Talking ATMs

The Law Office of Lainey Feingold first began working on Talking ATMs in 1995. Lainey and her clients and co-counsel negotiated the first Talking ATM settlements in the United States. Beginning in 1999, Lainey negotiated 20 Talking ATM settlements with the country's largest financial institutions. Stories of many of these negotiations are included in Lainey's book, Structured Negotiation, A Winning Alternative to Lawsuits. This topic includes articles about those settlements, related press releases, Talking ATM regulations, international Talking ATM installations and more.

Talking ATMs: Early History in California and Beyond

Posted on Updated on October 2, 2024
October 1, 2009 marks the 10th anniversary of the first Talking ATM installed in the United States. From that first accessible ATM in 1999, there are now tens of thousands of Talking ATMs around the world. In this post, the first of several Talking ATM posts over the next two months, you can read about early Talking ATM history. Read more… Talking ATMs: Early History in California and Beyond

Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Press Release

Posted on Updated on August 31, 2021
The Bank One Press Release posted here was issued as a result of an initial settlement agreement that Bank One signed with Chicago blind activists Kelly Pierce and Anna Byrne using Structured Negotiations instead of litigation. In the 2001 Bank One Preliminary Settlement Agreement, the bank agreed to install Talking ATMs at 130 locations, making it the first bank with Talking ATMs in Illinois and Ohio. Two years later, the bank signed a comprehensive agreement providing for additional Talking ATMs, an alternative format policy, and an accessible web site. Read more… Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Press Release

Talking ATM History: Early Structured Negotiations in New England and the Midwest

Posted on Updated on August 31, 2021
This post is one in an ongoing series on the history of the advocacy and technology behind Talking ATMs. A short summary of all articles in this series is available by selecting the Talking ATM History link on the Categories Page of this website. In this post you can read about early Massachusetts Talking ATM advocacy and Talking ATM efforts in Chicago and the Midwest. Read more… Talking ATM History: Early Structured Negotiations in New England and the Midwest

Wells Fargo First Talking ATM Press Release

Posted on Updated on April 13, 2021
The press release posted here was the first in the United States to announce a plan to install Talking ATMs. Using the Structured Negotiations process, Wells Fargo worked with the California Council of the Blind and several blind individuals to reach an historic agreement requiring installation of Talking ATMs and provision of alternative formats for print financial information. This release was the first of several concerning Wells Fargo’s Talking ATM program. Read more… Wells Fargo First Talking ATM Press Release

Access World Talking ATM Article

Posted on Updated on February 11, 2021
This article Lainey wrote about Talking ATMs was published in January, 2003 in AccessWorld(R), a publication of the American Foundation for the Blind (AFB). Part 2 of this Article, titled “You Can Bank on It, Part 2: Advocacy, Outreach, and Legal Authority for Talking ATMs,” can be found in the March, 2003 issue of Access World. Read more… Access World Talking ATM Article

The First U.S. Web Accessibility Agreement was Signed Twenty Years Ago this Week

Posted on Updated on February 3, 2021
Twenty years ago this week (on March 14, 2000) Bank of America became the first company in the United States to sign an agreement to make its website accessible to people with disabilities. The agreement referenced the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 1.0 at a time when the standard was less than one year old.… Read more… The First U.S. Web Accessibility Agreement was Signed Twenty Years Ago this Week

Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Agreement

Posted on Updated on November 8, 2020
The Talking ATMs installed pursuant to the Bank One preliminary agreement were the first in Illinois. The agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Linda Dardarian using Structured Negotiations on behalf of Chicago blind activists Kelly Pierce and Anna Byrne. The final Bank One Agreement, which also addressed web access and alternative formats, is posted in the Settlement Agreement Category. As of early 2008, Chase Bank, which purchased Bank One and continued its accessibility services, had over 9,000 Talking ATMs. Read more… Bank One Preliminary Talking ATM Agreement

Catherine Skivers: Organizer, Activist, Friend, Blind Community Leader

Posted on Updated on September 29, 2020
[Update: Catherine Skivers died on December 12, 2019, a week after this post was written.] Catherine Skivers came to California in 1949 at the age of 23 with the man she had married at 16. Within a year, her husband had left her, offering her a one-way bus ticket back to her family in Missouri.… Read more… Catherine Skivers: Organizer, Activist, Friend, Blind Community Leader

ATMs are 50 Years Old; They’ve Been Talking for 20

Posted on Updated on September 28, 2020
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the first Automated Teller Machine. The first ATM in the world was installed at a Barclays Bank branch in London on June 27, 1967. The first ATM in the United States was installed two years later at a Chemical Bank branch in Long island, New York. For 30 years ATMs remained off-limits to blind people, who couldn’t use the interactive, visual screens. It was not until October of 1997 that the world was introduced to the very first Talking ATM. It all happened because of disability community advocacy. And it’s a good reminder that today, 50 years after that first ATM, all technology should be born accessible. Read more… ATMs are 50 Years Old; They’ve Been Talking for 20

Talking ATMS: Ten Years of Accessible Banking Technology

Posted on Updated on September 21, 2020
The press release posted here was issued by the American Council of the Blind to recognize October 1, 2009 as the tenth anniversary of the first Talking ATM in the United States. As a result of extensive advocacy by the blind community and industry effort, it is estimated that there are now close to 100,000 Talking ATMs in the U.S. and around the world. Congratulations to the blind and visually impaired community for this accessible technology milestone. Read more… Talking ATMS: Ten Years of Accessible Banking Technology