We are all back from Washington from a tremendous show of unity by blind
persons on atm access and many pleas for banks, atm manufacturers, and
consumers to work cooperatively to develop effective talking atm access
solutions.  I enjoyed meeting in person those from vicug-l that could
attend the meeting.  They included David Poehlman, Steve Mendelsohn, Penny
reeder, and Lainey Feingold.  If I missed someone, let me know.  It was
easy to do.  There were so many there I was overwhelmed by the interest
and passion.  Greg VanDerHeiden of the Trace Center at the University of
Wisconsin and his assistant Chris demonstrated a regular talking atm and
an accessible touch screen atm and answered the many questions.  Every
person there had an opportunity to use each machine on a one-on-one basis
to evaluate the end user experience them self.

Here's the account from the weekly publication News Notes from the
American Council of the blind.

kelly



               NEWS NOTES FROM THE NATIONAL OFFICE.


For the week ending October 27, 2000.


      * ACB, NFB, and partners form united front for ATM access!


      After a long and fruitful strategy meeting on Monday
afternoon, we were ready.  Tuesday morning found ACB, NFB, AFB,
The Trace Research Center, and other friends of Automatic Teller
Machine accessibility testifying before the U.S. Access Board on
proposed new regulations for ATM's.  Representatives from the
Banking and machine producing industries could only offer excuses
while they heard powerful testimony from blind organization after
blind organization and from our friends and attorneys.


      Our message was clear.  Access now.  Bells and whistles and
more sophisticated machines for the future as the technology must
now be developed, but its been eight years since ATMs have had to
be accessible and every site must be made so, and made so now!


      A special thanks is in order to Attorney Lainey Feingold who
wove the thread of testimony from one group to the next.  Her
excellent work for the California Council of the Blind where it
all began clearly proved that not only is access possible, but it
is here and it is time for the banking industry to delay no more.


      The Access Board will release new regulations in the not too
distant future and the united front presented at the hearing will
speed access to all blind people.

[rest of unrelated material in newsletter deleted]


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