Independent Banker - July 2018 - 53

1 in 5
Americans lives
with a disability
loans or loans to people with poor credit scores, " he adds.
Banks often feel skittish when talking about accessibility,
fearing lawsuits like the recent challenge over visually
impaired people's access to electronic banking resources
(see sidebar). This makes banks reactive to disabilityrelated
issues as they seek to solve a legal problem, instead
of focusing on user experience, Dermer says.
Fortunately, it's getting easier to understand what's
expected. Many community banks are embracing the
World Wide Web Consortium's (W3C) Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 (fi nd it at w3.org/
WAI/intro/wcag). This provides technical standards for
developers and ensures accessibility is an integral part of
digital development and not an afterthought.
" Think of the guidelines as a set of directions, " says
Dermer. " When you build a webpage, you don't do it in a
haphazard manner. [Integrate accessibility] in the same
way you approach user experience. "
Some digital fi xes, such as providing assistive technology,
can be easy to implement. Other improvements, like coding
a website so it's friendly to the blind, take longer.
" Digital accessibility is not a one-off fi x, " Dermer says.
" That's the unfortunate truth. The digital realm is dynamic,
with websites constantly changing. It's a constant journey
to maintain accessibility. "
That's why some banks choose to have their websites
tested for accessibility, either hiring a third party or
actively seeking feedback from customers with disabilities.
Serving customers with disabilities isn't just about
technology. There are many low-tech ways to serve this
market, says Morris. These include hiring people with
disabilities, off ering low- or no-fee bank accounts, off ering
guaranteed forms of payment that are cheaper, off ering
aff ordable small-dollar loans or credit-building loans, and
off ering fi nancial education that recognizes the challenges
that people with disabilities face.
Get the knowledge
Staff training is enormously helpful. Frontline staff should
be trained in how to aid customers with disabilities. They
don't necessarily need to know how to communicate in sign
language, for example, but they do need to understand the
importance of being patient when dealing with individuals
with intellectual disabilities and hearing loss, and how to
work with companions that accompany and aid people with
disabilities when they visit the bank.
Behind-the-scenes staff should be trained to consider
people with disabilities when developing products, services
and communications, whether it's providing large-print
copies of documents or developing digital touchpoints with
the needs of people with disabilities in mind. For example,
every time a bank redesigns its website, it presents a
independentbanker.org Q 53
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Independent Banker - July 2018

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