April 23, 2009 -- Major advocacy groups for the visually impaired applaud Staples' new initiatives designed to improve service to its customers with visual impairments. Staples will be improving its payment service terminals at the in-store point-of-sale with tactile keypads to protect the privacy and security of shoppers with visual impairments. The company will also make improvements to Staples.com that will benefit customers with visual impairments and other disabilities.
Today's announcement is the result of collaboration between Staples and major blindness organizations including the Bay State Council of the Blind, the American Foundation for the Blind, the American Council of the Blind, and the California Council of the Blind. These organizations praised Staples' initiative and urged other retailers to follow the company's example.
Today's initiative includes Staples' commitment to design www.staples.com in accordance with guidelines issued by the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (www.w3.org/wai). The guidelines, which do not affect the content or look and feel of a Web site, ensure that Web sites are accessible to persons with a wide range of disabilities. The guidelines are of particular benefit to blind computer users who use screen reader or magnification technology on their computers and who rely on a keyboard instead of a mouse.
"Web site accessibility is of critical importance to both the blind community and to people with disabilities generally," said Paul Schroeder, Vice President Programs and Policy Group, American Foundation for the Blind. "We applaud Staples' commitment to address the accessibility of its Web site, thereby improving the browsing and shopping experience for a broad range of on-line shoppers."
Staples will be adding tactile keypads to payment services devices throughout the chain. The new units will allow Staples' shoppers who have difficulty reading information on a touch screen to privately and independently enter their PIN and other confidential information. Staples stores in Massachusetts will have the new devices by September of this year. All stores in the country are scheduled to have the devices by the middle of next year.
The new devices are designed to protect the financial privacy of shoppers who are blind or visually impaired. The devices have tactile keys arranged like a standard telephone keypad and work in conjunction with Staples' existing point of sale terminals.
Blind community representatives praised Staples' plan to enhance its payment services devices. "Point of sale devices need to have keys with tactile markings so people who are blind do not have to ask for assistance or share their PIN with strangers," explained Kim Charlson of the Bay State Council of the Blind. "This settlement and the collaboration that led up to it, demonstrates Staples understanding of this fact and its strong commitment to accessibility for blind and visually impaired customers."
Last updated: 4/23/2009