Is anyone aware of any final ruling on the ADA and it's impact on ATMs? I have read an ABA article regarding the proposed changes requiring that ATMs be specch enabled. Has that been finalized? Anyone know the specifics? Would it apply to ATMs that are being upgraded as well as newly installed ATMs? Any help would be greatly appreciately. Thank you!

I didn't hear of any finalization about it yet.

The last I heard it was still going through the motions of approval. I believe there is grandfathering for existing machines. If that extends to software/hardware upgrades and to what extent, I don't know to what degree it has been addressed.

If I were about to spend major dollars on this, I would recommend looking at the proposal in an attempt to conform as much as possible to the new rules, with a balance on cost and timing of your installations.

Any new ATM's we purchase meet the proposed ADA guidelines. Any old machines that we upgrade to meet 3DES requirements, we are also upgrading to meet ADA guidelines.

Let me see if I've got this right... the ATM will talk to the customer? Like "Please select the amount of your withdrawal"..."You've selected $200.00"... "I've dispensed the cash, so you guys lurking in the bushes can come and rob this person now."...

What a great idea!

No Susan. Don't be silly. The last I looked at the proposal, and it has been a while, there would be a universal type plug that a sight impaired person would plug a headset into. Who provides the headset and who cleans the chewing gum out of the jack-plug is still questionable. And how they find the plug in the first place is still up in the air as well. But based on places I have been, there is no universal location for Braille signs any way.

I'm all for ADA compliance, but I think there may be better ways. (And I still shake my head at Braille ATM keys at the drive up ATMs. I hear they are for folks in the back seat. But vans without doors and back windows that don't roll all the way down put the kibosh on that.)

I've been asked to research the requirement for talking ATMs to comply with ADA. Some background: A couple of years ago when we upgraded to Triple DES, we also went to audible. I am not sure why we did (I wasn't involved it the implementation at that time). Now, we have switched our connection from a phone line to cable. Now it isn't audible anymore. ATM department was wondering if it was mandatory for the ATM to be audible. Through my research so far, I have not found any final rule from DOJ. I have found the proposed rules from 2004, but nothing finalizing it. Can anyone clarify for me what the rules are (or are going to be), whether they apply to existing ATM (or upgrades), when the rules are to be finalized, and/or anything else that we need to be concerned about?

To the best of my knowledge, they haven't been required yet to be audible and I don't know that anyone is certain as to when they'll take effect and be mandatory.

I realize I'm way behind on this, but can anyone give me an update on this? Are ATMs required to be audible and when did this take affect?