Talking Cash Machines Go Live in New Zealand
From: E-Access Bulletin - Issue 68, 08/2005

New Zealand's first talking bank cash machines (ATMs) have been installed by
13 branches of the country's credit unions, it was announced last month. 

And all machines installed in future will have speech capability, according
to the New Zealand Association of Credit Unions (NZACU). 

Customers of the not-for-profit unions, which provide banking and insurance
services, can access the ATMs through a universal headphone socket using any
standard set of headphones. 

As well as providing vision-impaired users with greater independence, the new
machines also enable more privacy when carrying out transactions, NZACU
spokesperson Vicky Mackenzie told E-Access Bulletin. 

"What's really good about the machines is that the screen goes blank once you
plug the headphone in, so a sighted person standing close by would not be
able to see or hear what transactions are being carried out," Mackenzie said. 

The talking ATMs also provide users with detailed information about their
withdrawals. "The machine tells the user the number of notes that have been
dispensed. New Zealand currency varies only very slightly in size and the
notes feel quite similar so it would be difficult to tell what denomination
they are. But with the machine, if you withdrew 100 dollars, it would tell
you that you've received five notes or 10 notes or two notes, so you would
know what denomination they are in," said Mackenzie. 

"The [New Zealand] banks do not have this facility available and the
Association of Blind Citizens of New Zealand have been pressuring them to
make a change but they have met with the same response as you have in the
UK," said Mackenzie. "However, with the Credit Unions being the first to
release these ATMs, there would be a fair amount of social pressure now on
other financial institutions to upgrade," she said. 

A recent E-Access Bulletin investigation revealed that most major High Street
banks in the UK have no plans to introduce talking cash machines in the near
future (see also Issue 67, 08/2005). 

Links:
E-Access Bulletin
http://www.e-accessibility.com/

New Zealand Association of Credit Unions
http://www.nzacu.org.nz/