ADA May Require Alterations on ATMs in 2005

Buried in the 20 pages of the Federal Register, 28CFR 35 and 36, published September 30, 2004, the Department of Justice (DOJ) proposed a revision of the American with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations that would require ATMs to be voice-enabled for visually impaired customers. They will determine whether the ADA should apply this requirement to all ATMs, rather than only to facilities that have been constructed or altered after publication of the final rule.

The proposal says that ATMs must be speech-enabled for operating instructions, transactions prompts, input verification, error messages, and all displayed information. It presently proposes three possible time frames - six, twelve, or eighteen months - in which all ATMs would have to be in compliance.

Comments are due January 28. Bankers' Hotline will keep you posted as to the outcome of this rule.

Copyright © 2005 Bankers' Hotline. Originally appeared in Bankers' Hotline, Vol. 14, No. 11, 1/05