NEWS RELEASE
Accessible ATMs for the disabled no longer a distant reality
NCR Corporation and Diebold, showcase accessible ATMs that enable the visually
challenged to do banking transaction with ease at the Xavier’s Resource Centre
for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC), St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
August 12, 2009
MUMBAI, India — NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR), and Diebold (NYSE: DBD) today
showcased their latest ATMs that enables the disabled to do banking with ease
at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai. The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually
Challenged (XRCVC), a support and advocacy unit within the St. Xavier’s
College, Mumbai, has worked closely with the banking sector and has interfaced
actively with two of the largest ATM manufacturers in India – NCR Corporation
and Diebold India to make ATMs accessible for the disabled people.
Both organizations are now ready for testing the ATMs at the XRCVC. These test
results will be finally used for feedback purposes and up scaling into final
deployment.
Key Features of these Accessible ATM’s include:
Audio startups and guide of menu’s
Voice output for transaction
Tactile cues for the buttons
Colour contrast and font sizes accessible for low vision users
Cubicle and ATM size accessible for a wheelchair users
Sharing his views, Dr. Sam Taraporevala, Director XRCVC said: “It is a well
known fact that ATMs today have increased convenience banking for the able body
customers. For the same effect to take place involving disabled people, ATMs
will need to scale to meet accessibility standards. The ATM industry, as well
as banking industry all over the world, has made accessibility an inherent part
of its production and deployment. It is time that the international leading
players in the ATM industry extend their experience to meet the Indian Banking
Industry’s recognition to provide accessible banking services for the persons
with disabilities. We are happy that Diebold and NCR have taken this
initiative.”
Sharing his views, Pradeep Sen, Managing Director for NCR in India said, “NCR
is committed to investing in innovative self-service technologies that would
change the way people connect, interact and transact with businesses. We are
happy to showcase this ATM with features that would make banking easier for the
visually challenged, thereby, reinforcing our commitment of making ATMs
accessible to all types of consumers. NCR continues to work closely with
industry regulators and the banking fraternity to introduce self-service
solutions that are easy to use and most relevant in meeting both social and
economic objectives. As a part of our standard offering, all NCR ATMs meet the
ADA guidelines ensuring ‘Access For All’.”
Talking about the collaboration, Naresh Hosangady, Managing Director, Diebold
India said “Diebold has been providing innovative solutions to the Indian ATM
industry and we will continue to introduce newer technologies and solutions for
the Indian banking industry. We are delighted to be associated with XRCVC to
extend technological benefits for the ‘Specially Abled’. Diebold machines
comply with the ADA standards, are ergonomically designed for the visually
challenged, and have the capability of both touch screen and Braille enabled
function keys for enhanced user experience. For personalized voice guidance,
the machines are equipped with a head phone jack and volume control features.
To enhance security, the machines have the capability of an integrated digital
video recorder. We are proud to offer ATMs for the specially abled and are
looking at deployments across India as per banks requirements.”
Access to financial services has become a key criterion to independent living
in the rapidly globalising world. In the last couple of years people with
disabilities in India have seen forward looking legislations at the central
government level and the banking industry in their favour.
The Reserve Bank of India through its circulars in June 2008 - ‘Banking
Facilities for the Visually Challenged’ and the circular on 13th April 2009-
‘Need for Bank Branches/ATMs to be made accessible to persons with
disabilities’ has made its commitment to the disable population of India for
financial accessibility.
According the to the Global ATM Market & Forecasts 2013 report published by
Retail Banking Research (RBR), the penetration of ATMs in India is pretty low
compared to other developing countries in Asia.
For instance in 2007 (According to RBR), India had 34765 ATMs with 31 ATMs per
million while China had 130000 ATMs with 98 ATMs per million. Similarly,
Singapore had 1906 ATMs with 419 ATMs per million, Philippines had 7513 ATMs
with 82 ATMs per million and Indonesia had 19607 ATMs with 84 ATMs per million.
The RBR ATM Report forecasts that by 2013 the number of installations in India
would have reached 1, 00,000 an increase of almost 200% on the figure of 2007
which was at 34,765 ATMs
About XRCVC
The Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC) is a state of
the art support centre, aiming to work towards the holistic development of
visually challenged persons. It is located at St. Xavier’s College, Mumbai.
XRCVC works towards creating an enabling environment to facilitate the
development of an inclusive society both at the micro as well as the macro
levels thereby providing equal opportunities for holistic growth for the
visually challenged. Towards this end, the XRCVC has launched project access
which aims at promoting financial access for the visually challenged. For more
details, visit our website at www.xrcvc.org
About Diebold Incorporated
Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) is a global leader in providing integrated
self-service delivery and security systems and services. Diebold India is a
wholly owned subsidiary of Diebold, Incorporated and is headquartered in
Mumbai, India, with an infrastructure supporting more than 780 locations across
the country. Diebold is a leader in managed services for ATMs in India and
provides services 24 hours a day, seven days a week to more than 15,000+ ATMs
in the country. Diebold employs more than 17,000 associates with representation
in nearly 90 countries worldwide and is headquartered in Canton, Ohio, USA. For
more information, visit the company's Web site at www.diebold.com, or visit
www.diebold.com/150 to learn more about Diebold's 150-year history.
About NCR Corporation
NCR Corporation (NYSE: NCR) is a global technology company leading how the
world connects, interacts and transacts with business. NCR’s assisted- and
self-service solutions and comprehensive support services address the needs of
retail, financial, travel, healthcare, hospitality, entertainment, gaming and
public sector organizations in more than 100 countries. NCR (www.ncr.com) is
headquartered in Duluth, Georgia.
NCR is a trademark of NCR Corporation in the United States and other countries.
Those who would like to experience these two DEMO accessible ATM’s which are
currently placed in the XRCVC, Mumbai for few days are welcome to come and have
a hands on experience.
Let us know about your visit through phone or email to confirm date and time.
For further information please feel free to contact us at
Dr Sam Taraporevala
Director, XRCVC,
St. Xavier’s College,
5, Mahapalika Marg, Mumbai – 400 001
Contact Nos: 022-22623298 / 22626329
Email: [email protected]
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Xavier's Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged (XRCVC)
St. Xavier's College, 5 Mahapalika Marg
Mumbai - 400001
+91 22 22620661-5 (extn: 366)
+91 22 22623298 (direct)
+91 9967028769 (mobile)
[email protected]
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