Exceeding the needs of the customers is the catchword of all the enterprises but the inference of those words does not seem to be more than a cliché. It rarely happens that this ambitious commitment is fulfilled, and by launching the first truly accessible Sampurna Talking ATM for the visually impaired on Jun. 6th, 2012 at Vastrapur, Ahmedabad – in the Indian state of Gujrat – the Union Bank of India has fulfilled this commitment in full letter and spirit. Proving that they stand by their motto “Good people to bank with“ the bank also offers comprehensive instructions manuals in braille and DAISY formats to its visually impaired customers.
How it works
First and foremost, the designers of the Talking ATM have devoted adequate attention to the user’s privacy. Put on the headphone that remains hooked up to the ATM, and swipe the UBI ATM card (or an ATM card belonging to any other bank) to hear the instructions via a voice output. The instructions are available in Hindi and English (English in Indian accent); you can choose your preferred voice. The feature of turning off the screen makes the transaction secure thereby providing the visually challenged user the much-needed confidence and comfort to carry out the transaction.
Says Ranjana Rana, Senior Project Officer at National Association for the Blind, Delhi, “Now I can do the entire transaction on my own. Earlier I was dependent on a sighted assistance for everything and used to only key in the PIN.”
Is it all?
There is more for those unfamiliar with the machine as they receive an audio description to orient themselves with the different parts of it and can also locate Clear, Cancel and Enter buttons. These three key buttons, which give a beep sound on being pressed, also have especially raised symbols so that the user can touch and understand the button he needs to press. Low vision users can increase the font size to operate the machine hassle-free.
Is it a wonder then that due to the sensitivity and intelligence demonstrated in choreographing such a machine the UBI has had its name engraved in the Limca Book of World Records?
But in the wider context the picture is not so perfect.
There are a host of visually impaired people (including visually impaired bankers at key posts) who have not been able to use the Talking ATM. David Richards, of Tamil Nadu, laments, “Majority of the blind have heard of Talking ATM systems but have never been able to use them because they are hardly available.”
Richards importantly highlights that more than most of the cities, particularly small ones, are deprived of the Talking ATMs. Despite the initiative shown by Union Bank of India and State Bank of India (SBI installed its first Talking ATM on Oct. 4, 2012), the pace of installing these ATMs is slow. “However,” points out Himanshu Sahu of Kolkata, “we must appreciate these initiatives and cheer up a steady growth despite the slow pace."
In its Circular issued on Apr. 13, 2009, the Reserve Bank of India has instructed that ”Banks should make at least one third of new ATMs installed as Talking ATMs with Braille keypads and place them strategically in consultation with other banks to ensure that at least one Talking ATM with Braille keypad is generally available in each locality for catering to needs of visually impaired persons.”
This instruction would have kindled hopes in the hearts of the visually impaired all over the country, but a great deal rests on its implementation.
Beginning of the Talking ATM
It began to brew in 1984 with the concerns kept forth by Chris and Marie Stark – two blind customers of the Royal Bank of Canada. In 1991, it snowballed to a discrimination complaint with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, resulting to the launch of the world’s first Talking ATM on Oct. 22, 1997 at a branch of RBC in Ottawa, Ontario.
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