CAG Position Statement - Accessible Payment Terminals

Payment Terminals (PT) have become widely adopted throughout the retail landscape but the vast majority of PT are not accessible. When most Canadians who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted use their bank or credit cards they aer unable to verify the charges independently. Touch screens lacking any audible or accessible text displays often require that they divulge their PIN to complete transactions, compromising their financial security. Read the full Position Statement for further information and CAG recommendations.

Position Statement on Accessible Payment Terminals

Revised – March 15, 2022

About the Consumer Access Group

The Consumer Access Group (CAG) is a coalition of blindness related not-for-profit organizations. Each partner contributes their expertise to developing position statements on blindness related concerns. These statements enable organizations and individuals to advocate with a common voice on blindness-related issues, increasing the capacity of each to more effectively promote social inclusion for Canadians who are blind, Deafblind, and partially sighted.

Issue

Payment Terminals (PT) have become widely adopted throughout the Canadian retail landscape. In recent months, accessible PT which are independently usable by customers who are blind, Deafblind, and partially sighted have become available, but their number is still too small to widely affect the Canadian payment landscape. The result is that when most Canadians who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted use their bank or credit cards they are still unable to verify charges, thus relying on a stranger to ensure the accuracy of their transaction. No other customer would be expected to do so and thus, the accessible solution must be made available to all companies in the field. 

Background

PT have become an integral component of the retail landscape. Electronic payments using PT have increased significantly over the past several years and the future promises to bring even more payment methods to the retail sector. These emerging payment vehicles include e-wallets, payment using mobile phones, and touch/swipe cards.

Financial institutions, along with government regulators, have established a robust and secure infrastructure for exchanging funds between merchants and amongst banks. Yet, while both the technical and regulatory landscape is well defined for the upstream transaction processing infrastructure, a complete lack of consumer protection exists with regards to payment products which exist in Canada's retail landscape.

For consumers who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted, the vast majority of existing and emerging PT are not accessible. Touchscreens lacking any audible or accessible text displays often require that they divulge their personal identification number (PIN) to complete transactions. This contravenes every cardholder agreement, and these consumers stand to have no recourse should they fall victim to either intentional or unintentional errors on the part of clerks.

Recommendations

Canada's payment systems, as overseen by the Canadian Bankers Association (CBA), Canadian Payments Association (CPA), and the Government of Canada should ensure that the introduction of new PT technologies adhere to the following standards:

  1. CAN/CSA-B651.2-07; Accessible design for self-service interactive devices.
  2. Accessibility guidelines for mobile devices running either iOS or Android operating systems.
  3. Any future revisions to CSA B651.2-07 or alternate standards (e.g., Accessible Standards Canada) that are equivalent or superior to CSA B651.2-07.
  4. All PT shall become accessible, regardless of the manufacturer, and should have a common look and feel.
  5. Touchscreen devices should provide for alternate modalities such as a defined keypad, use of audio output, and enlarged on-screen text, and ensure that the privacy of consumers using these modalities is protected.
  6. Accessible PT offering access in an audible format must provide a volume control and provide an earphone jack for privacy.
  7. The adoption of any new accessible PT should be preceded by mandatory user testing with specific reference to usability by customers who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted, and persons with other disabilities.
  8. Customers who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted, or those with other disabilities, should be provided with ample opportunity to familiarize themselves with new accessible PT. This could be facilitated by rehabilitation centres, financial institutions, or other organizations who regularly serve Canadians with disabilities.
  9. As accessible PT replace existing technology, customer service staff should receive training as to how to assist customers who are blind, Deafblind, or partially sighted, or have other disabilities, to use the devices independently.
Review date: June 2023
Endorsed by the following CAG organizations: