Under the terms of the settlement, PNC claims it will be the first financial institution nationwide to test a solution using cellular phones and specially trained phone representatives to guide the visually impaired through "person-to-person" ATM transactions.
The settlement was submitted to U.S. District Court Judge Donetta Ambrose on Jan. 4 for preliminary approval. The parties to the agreement have proposed that the court hold a hearing on final approval of the settlement in late 2001 after completion of the pilot program.
"This proposed solution with PNC is an innovative step forward in the quest to ensure real accessibility for persons with vision impairments," said Mark J. Murphy, deputy executive director of the Disabilities Law Project and counsel for the plaintiffs in the suit. The DLP is a non-profit Pennsylvania law firm that provides free legal assistance to people with disabilities, their families and their organizations. "PNC is to be commended for taking action to address this very important issue," Murphy added. The tentative settlement calls for a testing and development phase followed by a pilot program. Visually impaired customers can use their own cell phones or will be provided a cell phone from PNC with limited access to call only PNC Bank to conduct ATM transactions James S. Walker, a senior vice president who oversees PNC Bank's ATM network, said "person-to-person" ATM access will empower the visually impaired to use an ATM on their own. PNC's ATM network includes advanced function ATMs that accept deposits without envelopes and cash checks to the penny. PNC also has also enabled select ATMs to dispense gift certificates and phone cards. In October, the National Federation of the Blind dropped a lawsuit against Canton, Ohio, ATM manufacturer Diebold when the company agreed to make all of its ATMs voice-enabled.
