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People with disabilities say ATMs not user friendly
2008-02-04 08:57:43
By Lulu George, PST, Tanga
Persons with disabilities have complained that none of the designs of automated teller machines (ATMs) have taken into account their rights and interests as physically impaired individuals who need special considerations.
Addressing the press at a one-day workshop held here last week to deliberate on problems facing persons with disabilities in society, the Communications and Information Officer with the education centre for disabled youths (YDCP), Josephat Torner, said banks were yet to take into account their needs and come up with user friendly machines.
He stressed that like other people, persons with disabilities had the right to be accorded with suitable services.
The current design of the ATMs did not meet the physical requirements of this group of people, making them feel isolated by society.
``People with disabilities cannot use the machines when they want to draw cash from them. What happens is that there should be some people around to lift them to a suitable level of the machines for them to operate personally,`` said Torner.
He said banks had to take into account other interests of the disabled people such as keeping their transactions secret when depositing and drawing cash from the institutions.
``The issue of disability is not confined to one group of people, so we have to make sure we consider the rights and interets of people with disabilities in whatever we do for society,`` he said.
He castigated men who deserted their wives after the later had delivered children with disabilities.
Torner also condemned the growing witchcraft practices, which target albinos and other people with disabilities.
``It is folly in its highest degree to believe that one can become rich simply by owning or taking body organs of a man with disabilities to a witchdoctor,`` he said.
He said such backward notions amounted to nothing but cruelity and barbarianism.
Meanwhile, the centre`s coordinator, Dr Wallace Karata, said the target of the workshop, which included other stakeholders of people with disabilities, was to have an in-depth analysis of the problems of children with disabilties the district.
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