Samona Combs
I believe the late rapper Notorious B.I.G. said it best when he said, "Cash moves everything around me, ching, get the money, dollar bills ya'll."
The Michigan State University Federal Credit Union (MSUFCU) understands this, and has provided its members with disabilities with a better way to get their paper. They have created Automatic Teller Machines (ATM) that guide customers through a transaction with speech output and allowing them to use Braille placed in the center of numbers to make banking easier.
MSUFCU Contact Center operator Joshua Miller said the move was necessary to include the visually impaired community. "We're growing so fast, and we really wanted to make it possible for all of our customers to use our services."
Customers that want to hear their transaction simply have to place headphones in an outlet near the machines keypad. Miller said they made sure the ATMs had this feature to maintain privacy. "You don't want someone looking over your shoulder when you take money out, why should people who use this feature have their personal information out there for everyone to hear," he said.
The financial institution first put these ATMs in various places around East Lansing in January, and has been adding new locations and machines ever since. "We currently have ten talking ATMs, "Miller said, "And we just add one to the lobby of new branches every time we open a new one."
The talking ATMs are also available on the MSU campus, serving students at the Main Library, International Center, and the Student Union. Graduate student Daniel Furton said he's glad, "I'm blind so I usually go inside the building and work with the tellers. This is more convenient."
Customers like Furton can finally enjoy the sweet sound of money.