Singapore banks have rolled out ATMs for the blind following nearly two years of work on developing the same. DBS said it is voice enabling 86 of its 1,000-plus ATMs across the island. These machines have been designed in alliance with Singapore Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH), which approached the bank back in 2014 to introduce them. The visually handicapped had to depend on phone banking or branch walk-ins to get their banking done. Earlier in 2012 Standard Chartered had rolled out similar machines but in a very limited manner but SAVH pointed out most of these machines are now out of commission. Previously, DBS Bank’s ATMs had tactile keypads to aid the visually-impaired. The new ATMs, which are located mostly at MRT stations for easy accessibility, will now offer audio guides and also Braille instructions. To activate this function, users have to plug in his or her headphone into the standard 3.5mm headphone jack. The screen will then go blank for security reasons, and the voice instruction will begin. – See more at: http://bankingfrontiers.com/news_details.php?news_id=4939&cat_id=48#sthash.NprBZyV2.dpuf
