Electronic Funds Transfer Association

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires that public accommodations not discriminate, segregate or treat people unequally because of their disabilities. In 2001 the Justice Department ruled that this protection extended to the use of automated teller machines (ATMs) by blind people, and required that ATMs be equipped with an audio device for use by blind consumers.

The ruling put the ATM industry at loggerheads with groups representing consumers and persons with disabilities. Our client, Electronic Funds Transfer Association, sponsored a meeting that brought together ATM companies, disabilities advocates and the Justice Department to exchange ideas and help formulate some consensus on compliance with the law, and tasked Chaddsford Planning Associates with handling the communications and PR for the event.

We handled the task by doing the following:

	Developing a communications plan for the event, including a set of talking points for key executives
	Placing pre-event stories in the trade media
	Setting up interviews with key speakers
	Directing advance publicity through press releases and personal contacts
	Providing follow-up media relations to secure coverage of after the event

The result was top-tier coverage of the event, which was well attended. Because of the coverage and the attendance, participants focused more on the problem of compliance and less on rhetoric as they strived to reach consensus on a compliance strategy.

The EFT Association solidified its position as a non-parochial body dedicated to problem solving. And today blind consumers have greater access to audio-enabled ATMs as manufacturers as banks ramp up deployment of these devices

Prepaid Debit Cards
Electronic Payments