One of the largest bank's in New England, Chittenden Bank, has fully
committed to talking ATMs.  The previous commitment was for 35 talking
ATMs for a maximum expenditure of $250,000.  According to publicly
available data, this amounts to a per unit cost of about $7,142 for this
institution.

Kelly

Press Release

    FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

    CHITTENDEN BANK AND THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF THE BLIND REACH
AGREEMENT TO INSTALL TALKING ATMS AT ALL CHITTENDEN LOCATIONS

    Burlington, Vermont (February 26, 2003)- Chittenden Bank and the
National Federation of the Blind (NFB) today reached an agreement that
will result in Chittenden accelerating its previously announced plan to
install voice-activated automated teller machines (ATMs) at all of its
ATM locations throughout Vermont.

    On February 5, 2002, Chittenden announced that it would spend
$250,000 over the next five years modifying most of its ATMs to offer
voice-guidance technology. Since then, Chittenden has worked with the
NFB and other local organizations to strengthen its demonstrated
commitment to its blind and visually impaired customers. Local visually
impaired residents assisted the bank in testing its new system..

    Under today's agreement with the NFB, Chittenden has committed to
accelerating the ATM conversion to offer voice-guidance at nearly all of
its ATM locations within four years. Chittenden has already installed
these "talking ATMs" at twelve locations, including Burlington, South
Burlington, Williston Road and the University Mall, Williston,
Middlebury, Newport, Montpelier, Morrisville, Bennington, Rutland,
Brattleboro, and Springfield. Over the course of the next four years,
nearly all of Chittenden's remaining ATMs will either be upgraded or
replaced to offer voice-guidance technology. In addition, Chittenden
will offer voice-guidance technology on all new ATMs.

    Talking ATMs provide step-by-step audio instructions that guide
blind customers through bank transactions without assistance. Personal
headphones are plugged into a universal audio jack installed in the ATM
to access the voice-guidance technology employed in talking ATMs.

    While most ATMs have Braille keypads and labels for customers who
are blind or visually impaired, this feature has proved to be an
ineffective accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities Act,
according to the NFB.

    "Not all blind individuals can read Braille," explains Dr. Marc
Maurer, President, National Federation of the Blind. "And Braille
keypads and labels are static. They do not provide access to the
instructions being displayed on the computer screen. These instructions
are necessary to complete the most common ATM banking transactions. As a
result, blind customers who do not have access to talking ATMs have
little choice but to rely on others to do their banking for them."

    Brenda Jeanne (B.J.) Patterson, NFB of Vermont President, praised
the partnership between NFB and Chittenden that resulted in the
agreement on talking ATMs. "All too often, the needs of blind customers
or employees get overlooked. This agreement should serve as a model for
all companies in assuring that blind and visually impaired persons have
full accessibility, as well as the resources that enable them to act
independently."

    Chittenden is a locally owned and operated bank with a demonstrated
commitment to the communities we serve, including Vermont's blind and
visually impaired residents. "Our ATM network was created to ensure
convenient access for our customers to their funds. Therefore, we
appreciate the guidance offered by the NFB and its membership as
Chittenden continues its efforts to make certain that our ATMs are
accessible to visually impaired customers as well. Our four-year goal is
to make a voice-guidance ATM available at virtually all of our ATM
locations," said Lawrence W. DeShaw, President of Chittenden.

    Chittenden was founded in 1906 and is a full-service, Vermont-based
and managed financial institution. Chittenden provides a wide range of
financial services and products to individuals and businesses from its
fifty-four offices and seventy ATM locations throughout Vermont. To find
out more about Chittenden and its products, please visit chittenden.com.

    The National Federation of the Blind, with more than 50,000 members
and 700 local and state affiliates and chapters, is the largest and most
influential membership organization of blind people in the United
States. As a consumer and advocacy organization, NFB is the leading
force in the blindness field today and the voice of the nation's blind.


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