Jackson [Mississippi] Clarion Ledger

ATM provides assistance to the city's blind

Upgraded machine given to Mississippi Industries for Blind

By Toni W. Terrett

Special to The Clarion-Ledger

Having an automated teller machine at her workplace makes life a little
easier for Sandra Cavett.

Cavett, a 12-year employee at Mississippi Industries for the Blind in
Jackson, remembers the inconvenience of cashing her paychecks before the
coming of ATMs and direct deposit.

"I was using public transportation," she said. "When I got home,
everything was closed."

But soon, an ATM donated by Trustmark National Bank will be upgraded to
provide more independence ? and much-needed privacy ? to Cavett and other
employees who are visually impaired.

Most legally blind employees, like Cavett, can use Mississippi Industries
for the Blind's standard ATM without assistance; some totally blind
employees need help.

But by spring 2003, Trustmark will add voice-guidance software and
special headsets that will give MIB employees access to their financial
information without any outside assistance.

"We definitely thought this was worthwhile, because the industry needed
it and this location would comply with" the Americans with Disabilities
Act, said Trustmark Vice President Phil Axton.

What's special about the ATM upgrades: Blind patrons will plug headsets
into a special jack on the machine. Then, they'll receive voice commands
to push buttons in strategic locations ? for example, "upper left" for
one transaction or "lower right" for another.

"I don't know that there are any other machines like this in the
tri-county at this time," Axton said. "It's going to be great."

The venture came about when Joe Carballo, executive director of
Mississippi Industries for the Blind, started looking for a way to make
financial business more convenient for his employees.

Employees at Mississippi Industries for the Blind manufacture and sell
household products and apparel to the general public and the military.
Some of the items they make include brooms, portable grills, sponges,
military jackets and T-shirts.

"We provide transportation for many totally and legally blind employees
to do banking," Carballo said. "These folks have to depend on friends and
employees."

Carballo started researching ATMs specifically designed for blind people,
and ended up making arrangements with Trustmark.

Placing ATMs is a costly venture, with monthly maintenance fees ranging
from $600 to $800, Axton said. Yet, helping make banking transactions
secure for the Mississippi Industries for Blind employees is a priority,
he said.

"(Trustmark) really provides a lot of support," Carballo said. "It's good
to see folks getting their needs met."

A "great deal" of the employees have accounts with Trustmark, said Jerry
Witherspoon, director of rehab operations at MIB. For those who use the
new ATM but who don't have Trustmark accounts, the bank charges $1 to
their account, compared with $2 at other locations.

Having the newest technology at their fingertips will be a big asset for
the employees, says 27-year MIB staffer Alvin Carter.

"You don't have to worry about people taking you to the bank to get your
check cashed," he said.

Carter said the software will especially help the totally blind employees
who cannot read the small, raised Braille letters on the standard ATMs.

"If you didn't grow up (going to) the blind school (Mississippi School
for the Blind), you probably don't know how to read Braille," Carter
said.

Axton agrees. "Very few visually impaired people actually read Braille,
so a totally Braille machine may not help them. With the earphones,
though, they can hear instructions."