ATM’s Criticised for Not Being Visually Impaired Friendly
The Commonwealth Bank’s deployment of new Eftpos machines has been criticised by disability advocates for being inaccessible to the visually impaired. The so-called Albert terminals are touchscreen-only and their lack of tactile keys means that the blind and visually impaired must either divulge their pin to staff members or be forced to not use them altogether. Although the terminal’s accessibility feature permits text to speech, the Executive Officer of Blind Citizens Australia – Emma Bennison – says it is inadequate. According to Ms Bennison, it is preceded by a ten-minute tutorial, which, she says, cannot be heard in noisy environments and is not suitable for those who are time poor. Former Disability Discrimination Commissioner, Graeme Innes, contacted the Commonwealth Bank 18 months prior to their release in an effort to have them modified but his actions were ineffective.
