New ATM Unveiled by Michigan Credit Union Assists the Visually-Disabled

EAST LANSING – The biggest contemporary issue most credit unions have with the disabled is the upgrading of their fleet of ATMs to comply with the regulations mandated by the Americans With Disabilities Act. One credit union, the $1 billion Michigan State University FCU, has upgraded its ATMs for use by the visually disabled. The ATM is designed to accept a standard set of headphones that allows the user to listen to an audio tutorial, the credit union explained. After the tutorial the user can perform any normal transaction and will even be told if the ATM is out of order or if an error has occurred. This audio-guided ATM enhancement costs an average of $3,500. Michael Hudson, the Director of Michigan State University’s Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities was one of the first disabled members to be able to use a newly upgraded teller. “This is the first time I have ever been able to take full advantage of the features,” he said. “Previously I had to memorize the keystrokes to perform transactions and the patterns for deposits and checking my balance were too long and complicated for memory. This was the first time I was able to independently carry out more than a withdrawal and the machine allows a higher level of confidence in what I’m doing.”