NFB drops ADA lawsuit against Diebold

NFB drops ADA lawsuit against Diebold
Tags: Diebold, Incorporated, Manufacturers
March 7, 2002

BALTIMORE -- Diebold, Incorporated (NYSE: DBD) and the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), will work together to develop a cost-effective, voice-guided ATM that can be readily accessed by the blind without assistance from sighted persons.

Walden W. O'Dell, chairman, president and CEO at Diebold, and NFB President Marc Maurer said the two organizations will work together to develop a cost-effective and easy way to upgrade and simplify Diebold's existing voice-guidance capabilities.

The announcement marked the end of a lawsuit the NFB filed against Diebold last May, in which it contended Diebold was not in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) because it installed ATMs that were inaccessible to the blind in Rite Aid stores. The ADA requires that "instructions and all information for use (in ATMs) be made accessible to, and independently usable by, persons with visual impairments." While some of the Rite Aid ATMs have Braille keypads and labels, the suit charged that Braille is "an ineffective accommodation under the ADA."

"Not all persons who are blind can read Braille," Maurer said. "Moreover, Braille keypads and labels are static. They do not provide accessible and independently usable, sequential computer screen instructions to guide a blind customer through a bank transaction. As a result, blind customers basically have little choice but to rely on others to do their banking for them."

According to the NFB, the most effective way to make ATMs accessible to the blind is voice guidance technology, which allows blind ATM users to hear step-by-step instructions during a transaction.

"The NFB has dropped the suit, and now we are working together," said Diebold spokesperson Joe Richardson. "We think the arrangement will be beneficial to both of us."

Initial plans call for improving Diebold's CSP 200, a low-end ATM that was used in the Rite Aid deployments. According to Diebold, the improved model will incorporate an affordable design that permits non--visual access and requires no additional computer programming by the retailer or the ATM network.

Diebold's voice-guided ATMs work with a standard headset -- owned by many people within the visually impaired community -- that can be plugged into the ATM to receive voice instructions in privacy. The CSP 200 will offer blind customers access to the same banking transactions available to sighted customers, including cash withdrawals, balance inquiries and account transfers.

Diebold will replace the CSP 200 units currently located in Rite Aid stores in Washington, D.C., with another model ATM equipped with currently available voice-guidance capabilities. The Disability Rights Council of Greater Washington will evaluate the machines and provide input regarding performance.

Once testing on the CSP 200 is complete, Diebold plans to adapt the voice-guidance technology to its entire family of ATM models distributed in the U.S. According to Richardson, there is no target date for implementing the new technology.

Every ATM manufactured and sold by Diebold under the new guidelines will receive NFB's Seal of Approval. Diebold plans to display the seal in its promotional materials. Diebold has also established certain sales targets for the newly designed features and will implement its ATM voice-guidance technology wherever it owns and operates ATMs.

NFB and Diebold will promote the ATMs to NFB members via a direct mail campaign. Diebold will also introduce NFB to industry associations in which Diebold is involved. Further, the two organizations will develop a new Web site promoting the locations of voice-guided ATMs and the technologies used to upgrade them.

"NFB has long been actively involved in promoting adaptive technologies which allow the blind to live and work independently in today's technology-driven world," O'Dell said. "Diebold is proud to be a part of that effort and trust that we can make a meaningful contribution to NFB's work."

Over the next five years, Diebold will contribute $1 million toward the construction of NFB's National Research & Training Institute for the Blind. Diebold also will install and operate a voice-guided ATM at the organization's National Headquarters.

NFB's national headquarters is home to the International Braille and Technology Center for the Blind. The center, which houses more than $2 million worth of hardware and software designed specifically for the blind, is the world's most extensive demonstration and evaluation center for computer-related technology serving the needs of the blind.