The significance with only the 2,000 machines is that many are low-end
machines, making them difficult or relatively expensive to retrofit.
While not the whole enchilada, it is a good step forward and a
significant commitment.

Kelly



The Boston Globe

6/11/2003





    E-Trade, state settle but ATM dispute remains

    By Chris Gaither,

Globe Staff


    E-Trade Group Inc. has agreed to retrofit 2,000 ATMs nationwide,
including 17 in Massachusetts, so the blind can use them more easily, as
part of a settlement with the National Federation of the Blind and the
state attorney general's office.

    But the California financial company remains in a dispute with
Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly and the federation over
who is responsible for turning other E-Trade ATMs into ''talking ATMs.''

    E-Trade is the nation's second-largest ATM provider, with 15,000
cash machines in stores, gas stations, and restaurants. E-Trade owns
2,000 of them and agreed yesterday to retrofit those machines with
technology that guides blind users with voice commands.

    But E-Trade says it merely maintains the remaining 13,000 ATMs for
the merchants it sold them to. The company's representatives say they
can replace or retrofit them if the owners request it, but the merchants
should bear the cost. ''We can't just go in and retrofit machines that
we don't own,'' an E-Trade spokeswoman said.

    On behalf of four Massachusetts residents, Reilly and the federation
lodged a complaint against E-Trade with the Massachusetts Commission
Against Discrimination, arguing that the company should retrofit its
entire fleet of machines. ''We will work with the retail community to
persuade E-Trade to voluntarily make these important machines accessible
to blind consumers,'' Reilly said in a statement.

    E-Trade ATMs include instructions in Braille and Braille numerals on
keypads. But James Gashel, director of governmental affairs for the
Baltimore-based National Federation of the Blind, called that a
''laughable and meaningless approach,'' because most ATMs are impossible
to navigate without knowing what the ATM is telling you to do. ''It
doesn't do any good to know that the `one' is where the `one' is if you
can't get information from the screen,'' he said.

    Chris Gaither can be reached at [log in to unmask]

    This story ran on page D2 of the Boston Globe on 6/11/2003. ©
Copyright 2003 Globe Newspaper Company.


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