NEW ORLEANS -- Hibernia National Bank (NYSE:HIB - news) has introduced its first audio-assisted ATM, often called a ``talking ATM," at its main office in New Orleans.
The bank is the first in Louisiana to announce availability of a talking ATM.
The machine at Hibernia's main office will not remain the only talking ATM in his bank's network, said William Arnold, Hibernia's ATM delivery channel manager. "As we upgrade machines in areas of town with large number of visually impaired clients, we'll convert them to talking ATMs," he said. "In 2002, we're envisioning that this service will be available in Baton Rouge, New Orleans, Shreveport and other major cities served by Hibernia."
Some of the talking ATMs are likely to be installed at drive-up locations, Arnold added, since visually impaired people often ride to the bank in a cab or with friends who drive.
Hibernia's talking ATM is part of a national movement toward establishing audio-assisted machines for banking. "We're proud to be on the forefront in Louisiana," said Kyle Waters, chairman of Hibernia's Greater New Orleans Region. "ATM banking, which sighted people take for granted, has been impossible for thousands of people in our markets. This service will begin to make a difference."
There are an estimated 7,300 visually impaired and blind people in Orleans Parish and 65,050 across Louisiana.
"They're excited, and so are we," said Arnold, who has been working with the visually impaired and blind community in New Orleans to ensure that the service meets its needs. "When sight-impaired people can bank on their own instead of relying on others, they're more independent. Talking ATMs allow them to make deposits and withdrawals, buy stamps or do anything else a sighted customer can do."
Hibernia's talking ATM, manufactured by Diebold, has an audio jack that accepts most standard headsets and earpieces. Hibernia customers can either use their own headsets or request a set in the lobby during regular business hours. Instructions on how to conduct ATM transactions are delivered through the headsets.
"It's highly significant when a service as important as banking becomes completely accessible and understandable to a person who is blind or visually impaired," says Bill Price, president of the Lighthouse for the Blind. "ATMs with Braille are actually inoperable to people who are blind, because after they push a button marked in Braille, they have no idea what the written screen instructions are telling them to do."
