FLEET AND DISABILITY LAW CENTER ANNOUNCE PLANS TO INSTALL 1,420 TALKING ATMs, THE FIRST IN THE REGION
Blind Athletes Marla Runyan and Rob Walsh Speak at the Perkins School for the Blind
BOSTON, Feb. 28, 2001
In a major initiative to make banking services more accessible to millions of people who are blind or visually impaired, Fleet and the Boston-based Disability Law Center (DLC) today announced a comprehensive plan to ensure that persons with vision impairments, including the growing number of senior citizens, can more conveniently access banking services at Fleet. The plan includes installation of the first talking ATMs in New York and New England, a program to enhance access to printed materials, and improved Web site accessibility at www.fleet.com.
Marla Runyan, a runner and the first blind athlete to compete on the U.S. Olympic Team, and Rob Walsh, the first U.S. blind skier to win a gold medal in international competition, joined Fleet and other disability advocates in making the announcement at a news conference today at Perkins School for the Blind in Watertown, Mass., the first school for the blind in the United States. Runyan and Walsh met with visually impaired students and staff from the Perkins School, including members of the ski and track & field teams, and spoke about their accomplishments as blind athletes.
More than 16 Fleet talking ATMs are already installed and operating in Massachusetts. The total of talking ATMs, which provide audio instructions over a headset, will increase to more than 150 throughout Massachusetts, New Hampshire and the metropolitan New York area by the end of the year. Over the next two years, Fleet will complete the installation of 1,420 talking ATMs throughout its Northeast retail service area, from Maine to Pennsylvania.
Fleet worked closely with representatives of the blindness community, the Disability Law Center, and California disability rights lawyer Lainey Feingold, to develop a plan to effectively meet the needs of this important and underserved segment of consumers.
"We are very excited that Fleet has so enthusiastically demonstrated its commitment to improving accessibility for blind and visually impaired people, and we applaud their efforts", said Kim Charlson, a representative of the Bay State Council of the Blind, who has been actively involved in the initiative announced today. Other representatives present at the announcement included the National Federation of the Blind of Massachusetts, Sight Loss Services, and numerous individuals with vision impairments.
"With today's announcement, Fleet is taking a leadership role within the banking industry," said Disability Law Center Managing Attorney Stanley J. Eichner. We hope that other financial institutions follow in Fleet's footsteps. Also working on this matter for the DLC was Jane K. Alper, senior attorney.
"Fleet is vigorously committed to meeting the diverse needs of all our customers and to building accessibility into the fabric of our organization, at virtually every point that we connect with our customers, whether that is at an ATM or branch, in writing or through the Internet", said Robert Hedges, senior vice president and managing director of Retail Distribution at Fleet. "Though our ATMs have Braille instructions, the talking ATMs we are installing will create even greater access for people who cannot easily read information as it is currently presented on our ATMs. "
Fleet Talking ATMs
Fleet's Talking ATMs will be equipped with universal audio jacks, and the bank will provide listening devices to persons with vision impairments through which they can receive private audio instructions for transactions typically displayed on the ATM screen for cash withdrawals, balance inquiries, transfers & payments and deposits. Fleet is upgrading existing ATMs that have been developed by leading ATM manufacturers NCR Corporation and Diebold Corporation. Both companies' ATMs will be included in the pilot phase. Both NCR and Diebold are actively involved in the development of ATMs that are voice-guided and/or use other adaptive technologies. To locate the nearest Fleet talking ATM, consumers may call Fleet Customer Service 24 hours a day at 1-800-841-4000. A complete list of talking ATM locations will later be available on the Fleet Web site.Other components of Fleet's accessibility initiative
Fleet has long been a leader in accommodating the needs of persons with visual impairments, and today's announcement expands that commitment. In addition to installing talking ATMs, Fleet will now provide important financial materials including statements, brochures and other account information in Braille, audiocassette, and large print formats. The bank also is designing and generating each page of its website (www.fleet.com) to be accessible to persons with disabilities. Web design features will enable computer users who are blind and who use screen reader technology on their computers to access Fleet's website.It is estimated that over 1 million Americans are legally blind and another 12 million Americans experience some form of irreversible visual impairment. As many as 75,000 Americans become blind each year, and the visually impaired category increases by 120,000. The fastest growing segment of this population is the elderly, who are at the greatest risk of developing degenerative eye disease.
The Perkins School for the Blind, founded in 1829, extends its educational and rehabilitative expertise for the benefit of the blind, deaf blind and multi-handicapped worldwide in order that each individual may realize their potential and maintain their independence, no matter what age.
The Disability Law Center (DLC) is responsible for Protecting and Advocating for the rights of Massachusetts residents with disabilities and dedicated to expanding opportunities for people with disabilities to live full and independent lives by providing legal representation and information about their legal rights.
Fleet Boston Financial is the eighth-largest financial holding company in the United States. A $179 billion diversified financial services company, it offers a comprehensive array of innovative financial solutions to 20 million customers in more than 20 countries and territories. Among the company's key lines of business are: retail banking, with over 1,200 branches and nearly 3,400 ATMs in the Northeast; commercial banking, including capital markets/investment banking and commercial finance; investment services, including discount brokerage; and full-service banking through more than 250 offices in Latin America. Fleet Boston Financial is headquartered in Boston and listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE: FBF) and the Boston Stock Exchange (BSE: FBF).
Contacts:
Alison Gibbs
(617) 434-2489
alison_gibbs@fleet.com
Stanley J. Eichner
(617) 723-8455
seichner@dlc-ma.org
Lainey Feingold
(510) 848-8125
lfeingold@california.net
The University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester formed a committee in 1999 to proactively address issues relating to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA Committee meets six times per year and currently consists of members representing a cross section of the workforce. The purpose of the committee is to serve in an advisory capacity to both the organization and the Equal Opportunity Office on matters related to disability.
In cooperation with disability community organizations such as the Resource Partnership and the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, the ADA Committee produced two Career Fairs, one in 2000 and one in 2001, specifically targeting candidates with disabilities to fill job vacancies at the school. Over 100 candidates attended these events and several successful hires were made.
In 2002 the committee produced a seminar to educate employers on living and working with blindness. The seminar educated medical school employees as well as other local employers about blindness, the ADA, and related laws. All three events were well received and attended.
Another initiative of the committee in 2002 was the evaluation of all school buildings and property in regards to architectural barriers for people with disabilities.
In 2003 the committee will focus on creating an Emergency Evacuation Plan for employees and visitors with disabilities, which will include but not be limited to individuals with mobility impairments, blindness, and deafness.
UMass Medical School is a charter member of the Massachusetts Business Leadership Network (MassBLN), an association of Massachusetts companies dedicated to advancing the career potential of individuals with disabilities through business-to-business education and outreach strategies.
Virtual Career Fair for People With Disabilities
As lead company for the MassBLN, Monster is committed to assisting people with disabilities find good jobs, and good careers. In conjunction with National Employment of People With Disabilities Month (October), employers are connected with qualified candidates through Monster's interactive Virtual Career Fair.
This program is designed to feature hiring practices that target candidates with disabilities, and the benefits of working within progressive corporations that are on the forefront of compliance.
Employers can reach a highly employable audience that accounts for over 55 million people in the United States, with an unemployment rate of over 65% while seekers can make contact with employers who are dedicated to providing accessible working environments to people with disabilities.
What is a Virtual Career Fair?
A Virtual Career Fair, or VCF, is a Career Event hosted on the World Wide Web where employers and job seekers can interact. Like a regular career fair it happens for only a few days and only certain, select employers can attend. This means that job seekers can meet employers and search for better jobs from their own computer. They do not have to travel to reach this career fair. A VCF is a true career fair that can be brought to anyone who has access to the World Wide Web.
About the Monster Virtual Career Fair for People With Disabilities
The Monster VCF for People With Disabilities was held from October through November, 2001. During this month users visited the career fair web sites to search for jobs, meet employers, learn about new careers, learn how to manage their existing careers and much, much more.
UnumProvident Corporation is a recipient of the Massachusetts Governor's Commission on Employing People with Disabilities' Exemplary Employer Award. During the past few years, the Company's Worcester location has hired six individuals with disclosed disabilities. UnumProvident has demonstrated its commitment to employing people with disabilities by providing reasonable accommodations ranging from expanding parking spaces and locations, hiring readers to take industry exams, purchasing software and hardware, hiring interpreters and signers, and providing extended leaves of absences, schedule accommodations and workload accommodations. UnumProvident also employs Human Resource Disability Management Consultants to assist employees in returning to work after a disability-related absence. The company is the largest provider of group and individual disability income protection insurance in North America. Through its subsidiaries, UnumProvident insures more than 25 million people and paid $4.8 billion in total benefits to customers in 2002. UnumProvident is also committed to strengthening the local communities in which it operates. With more than 13,000 employees and primary offices in Chattanooga, Tenn., Portland, Maine, Worcester, Mass., Columbia, S.C., and Glendale, Calif., the company contributed more than $2.2 million to not-for-profit organizations in 2002. Additionally, UnumProvident employees donated thousands of hours of volunteer time to charitable organizations throughout the U.S. For more information, visit UnumProvident.
