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Accessibility is accomplished by purchasing or developing self–contained, closed products that accommodate the widest range of users, including those with disabilities. Listed below are some general requirements that will help the Postal Service ensure continued accessibility of self–contained, closed products:
- The Postal Service will develop and procure self–contained, closed products that take advantage of built–in accessibility features when those features are available to both end users and product developers.
- The Postal Service will procure or develop self–contained, closed products that recognize and maximize the capabilities of the accessibility features installed and activated by a user via an attached personal computer (e.g., operating system features and assistive technologies that enable control of dialog boxes to activate device controls). Postal Service self–contained, closed products procurement personnel and developers should do the following:
- Buy or build products that support self–contained, closed products standards. Accessibility features are often integrated with these standards in order to ensure accessibility in self–contained, closed products. Standard kiosk shapes have been developed to meet appropriate reach specifications.
- Where possible, use standard hardware and software controls instead of custom controls. These standard controls often already support product accessibility features. Using them will often eliminate the need for additional configuration or programming to provide explicit accessibility support, unless the behavior of the standard controls has been enhanced. Full–screen keyboards are well understood. Many self–contained, closed products support the attachment of such input devices. Telephone–style key clusters are another de facto standard.
- Provide flexibility in using a variety of input and output methods. Many self–contained, closed products support only one mode of operation. When such devices can be added to a network, people with disabilities may be able to access these products from a personal computer that has assistive technology.
- Consult with accessibility experts and representatives of the disability community when developing unique devices. Assistive technology products for personal computers represent standard solutions to open products. Accessibility experts and representatives of the disability community are a resource that can vastly enhance the designs of engineers and solution architects.
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