The South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind, with the support of Absa, train guide dogs to assist visually impaired customers at ATMs

The South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind and Absa have today formalised a relationship that will see guide dogs undergo rigorous, dedicated training aimed at assisting visually impaired customers at ATMs.

Increasing safe and secure ATM usage across the differently-abled communities is a priority for both Absa and the association. Given concerns that visually impaired customers have around ATM usage, and the ever-present risk of fraudsters, this is the latest step in improving and increasing self-service banking usage in South Africa.

“As a bank with more than 8 000 ATMs across South Africa, we are constantly seeking ways to make the experience more accessible to customers from all walks of life. From multiple languages on ATMs, braille to audio prompts, we have been on a constant journey to improve Absa’s self-service channels. Our latest partnership with the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind will have long-term benefits for visually-impaired customers using ATMs, regardless of who they bank with,” said Tshiwela Mhlantla, Managing Executive: Physical Channels, Retail and Business Bank at Absa.

As part of the partnership, Absa, with the support of Metal Techniques and Bytes Technology, installed a fully functional ATM at the association’s headquarters in Paulshof to assist with the training of guide dogs. 

“Security concerns have always been a major impediment to ATM usage for the visually-impaired community. As an organisation, the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind aims to enhance the mobility and independence of people with visual, physical or developmental needs. The effort to insert an ATM card into the machine and key in the PIN can be exhausting and the act of a service dog retrieving the card and giving it to them makes the task less onerous.

Having access to our own ATM will allow us to teach our client and dogs in a relaxed, controlled environment without disturbing others. We can show our clients how to instruct their dogs and practice as much as they need to,” said Vernon Tutton, Executive Director of the South African Guide-Dogs Association for the Blind.

Furthermore, the association provides training to student Orientation and Mobility Practitioners (O&M Practitioners) and directly to people who are visually-impaired. “We currently have nine O&M Practitioner students who will also be taught the skills needed to train people with visual impairment on how to use an ATM. Once they are working in the community, they are able to teach these skills to approximately 40 people with visual impairment a year.

All our future students will also undergo this training. Our deepest appreciation goes to Absa Retail and Business Bank (RBB SA) for their support, and for empowering us to train clients and service dogs, which will ultimately assist customers from all the major banks, not just those who bank with Absa,” he said. 

To ensure maximum flexibility and relevance, the nature of training will be enhanced and fine-tuned in line with real-time insights from the initial programmes. Feedback from customers and the dogs’ uptake of the training will be closely monitored to ensure that this is meaningful for both ATM users and their furry friends.

In addition, Absa will analyse first-hand customer experiences and feedback to inform ongoing enhancements and functionality on ATMs, to further improve the experience for visually-impaired customers. 

“Making a meaningful contribution to the communities in which we operate, particularly the vulnerable (and differently-abled), is of paramount importance. Gaining insights and learnings is critical in tailoring our offerings to cater for all our customers. Absa is proud to support the training of both guide dogs as well as the blind community on the use of ATMs,” noted Mhlantla.