Card systems are already used extensively for telecommunications, public transport and self-service terminals. Many people now carry cards to access banking terminals. These cards could hold information on the user's requirements or preferences.
Because of the need to accurately control the way the card is swiped, elderly and disabled persons are likely to find these difficult to use.
A smart card is a credit card sized plastic card incorporating an integrated circuit. This circuit holds information that can be securely and accurately read by all sorts of terminals. Smart cards are able to carry larger amounts of information than magnetic stripe cards. Smart cards provide the opportunity to make machines much more 'user friendly' than they have ever been before. For disabled and elderly people, a smart card can carry information that tells a terminal to:
For blind persons, there is the problem of selecting the right card from their wallet. It is recommended that cards incorporate an embossed capital letter at least 10 mm high with an embossing of at least 0.7 mm.
A contactless card, working at a distance of up to 10 cm, will help those who have problems placing a card in a slot. This is of particular importance to wheelchair users, those with Parkinson's disease or arthritis, and people with a visual disability.
Blind persons, and many elderly persons, have problems in inserting the card in the correct orientation; this is a particular problem with cards which are not embossed. It is recommended that a 2 mm notch is incorporated in the trailing edge.
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