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Wystąpienie w sprawie dostępności bankomatów dla osób niewidzących EN

The Helsinki Foundation for Human Rights (HFPC) applied to the President of ING Bank Śląski S.A. with regard to the availability of banking services for blind and visually impaired persons. The basis for HFPC’s intervention was a notification from a customer who has entered into a pre-paid card agreement with ING, however he cannot use it fully because none of the ING ATMs and payment machines in his town are suitable for blind persons.

In the petition, HFPC pointed out the opinion of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities issued in April 2013. Then the Committee stated that the lack of access to banking services provided via ATMs for blind or visually impaired persons constitutes an infringement of the UN Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“In the opinion of the Committee, the infringement consisted in the fact that Hungary (…) failed to undertake appropriate measures aimed at eliminating the discrimination of persons with disabilities by banking institutions and failed to provide free access to services provided via ATMs for blind and visually impaired persons equally to those provided to other bank customers”, we can read in HFPC’s application.

Moreover, HFPC emphasised that the parties to the Convention, including Poland, are obliged to implement the minimum level of access to banking services for blind and visually impaired persons, which will enable those persons to independently access services of financial institutions.

HFPC also indicated the document developed by the Polish Bank Association, entitled: “Good practices on banking services to disabled persons”, which determines standards and examples of rational improvements which should be implemented by members of the Association, including ING Bank Śląski. The “Good practices” call for ATMs to be equipped with voice or Braille alphabet descriptions, and for the graphic/contrast version of messages displayed on screens to be introduced.


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