John,

I have communicated with leaders in the blind community who are working
with Chase on ATM access.  They could not speak specifically about a
Chase ATM at a particular location.  However, they promised to forward
your  concern on to officials within Chase who will know whether, or not,
this unit on 60th Street is one of their ATM units.  If it is, the
leaders said they are confident that the officials within Chase will take
appropriate action.

Regarding the status of accessible ATMs from J.P. Morgan Chase, all the
leaders could say at this time is that matters are well in hand.  Chase
has not announced any talking ATM program, although the leaders do expect
an announcement in the near future.  They are unaware of any specific
date.  After the announcement, the leaders believe that members of the
blind community will be quite pleased with the resulting access solution.

it is important to remember that there are two components that are
necessary for a talking ATM to work:  hardware on the ATM )such as the
jack, fasciae, wiring, sound card, ect.) and software development at both
the ATM level and at the processor level to drive the machine.  it is
far, far cheaper to buy a new ATM or install a refurbished ATM with all
of the access hardware fully installed then it is to go back later and
modify it for audio output.  The problem is that developing the software,
creating the voice prompts, and certifying the talking ATM by as many as
three entities (the bank, the processor, and the ATM network) can take a
number of months.  Depending on the situation, there may need to be
collaboration between the bank, processor, ATM network, and the
manufacturer of the machine to ensure a reliable and effective solution.
Therefore, some banks are deploying ATM's with the hardware fully
installed, including headset jacks, while they are developing software,
collaborating with partners, and certifying and testing the machines.  it
is quicker to order a new machine with access features included and
install it in a location then it is to complete all the development work
necessary to enable audio output and have a truly effective talking ATM
solution.

Kelly


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