ATMs and the Americans with Disabilities Act

What the Revisions Mean for Financial Institutions
 
ATMs and Americans with Disabilities Act


Last year, the United States Department of Justice (DOJ) revised its Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) regulations, including Standards for Accessible Design, which pertain to ATMs. The final rules were published in the Federal Register on September 15, 2010, and impose new standards, including both technical and scoping requirements, for ATMs. These standards are set forth in Section 707 of the guidelines (www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/final.cfm#a707).

 

According to the DOJ, the 2010 ADA Standards require ATM owners and operators to provide communication-related elements for both new and existing ATMs necessary to make them usable by individuals who are blind or have low vision. This could require changes to ATMs and facilities that house ATMs.

 

The final rules included a compliance date of March 15, 2011, although compliance is not required until March 15, 2012. At that time, all ATM owners/operators will be legally bound to comply with the standards. It is recommended that all ATM owners/operators inspect their existing ATM inventory for compliance with the standards. If any ATMs do not comply, ATM owners/operators will need to work with their ATM vendor to discuss modifications.

 

Ensuring Compliance

The updated standards state that, where ATMs are provided, each ATM shall comply with the requirements except where two or more are provided at a location. Then only one must comply. Drive-up-only ATMs are exempt from some of the requirements. To comply, ATM owners/operators need to address the accessibility of the input and output controls on their ATMs. Specific instructions are as follows:

 

Height and Reach – To ensure cardholders can easily access input controls, ATM owners/operators should position ATMs where a forward or side reach is unobstructed, the high reach shall be 48 inches maximum and the low reach shall be 15 inches minimum above the finish floor or ground. If the live touch-command areas on the ATM screen are higher than the function keys, the graphic area containing the touch commands must be lowered to the required height. Also, ATM owners and/or operators should place ATMs so that clear floor space is provided to allow a person using a wheelchair to make a forward approach, parallel approach or both, to the machine.

   ATMs and Americans with Disabilities Act

 

Privacy – ATM owners/operators should ensure that the opportunity for the same degree of privacy of input and output is available to all individuals by incorporating capabilities such as “blank screen” functionality.

 

Voice Guidance – In order to service visually impaired cardholders, the new standards state that ATM owners/operators should make all ATMs speech-enabled, unless doing so would create an undue burden or expense.

 

Input Device – Key surfaces should be raised to serve the visually impaired by making input device controls tactually discernible.

 

Numeric Keypads – ATM owners and/or operators should arrange ATM keypads in a 12-key ascending layout, such as telephone keys, or descending, such as a computer number pad layout. The number five key shall be tactually distinct from other keys.

 

Function Keys – ATM owners/operators should design their function keys to contrast visually from their background surfaces. For instance, function key surfaces shall have tactile symbols such as: Enter or Proceed key, raised circle; Clear or Correct key, raised left arrow; Cancel key, raised letter “X”; Add Value key, raised plus sign; Decrease Value key, raised minus sign.

 

Display Screen – For visibility from a point located 40 inches above the center of the floor in front of the ATM, characters on the screen must be in sans serif font, a minimum of 3/16-inch high and contrast with their background.

 

Braille Instructions – Braille instructions should be integrated into the ATM to initiate the voice guidance feature.

 

These requirements are auxiliary aids and services that must be provided on existing ATMs. For a complete list of the ADA and American Bankers Association accessibility guidelines, go to www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/final.cfm.

 

For more information relating to these rules, go to www.access-board.gov/ada-aba/ada-standards-doj.cfm.