The Disability News Service

   Bank America Launches Plan for Talking ATMs


   Screen glare may make reading automatic teller machines (ATMs)
   difficult, even for people who are not blind. In the near future,
   lucky Bank of America ATM users in Florida and California can talk to
   ATMs. On March 15, 2000, Bank of America announced plans to install
   more than 2,500 talking ATMs in these two states over the next three
   years. The ATMs equipped with audio jacks to protect privacy and
   security, provide audible instructions to people who cannot view the
   information screen.

   The talking ATMs will replace other ATMs in about 95 percent of the
   locations in Florida and California, the company's largest retail
   markets. Remaining older ATMs will be completely upgraded, and
   additional plans to install talking ATMs in other states where Bank of
   America operates will be worked out early next year.

   "We have been working with our ATM manufacturers for several years on
   the development of this technology and during that time have discussed
   our plan with the California Council of the Blind to ensure our plans
   would be customer-friendly for the visually impaired," says Bank of
   America spokesperson, Ann DeFabio. The talking ATMs were developed by
   NCR Corporation and Diebold Corporation, the largest ATM vendors in
   the U.S.

   "We're thrilled with the collaborative effort with Bank of America and
   other blind individuals," said Catherine Skivers, president of the
   California Council of the Blind, an affiliate of the American Council
   of the Blind with 46 chapters throughout California.

   Disability rights lawyer Lainey Feingold of the Berkeley-based Law
   Office of Lainey B. Feingold, Linda Dardarian of the Oakland civil
   rights firm of Saperstein, Goldstein, Demchak and Baller, and the
   Berkeley-based Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund,
   represented the California Council and several blind people in
   discussions with the banking giant regarding talking ATMs.

   The attorneys initially wrote Bank of America to explain the Americans
   With Disabilities Act (ADA) requirements for ATMs, and offered to
   undertake negotiations in lieu of a legal action.

   "I believe if a company will negotiate with you it's more constructive
   than rushing into court," said Feingold. "If you really want access
   and accessibility to be part of a company's culture, you need buy-in
   from the company. So, therefore, I think negotiations are a good way
   to go - if they're willing to do it, which they [Bank of America]
   were. They were very corroborative of this process...the Bank of
   America person was very committed to the issue."

   The attorneys have negotiated other ATM settlement agreements,
   including the first which was limited to Wells Fargo Banks in
   California. The Bank of America agreement, however, is the first to
   cover the entire country.

   "We are proud to announce our talking ATM," says DeFabio. "The breadth
   of the plan is the largest by any financial institution so far and we
   believe it represents our commitment to these customers."

   Bank of America will also make monthly account statements and product
   materials and other information available in alternative formats to
   people with visual impairments. The largest bank in the United States
   will also ensure its Web site and online banking services are
   accessible to people who use computers with screen readers which
   audibly read text.

   Created in 1998 by the merger between NationsBank and Bank of America
   Corporation, Bank of America is the country's first coast-to-coast
   nationwide bank. With 14,000 ATMs operated under the Bank of America
   and NationsBank brands, Bank of America operates the largest
   proprietary ATM network in the U.S. With $633 billion in assets, Bank
   of America offers full-service operations in 21 states and the
   District of Columbia, and provides financial products and services to
   30 million households, two million businesses, and international
   corporate financial services in 190 countries.

   "Bank of America does not discuss costs, but I can tell you that the
   investment in talking ATMs will be substantial for us," said DeFabio.
   "By the end of the three year installation phase, every Bank of
   America ATM location will have at least one talking ATM."

   "We hope that every financial institution in the country will follow
   the Bank of America lead," said Skivers. posted 4/5/00


VICUG-L is the Visually Impaired Computer User Group List.
To join or leave the list, send a message to
[log in to unmask]  In the body of the message, simply type
"subscribe vicug-l" or "unsubscribe vicug-l" without the quotations.
 VICUG-L is archived on the World Wide Web at
http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/vicug-l.html