URL: http://www.atmmagazine.com/news.html?article=3891


   May 24, 2000

                             ATM accessibility

   The National Federation of the Blind drew a line in the sand for the
   ATM industry today.
   Contending that the industry has not done enough to make its machines
   accessible to the visually impaired, the Federation -- along with its
   District of Columbia affiliate, the Disability Rights Council of
   Greater Washington and several blind individuals -- filed two lawsuits
   charging ATM deployers with violating the Americans with Disabilities
   Act.
   NFB President Marc Maurer said his organization felt compelled to file
   the suits because other, less aggressive efforts have failed. We have
   tried negotiation and tried urging the regulators, and it hasnt
   worked. Today, we are asking the court to make the requirements of the
   law plain.
   In the first suit, the NFB names Chevy Chase Bank, noting that the
   banks 800 ATMs, many of which are located in high-profile sites like
   the Smithsonian and the National Zoo, are inaccessible to blind people
   because they use computer text screen prompts to guide customers
   through transactions.
   Our nations capital should set the example for the nation to follow by
   being fully accessible to patrons who are blind or otherwise disabled,
   Maurer said. It is distressing to know that the only ATMs available in
   such national treasures as the Smithsonian are inaccessible to the
   blind.
   In a separate suit, the NFB charges Rite Aid Corporation and Diebold,
   the nations leading manufacturer in 1999, with violating the ADA.
   Diebold is installing and operating ATMs in Rite Aid stores nationwide
   under an agreement signed last year. Again, the NFB contends the
   machines use screen text prompts that are inaccessible to the blind.
   Because Diebold manufactures voice-activated ATMs, but did not install
   them in Rite Aid stores, the suit also seeks punitive damages against
   the manufacturer under the provisions of the D.C. Human Rights Act.
   The bottom line is that the technology exists to make these ATMs fully
   accessible, Maurer said. Unfortunately, the defendants are installing
   ATMs that are inaccessible to the blind, even though the cost for
   voice activated ATMs is negligible and providing them would not
   fundamentally alter the nature of ATM services or retail drugstore
   facilities.
   While Diebold did not comment on the pending litigation, spokesperson
   Joseph Richardson said, Diebold firmly believes its products meet
   current federal guidelines regarding access for persons with
   disabilities. Diebold actively promotes a wide range of solutions that
   help consumers access and use its products.
   And, he added, Diebold is committed to work within any and all legal
   requirements to help consumers access its products.
   The lawsuits, both of which were filed in U.S. District Court for the
   District of Columbia, ask the court to order the defendants to make
   the necessary technological modifications to their ATMs to allow
   access by persons who are blind or visually impaired, said NFB
   attorney Daniel Goldstein.
   The ADA requires that instructions and all information for use (in
   ATMs) by made accessible to, and independently usable by, persons with
   visual impairments. While some of the Chevy Chase Bank and Rite Aid
   ATMs have Braille keypads and labels, the suits charge that these
   features are an ineffective accommodation under the ADA.
   Not all persons who are blind can read Braille, Maurer said. Moreover,
   Braille keypads and labels are static. They do not provide accessible
   and independently usable, sequential computer screen instructions to
   guide a blind customer through a bank transaction. As a result, blind
   customers basically have little choice but to rely on others to do
   their banking for them.
   According to the NFB, the most effective way to make ATMs accessible
   to the blind is voice guidance technology, which allows blind ATM
   users to hear step-by-step instructions. The user typically activates
   the voice guidance feature by plugging headphones into a universal
   audio jack installed in the ATM or by using a telephone handset
   installed in the machine.
   In a written statement, W. Scott McSween, executive vice president of
   Chevy Chase Bank, said, "Talking ATMs show promise. However, the
   challenge is that the technology is still in development and may not
   be readily achievable.
   "Chevy Chase Bank will continue to pursue technologies that make
   banking services more convenient and accessible to all consumers and
   would be pleased to work with representatives from the National
   Federation of the Blind in this regard."
   At a press conference announcing the lawsuits, the NFB showed a
   videotape featuring an audio ATM deployed by the Royal Bank of Canada.
   The bank began developing the audio ATM in 1996 and has installed 15
   of them across Canada, mostly in Ontario.
   Several U.S. financial institutions, including Wells Fargo, Citibank
   and Bank of America, have announced plans to install audio ATMs.
   Citibank has deployed five such machines in California. Wells Fargo
   intends to install 20 audio ATMs in California this year, then roll
   the technology out to 1,500 California locations over the next three
   years.
   BofA, the nations largest ATM owner, has installed four in California
   and is testing about a dozen more there. The banks plans call for a
   total of 2,500 ATMs in Florida and California during the next three
   years.
   BofA spokesperson Ann DeFabio said the bank may install more machines
   in other states as well. We strive to meet, if not exceed, the ADA
   standards wherever we do business.
   Maurer hinted that more lawsuits could follow.
   This is the beginning, he said. We are not prepared to have these
   machines and others like them established throughout the U.S. in a
   continuing pattern that prevents an entire class of people from having
   the opportunity to do the same kind of business and banking as the
   rest of society.


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