Talking ATMs

The Law Office of Lainey Feingold first began working on Talking ATMs in 1995. Lainey and her clients and co-counsel negotiated the first Talking ATM settlements in the United States. Beginning in 1999, Lainey negotiated 20 Talking ATM settlements with the country's largest financial institutions. Stories of many of these negotiations are included in Lainey's book, Structured Negotiation, A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits. This topic includes articles about those settlements, related press releases, Talking ATM regulations, international Talking ATM installations and more.

Bank of America Florida Talking ATM Press Release

Posted on Updated on March 10, 2016
This release was one of several issued as part of the implementation of the first Bank of America Settlement Agreement negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations. This agreement was the first in the country to address Talking ATMs, web accessibility, and alternative formats. As of early 2008, Bank of America had over 11,000 Talking ATMs. Read more… Bank of America Florida Talking ATM Press Release

Bank of America National Press Release

Posted on Updated on March 10, 2016
This release was issued after Bank of America expanded its commitment to provide accessible services by signing a national Talking ATM agreement in which it agreed to install Talking ATMs at 85% of its locations. The agreement, negotiated in the year following first Bank of America Settlement Agreement was negotiated by Lainey and co-counsel Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations. In early 2008, Bank of America has over 11,0000 Talking ATMs. Read more… Bank of America National Press Release

Landmark Victory for Blind Advocates in Hungary: CRPD means Talking ATMs

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Szilvia Nyusti and Péter Takács are blind advocates in Hungary who wanted their bank (the largest bank in their country) to install Talking ATMs. After all, they paid the same fees as sighted customers, why shouldn’t they have the same access to services and technology? After a five year legal battle in Hungary, they took their claims to the United Nations. On May 16, 2013, the UN Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued an historic ruling finding that Hungary violated the UN Convention on the Rights of People with Disabilities (CRPD) by failing to ensure that Hungarian banks had Talking ATMs. Congratulations to Szilvia and Peter. Congratulations to the United Nations. Congratulations to the CRPD for working as it should in protecting the rights of people with disabilities. Shame on the United States for failing to ratify the treaty. Read more… Landmark Victory for Blind Advocates in Hungary: CRPD means Talking ATMs

Central and West Java in Indonesia gets First Talking ATMs

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International Talking ATM installations remind us that advocacy work done in one country can have ripple affects across the globe. ATM manufactures distribute their technology around the world, and slowly, slowly this technology is becoming more accessible everywhere. Today’s news brought word of the first Talking ATMs in Semarang, Central Java and Surabaya in East Java, Indonesia. The full news report, which first appeared in the Jakarta Post, is reprinted below. Visit the International Issues Category of LFLegal for more stories of Talking ATM installations outside the United States. Read more… Central and West Java in Indonesia gets First Talking ATMs

Talking ATMs in the Philippines: Perfect ADA Anniversary Story

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Posted here is a news report from the Philippines about a legislative push for Talking ATMs in that country. Reading this news on the eve of the 20th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act is fitting. Although the law being celebrated this month is focused on “Americans”, disability advocacy in one part of the globe often has ripple affects across the world. Today we have a global economy and multi-national corporations. We also have global advocacy and international advances in disability access. Especially when it comes to accessible technology. Read more… Talking ATMs in the Philippines: Perfect ADA Anniversary Story

Talking ATM History: Litigation Plays a Role

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Structured Negotiations were not the only legal strategy used by blind advocates interested in expanding Talking ATM installations in the United States. In this post you can read about successful Talking ATM litigation that increased the numbers of Talking ATMs in the United States. Litigation also played another role in the history of Talking ATMs. On at least two occasions, the blind community was forced to object to class action settlements that did not fairly address the issue of accessible ATMs. Read about objections to class action settlements that threatened Talking ATM advocacy. Read more… Talking ATM History: Litigation Plays a Role

Blind Advocates in Islamabad, Pakistan Demand ATM Access

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In October, 1999, the first Talking ATM was installed in the United States. Ten years later, advocates around the world continue to push for equal and confidential access to financial information and technology. The following article appeared on August 6, 2009 in The International News, published in Islamabad, Pakistan. It is about a protest organized by blind activists in that city to protest banks’ refusal to issue ATM cards to blind consumers. Read more… Blind Advocates in Islamabad, Pakistan Demand ATM Access

Amy Vaughn: Bank of America Leader in Web Accessibility

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In 2000, Bank of America was the first bank in the United States to sign an agreement to make its web site and on-line banking accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired. In the almost eight years that have passed since the bank signed the first of three agreements with the blind community, significant work has been done both by members of the blind community and by countless Bank of America employees to make sure the agreements work as they are supposed to. Recently, we learned that one of those bank employees — Amy Vaughn — had died. Read more… Amy Vaughn: Bank of America Leader in Web Accessibility