Talking ATMs help Fleet reach out Bank initiatives to empower disabled to use its services BY GLORIA STRAVELLI Staff Writer Janet Calhoun, senior vice president and district manager of the Red Bank Fleet banks, is holding a standard audio headset that has been plugged into an earphone jack in the automatic teller machine. ATMs and online banking services make it easier for most of us to conduct banking transactions, but for individuals with disabilities these services aren’t always fully accessible. To accommodate customers with visual and hearing impairments — a growing sector of the senior population -— Fleet bank this year beefed up an initiative begun two years ago to make banking services more accessible, particularly online banking, the fastest growing sector of Fleet’s business. "There are approximately 54 million Americans with disabilities with an estimated income of more than $188 billion," explained Fleet spokesman Steven Lubetkin. "Web sites that shut out people with disabilities are tuning out a huge part of the consumer market, the people who could benefit from online services the most." A group of Fleet’s own employees provides the bank with a window on the banking needs of people with disabilities. Fleet’s internal Diversity Resource Group is made up of disabled employees and interested colleagues. Besides networking and advocating for internal policies to attract and retain disabled employees, this group advocates for Fleet’s active courting of disabled customers through intelligent and comprehensive accessibility. By year-end, the Boston-based bank had more than 1,400 Voice Guidance, or "Talking," ATMs available to customers throughout eight Northeast states at sites including Riverview Medical Center in Red Bank and Fleet branches in Shrewsbury, Sea Bright and Ocean. Fleet’s Talking ATMs allow the blind and visually impaired to make withdrawals and deposits, make transfers/payments to linked accounts, or obtain balance information using standard earphones plugged into a private audio jack at the ATM. This year, Fleet introduced several enhancements to the Voice Guidance ATMs. The new features, using the same audio system, allow customers to set or change their PIN, set or change their pre-set withdrawal amount, purchase stamps, submit payment envelopes and print mini-statements. Fleet has a total of 255 talking ATMs in New Jersey, 20 located in Monmouth County. Customers can locate a Fleet Talking ATM by calling the bank’s customer service center or by logging on to www.fleet.com and using the ATM locator. Branches with Talking ATMs stock earphones for customers who do not have their own, and free earphones are available by calling the Fleet Customer Service Center or via the Web site. For ATMs that have not yet been converted to voice guidance, instructional guides are available in Braille and audiocassette. According to a bank spokesman, more than 1 million Americans are legally blind and another 12 million experience some form of irreversible visual impairment. As many as 75,000 Americans become blind each year, and the visually impaired population increases by 120,000. The fastest growing segment of this population is the elderly, who are at the greatest risk of developing degenerative eye disease. In addition to Talking ATMs, the bank offers customers with disabilities alternative format documents which make bank statements, account agreements and fee schedules available in Braille, large print, computer diskette and audiocassette through a branch, telephone banking or online e-mail. Guideline or raised-line checks are also available at the same cost as standard checks. On request, Fleet will waive the monthly bill payment fee for visually impaired and other disabled customers. Fleet has enhanced accessibility online by designing an accessibility button into its home page and all pages in the main consumer banking and investing Web site. The button links the user to both a description of services available (Braille, large print, Talking ATMs) and tips for using Screen Reader Software with Fleet HomeLink. To ensure the accessibility of its Web site, Fleet puts all new Web designs and online applications through a number of tests, using both screen reader and keyboard-only commands (motor impairment), checking for issues such as logical order of links, tags for graphics, unique link text, presence of page titles, and that all fields in forms are identified with labels. Web designers also check to ensure that font sizes are adjustable by the user, and that there is good visual contrast. As a final check, new applications are tested by experienced screen reader users. Fleet’s Telephone Banking is fully accessible to the hearing impaired through intermediary TTY (teletypewriter) operators or the TDD (Telecommunication Device for the Deaf) line. The Telephone Banking welcome features a "Helpful Hints for Our Visually Impaired Customers" option. Auxiliary aids available at branches include clipboards, markers and magnifying glasses to assist visually impaired customers in conducting their transactions. FleetBoston Financial Corp. is the seventh-largest financial holding company in the nation with assets of $196 billion and more than 18 million individual, corporate and institutional customers. The bank operates 1,460 branches and more than 3,400 ATMs from Maine to Pennsylvania. In October, Fleet and Bank of America Corp., Charlotte, N.C., announced directors of both institutions had approved an agreement to merge next year. Fleet has established leading market shares in New England and the Northeast, while Bank of America has similar positions in the South, West and Midwest. The new Bank of America will have 9.8 percent of the banking deposits in the United States and a network of almost 5,700 retail banking offices and more than 16,500 ATMs. In addition to being America’s largest consumer bank, the new Bank of America will be the No. 1 lender to small businesses in the United States, according to the merger announcement. In wealth management, Bank of America will operate the largest private bank in the United States and the third largest bank-owned brokerage. With $470 billion in assets under management, the wealth management business will be the ninth largest in the country.