology Accessible Storm Interface are pleased to announce their participation at this year’s HIMSS Global Health Conference & Exhibition, the most influential health information technology event of the year. All self-service applications must be compliant with The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and those designed for use in medical related situations are… Read More »
Kiosks and people who are blind or partially sighted As part of our continuing series on accessibility, we were fortunate to interview Sabine Croxford from Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB), one of the UK’s leading sight loss charities. By Evan Schuman — Computerworld Columnist,writer for TechCrunch, SCMedia, podcaster, blogger. The convenience and efficiency of kiosks is a powerful advantage… Read More »
EV Accessibility — BSI Standards Group Here is a pdf of accessibility standards PAS 1899:2022 84 pages. Enabling more accessible EV charge points What’s happened and why? Intending to provide an inclusive experience for people with accessibility needs, PAS 1899:2022 is a new standard giving designers, procurers and installers essential specifications on providing accessible public charge points for electric vehicles.… Read More »
Kiosk Industry Self Service News Feb 2023 DENVER, Colo., Feb. 20, 2023 (NEWSWIRE) — It’s President’s Day. And the Kiosk Manufacturer Association news centers around dispensing machines/kiosks and in particular legal cannabis and naloxone. In the naloxone news: last year (and year before) there were zero dollars budgeted by state, local and federal agencies for kiosks that dispense… Read More »
ADA Self-Service News The U.S. Access Board conducted a very in-depth review of accessibility design for retail and restaurants in February 2023. For more information you can email [email protected] – we offer free consulting and advice. There were several areas of interest we found in the 2-hour webinar, including: Queues and Waiting Lines Self service shelves (pickup at… Read More »
Retail and Restaurant ADA Guidelines Noted on kma.global The holidays may have passed, but shopping and dining out in the new year continue for many people, including those with disabilities. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Architectural Barriers Act (ABA) Accessibility Standards require retail spaces and restaurants to be accessible, from the accessible route at a site arrival point… Read More »
Grocery Self Checkout & Accessibility by Food Institute. Includes comments from Toshiba, Storm Interface and also Kiosk Association. One distinction that we like to make is that self-checkout at grocery stores is closely aligned with Point of Sale terminals and in fact are truly just hybrid customer-facing POS terminals or platforms. You can see on the Toshiba site… Read More »
Accessibility Guidelines; Self-Service Transaction Machines and Self-Service Kiosks As noted on Federal Register September 21, 2022 — Note too that we did a commentary on AVIXA regarding this. That also includes European notes from ETSI. AGENCY: Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board. ACTION: Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking. SUMMARY: The Architectural and Transportation Barriers Compliance Board (“Access Board” or “Board”)… Read More »
Kiosk Self-Service ADA and PrivacyLegal Decisions Legal decisions related to self-service, ADA, biometrics, privacy, Braille and more are essential. HIPAA fines can be substantial for example. Recently Europe has issued a fine to TikTok for over $550 million. Companies generally put the bottom line first so enforcement is key motivator for them. Amazon might have to think twice… Read More »
How To Improve Accessibility – Testimony by Eve Hill July 2022 Testimony of Eve Hill during Senate Hearing. She calls out the Social Security Administration intake kiosks, calls for enforcement tools among other things and ending the immunity of the federal government for its wide-ranging violations. Interesting point raised “if Access Board is given enforcement authority”. Many thanks… Read More »