Below, for your information, is a Media Statement released today by BCA
Executive Officer Emma Bennison.
John A Simpson
President
Blind Citizens Australia
Ph: 0407 308 706
Email: jas.infoalt@xxxxxxxxxxx <mailto:jas.infoalt@xxxxxxxxxxx> < /span>
For Immediate Release 27 July 2017
CBA to Become our Most disability-friendly Bank,
Unless You're Blind
Blind Citizens Australia congratulates the Commonwealth Bank of Australia on
making its facilities more accessible for people with disability, and
releasing its access and Inclusion plan 2017-2020. But we strongly
criticise the CBA for rolling out over 75,000 devices to retail outlets that
blind people cannot use independently.
The Commonwealth Bank is the only Australian bank to have released an EFTPOS
device which has a touchscreen, but no telephone style keypad. The CBA has
stated publicly that as of April this year, 75,000 of these devices are
being used by retailers in the Australian market, with more being rolled out
each week.
"You can't aspire to be the most accessible bank in the country while
continuing to create thousands of retail outlets which exclude people who
are blind or vision impaired," Said Emma Bennison, Executive Officer of
Blind Citizens Australia.
"You may have a great Smartphone banking app, and tal king ATM'S, But until
your Albert EFTPOS machine can be used quickly and independently by people
such as me who cannot see the Touchscreen, you have not achieved access to
your services for all Australians."
The lack of a tactile, physical keypad on a machine, which has inadequate
and inaccessible speech output, means that a person who cannot see the
screen cannot independently complete their transaction.
"People who are blind are being asked to divulge their pin number to a
retail staff member to make a payment. This is totally unacceptable, no
doubt breaches the terms of their credit card agreement and is probably
against the law. I cannot complete transactions which other Australians ma
ke ten or twenty times a day." Ms Bennison said.
"We have raised this issue with the bank, and they are engaging with us. But
in the mean-time, our members are finding that each week, many more shops
and restaurants in their local communities are no longer accessible to them.
This exclusion of thousands of people who are blind or vision impaired is
simply unacceptable conduct from one of our largest corporate citizens."
Blind Citizens Australia has requested the bank to stop the rollout until
the machines are able to be used by all, and has encouraged other financial
institutions not to go down the same path of exclusion.
Media contact: Emma Bennison
Ph: 0410 553383
E-mail: emma.bennison@xxxxxxxxxx <mailto:emma.bennison@xxxxxxxxxx>
Christine Simpson
Information Alternatives
22 Beaton Street
Euroa Vic 3666
Tel: 61 3 5795 2307
Email: <mailto:cms.infoalt@xxxxxxxxxxx> cms.infoalt@xxxxxxxxxxx
