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Blind and Visually Impaired Community

Full History - 2018 - 02 - 05 - ID#7vdpke
5
What are your experiences with banks and money management? (self.Blind)
submitted by hsh07
Hello everyone, I'm curious as to how people with severe visual impairments or sight loss do their banking or manage their money. How accessible are banks and their services to you, whether online or in-person? Do you prefer to avoid the trouble and have someone you trust help you instead? Are card payments usually more convenient than cash? Any insights would be greatly valuable!

I'm a university student designing a way to improve financial inclusion for people with visual impairments. I personally have nearsightedness but I wear glasses or contact lenses, hence I'm interested in understanding how people who cannot correct their vision engage with money management in general.
B-dub31 3 points 5y ago
I’m legally blind, but have some usable vision left. Like anything else, access to banking is hit or miss. Lots of forms and documents have minuscule text that even sighted people struggle to read, so that aspect is difficult (I use the magnifier built into iOS as a replacement for a CCTV magnifier). I can read the denominations on bills, but I do so very carefully because if I get in a hurry, a $50 might look just like a $5. I avoid using cash whenever possible for that reason.

I use Apple Pay as much as possible because I can see my phone screen better because of the backlighting than I can an actual card, so it’s easier to select the account I want to use and it’s (supposedly) more secure than swiping your card. However, it’s not universally available as a payment method or supported by all banks. Samsung Pay is actually better because it works with most card machines (even non-NFC equipped terminals). However, it is supported by fewer banks than Apple Pay.
hsh07 [OP] 2 points 5y ago
Thank you so much for the reply!

Those are some really interesting examples. I would be worried about misreading bills as well and having to be careful with receiving them. I also think the tiny text on documents and forms is ridiculous, especially the sneaky fine print, even for a sighted person like me! Additionally it's nice to see how Apple Pay has brought convenience for people with visual impairments. Every new payment service still has its pros and cons, but I am hoping all of these systems will be designed to be inclusive to everyone and not just the sighted in the near future.
Ramildo 2 points 5y ago
I pay in cash whenever I can since Euro bills and coins are distinguishable. The reason why I avoid electronic payments is because the terminals here in Portugal don't give any feedback when they are ready to accept the PIN. The ATMs themselves are accessible though (at least those that don't have the volume turned all the way down). Utility invoices are paid through direct billing to my account so I never have to think about that, and of the rest I use online banking, although my bank's website requires literally clicking on things, which I can not do using NVDA on Windows but can with VoiceOver on MacOS. The mobile banking app used to be accessible by accident, but a recent update left lots of unlabeled buttons so I can only use it to check out my balance and transaction history.
hsh07 [OP] 1 points 5y ago
Thank you so much for your reply!

There are definitely some banks that have websites or apps which are not fully accessible across several platforms and/or not designed to be used with voice over software. I would have thought it is a must given how there is a growing need for inclusive design as technology advances at a rapid pace, but this certainly is a big issue that remains with digital interfaces.
AllHarlowsEve 2 points 5y ago
I do almost all of my money stuff on my phone, and in rare situations, on my computer.

As I cannot always trust that a cashier won't try to scam me, I avoid using cash unless necessary. If I must, I pull up a bill reader app which can almost instantly read the bill, just to be sure. I also fold my bills in specific ways, and never have anything over a $20.

$1's are unfolded, $5's are folded vertically aka hamburger, $10's are folded horizontally, aka hot dog, and $20's are folded into triangles.

As far as banking, I use Bank of America and have had good luck with them. They are the ones who paid to have ATM's made accessible, and they're certainly usable.

As far as checking balance and what's gone in, out, or what needs to, I usually check the listing of what's been paid vs my normal list of shit to pay I keep in my head.
hsh07 [OP] 1 points 5y ago
Thank you so much for replying!

I know some people use braille labels or labels that allow you to record your voice for everyday objects, but it's really interesting that you have your own bill folding system! This hadn't crossed my mind before, it reminds me of how certain credit or debit cards are designed to have a different texture or 'feel' to them so that they are easily distinguishable by touch.

I also agree about the problem with trusting cashiers. If you don't mind me asking, are your experiences at the bank, when visiting in person, usually positive? For example, the quality of customer service you receive?
csloth 1 points 5y ago
I use my bank's website and mobile app. Each month I'll download transactions from different accounts and use Excel to categorize them and budget. I pay using a card or with cash, depending on which is more convenient. With cash I fold different denominations in different ways and occasionally use a bill identifier app on my phone to double-check. When I get change I'll put those bills in a separate place until I have time to identify and fold them properly. Experience with bank customer service has been good.
bradley22 1 points 5y ago
I use the Barclays banking app and it works great with Voiceover.

I hardly use coins or notes and use talking ATMS when I can.
Terry_Pie 1 points 5y ago
You should have a look at the $1 website. Last year, they were reviewing their accessibility guidelines and have done a discussion paper and consultation. I'm not sure how much of that you might be able to find through their website, or what the end result was (it may still be ongoing). At the time, one of the outcomes was for the ABA and the majors¹ agreed to halt the roll out of touch screen EFTPOS machines and ATMs.

For me personally, Commonwealth Bank of Australia has a great netbanking system. I'm not sure how accessible it is for someone who is totally blind, but for me using high contrast or if you were just using magnification, it's very good. Ditto their phone app. As for physical currency, Australia invented polymer notes which we now export (the UK has recently made the switch). Notes are different sizes, colours, and have tactile elements too. Australia is overwhelmingly a card society though (I only use cash to pay for bread and my dry cleaning).

¹ "The majors" refers to the big four Australian banks: Commonwealth of Bank Australia (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB), Westpac, and Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ).
hsh07 [OP] 1 points 5y ago
Thank you for the link and extra information!!

The new £5 and £10 notes here in the UK are definitely a good change. The polymer notes have a different texture than the old £20 note which rips easily like paper, plus the bright colours are helpful for those with partial sight loss.
Terry_Pie 1 points 5y ago
Null sweat. I've only ever used paper money in Japan and I really don't understand why polymer hasn't been taken up by more countries. Two things I forgot to mention: the notes are different sizes based on denomination (larger the denomination, larger the note) which is another thing that helps to differentiate notes; also polymer notes are (afaik) much harder to forge (which isn't really relevant here, but I think it's good to note).
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