Baltimore, Maryland (April 20, 2021): The National Federation of the Blind and three blind Californians have collaborated with the California Department of Motor Vehicles and Intellectual Technology, Inc., a provider of self-service kiosks, regarding accessibility features for DMV Now kiosks utilized in California. The new features will include Braille labels, tactile controls, and speech output through a headphone jack. These features will allow blind people to complete transactions with the DMV through the kiosks just as sighted visitors can. With much of the work having already been completed during the collaboration process, the remaining features are expected to go live within 90 days.

“Although blind people cannot currently operate motor vehicles, many with families do own them, and we need to access other DMV services such as obtaining state identification cards and registering to vote,” said Mark Riccobono, President of the National Federation of the Blind. “We therefore commend the California Department of Motor Vehicles and Intellectual Technology, Inc. for collaborating with us to ensure that blind visitors to DMV offices can perform these functions privately and independently. We hope this outstanding work will serve as a model that others who manufacture or deploy self-service kiosks will follow.”

“Intellectual Technology Inc. was pleased to work with the National Federation of the Blind to enhance usability of our kiosks for individuals with vision impairments,” said Drew Nicholson, President and Chief Operating Officer of Intellectual Technology Inc. “We are committed to providing kiosks that are convenient to use for all individuals, including individuals with disabilities.  The insight we have gained through our collaboration with the National Federation of the Blind will enable us to better serve customers in all jurisdictions where we provide kiosks, and also position our kiosks at the forefront of accessibility.”