Access to reception kiosks in some shops and public buildings is still difficult for people with reduced mobility. The French government defined standards for this many years ago, yet they are still not always respected.

To make your day-to-day operations easier, turnkey software is available to manage how your premises welcome the public.

Accessibility standards for visitor check-in kiosks

On 11 February 2005, under the Raffarin government, France enacted the law “for equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of people with disabilities”.

Article 11 clearly states that:

“Equipment, furniture, control devices and services in buildings open to the public or in any facility open to the public must be able to be located, reached and used by people with disabilities. The layout of equipment must not create obstacles or danger for people with visual impairments”. Article 11 – Law for equal rights and opportunities, participation and citizenship of people with disabilities

You therefore need to take a number of measures to comply with these various standards.

To begin with, your accessible check-in kiosk should ideally be located at the entrance to your building so that all your customers can find it easily.

You could also consider installing much brighter lighting where the kiosk is located. You should also choose an accessible kiosk with rounded edges to reduce the risk of accidents. Make sure there is also enough turning space around the device to better assist wheelchair users.

In addition, reception kiosks must be usable by people standing as well as people seated. You therefore need to take certain measures, including providing a surface where wheelchair users can write a document or put down their bag. Kiosks must also have specific dimensions so that people with reduced mobility can position their feet or knees when they need to write a note or read a document. Together, these standards must be respected to make reception kiosks accessible to people with disabilities.

Recommended dimensions for an accessible check-in kiosk

As for the dimensions of an accessible check-in kiosk, remember that it must be usable both seated and standing. This allows wheelchair users and people of short stature to access the information displayed.

The dimensions to respect to achieve this are:

  • Between 0.90 m and 1.30 m for the height of the accessible kiosk;
  • at least 0.70 m and at most 0.80 m for the height of the clearance beneath the kiosk;
  • the clearance must be at least 0.30 m and at most 0.50 m deep, and 0.60 m wide so that a person with a disability can place their feet and knees beneath the equipment comfortably.

All these requirements must be followed to the letter to make sure the reception kiosks in your building are accessible to people with reduced mobility.

If you would like a compliant visitor check-in kiosk that is also easy to use and maintain, do not hesitate to contact us.