Chase Expands "Right Relationship" with eATM: A Collaboration in Accessibility
By Cooke, Annemarie; Access World, Vol. 4, No. 6Publication Date: November 2003
Article describes the Chase eATM, which is an advanced, accessible automated teller machine in place at more than 535 Chase locations in New York and New Jersey. The eATM was created due to collaboration from Chase, which is a division of JP Morgan Chase and Company, and the AccessWorld Solutions team. The technology employs text-to-speech software for the user interface instead of prerecorded speech. The synthetic speech employed is ViaVoice, which is manufactured by IBM. The use of text-to-speech software offers greater flexibility than that of digitally recorded WAV files, which is another option that some creators of voice output ATMs employ. WAV files feature a human reader’s pre-recorded voice, while text-to-speech software reads the on-screen text aloud through the speech synthesizer. The eATM confirms each command aloud, and the AccessWorld solutions team recommended tactile shapes for the eATM’s buttons. To determine whether a Chase ATM is an eATM, customers only need to feel for a headset jack a few inches above and to the right of the keypad.
Assistive Products Discussed: VIAVOICE STANDARD
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
Link to text: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw040607
