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Bank pioneers cash machines for blind and partially sighted people
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The Northern Bank, which has its headquarters in Northern Ireland,
is blazing a trail by equipping two of its cash dispensing machines
in Belfast with Text to Speech devices.
In a pilot exercise, blind and partially sighted people will be able
to access the service by plugging headphones into a jack fitted to
the front of the ATMs. The devices employ an automated voice to direct
people to the exact locations of keypad numbers and the cash dispenser.
David Mann of the Royal National Institute for the Blind said: "This
is great news for people with sight problems - a real breakthrough
for Northern Bank, and I'd call on all the other banks to follow suit."
Rosamond Bennett of the Northern Bank said it was proud of the new
facility and "delighted to be the first in Europe to be using it.
We've planned it very carefully and consulted with visually impaired
customers and staff before going live with it," she said.
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