The Green Sheet Online Edition
January 1, 2023 • 23:01:02
Protect consumers, merchants with ADA compliant stands
Taylor POS, a provider of ADA-compliant POS card and PIN reader stands and mounts for countertop, self-checkout and unattended POS environments, is focused on helping payments industry service providers and their merchant customers meet new federal requirements for accessible POS devices. The company uses ADA 309 operable U-shaped handles and ADA Operation 309.4 compliant handles that can be operated with one hand—without pinching, grasping, twisting of the wrist or other awkward movements—to ensure that consumers with disabilities can transact at the point of interaction confidently and independently, according to Steve Taylor, CEO and founder of Taylor POS.
"Our patented, lap-accessible dismount delivers POS mounting compliance and is available worldwide," he said. "All devices in our line are designed to promote inclusivity, accessibility, and PIN entry privacy."
Taylor further noted that the POS dismounts and stands offer enhanced screen clarity to enable consumers to easily view transactions in progress. Reach and range alone do not make the stands and mounts accessible, he added, stating the U.S. Access Board is addressing new technical standards for all POS mounting in both attended and unattended environments.
Ensure POI compliance
It is critical for merchants and payments industry stakeholders to accommodate all consumers, Taylor stated, and in many cases, the typical mounting and releases that POS manufacturers are deploying are not meeting federal government guidelines that are clearly stated in the ICT Accessibility 508 Standards and 255 Guidelines at Access-Board.gov and at ADA.gov.
"In many cases, it has been a Wild West in the POS mounting sector," Taylor noted, citing ADA requirements for accessible parking and restrooms as examples. In a similar way, he said, mounting options for POS card readers are being deployed regardless of how countertops are built or positioned, making it difficult for consumers with disabilities to access unattended POS kiosks, ATMs and pay-at-pump devices. Small and midsize businesses are hardly ever educated about these requirements, he added, noting that he has seen no ISOs, POS distributors or terminal manufacturers that have ADA experts to guide them in 22 years of payments industry and seven years of direct ADA service experience.
Understand requirements
Taylor stated that current federal guidelines mandate that POS devices be independently accessible to all consumers by doing the following: utilize 508 Information Communication Technology (ICT); maintain PIN entry privacy for wheelchair users; maintain PIN entry privacy for those of short stature; and provide full ease of interaction use of the POS device.
"Most service providers and merchants do not know that regulatory guidelines include PCI-PTS, which PCI adopted from ISO regarding safe PIN Entry Shielding, using hands or body for PIN shielding," Taylor said. "We solve for these issues with our patented self-assistive mounting and dismounting for POS card readers for the PCI-PTS-POI (point of interaction) which is adopted from ISO 9564 standards and is an anti-PIN theft measure (anti-shoulder-surfing or PIN surfing)."
Standard, custom configurations available
It's critical that operable portions of all customer-facing POI meet usability criteria and are within reach ranges for self-assistive use in left, right and forward approaches for all self-service mounted transactions, (SSMTs), Taylor noted. This includes SSMT-attended countertop, semi-attended self-checkout and SSMT-SSTM unattended environments.
Taylor further noted that all POS card reader terminals are considered handheld when using dismount-release (POS-to-the-lap) interaction, and recommended that providers get in touch with Taylor POS to discuss accessible and compliant POS options and deployments. The company works as a consulting partner with numerous organizations and has an experienced accessibility team and assistive POS mount engineers, he added.
"The ADA.gov regulatory and PCI compliances both have mandatory assistive requirements," he said. "Our POS dismounts are the only stands and mounts that meet these requirements and they are easy to install. And SMBs, in many cases, can get a 50 percent IRS tax credit for purchasing assistive technology." 
Whether you want to upgrade your POS offerings, find a payment gateway partner, bone up on fintech regs or PCI requirements, find an upcoming trade show, read about faster payments, or discover the latest innovations in merchant acquiring, The Green Sheet is the resource for you. Since 1983, we've helped empower and connect payments professionals, starting with the merchant level salespeople who bring tailored payment acceptance and digital commerce tools, along with a host of other business services to merchants across the globe. The Green Sheet Inc. is also a proud affiliate of Bankcard Life, a premier community that provides industry-leading training and resources for payment professionals.
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