It’s in the Bank: A Snapshot of Accessible Online Financial Services
By Grossman, Marc; Access World, Vol. 12, No. 3Publication Date: March 2011
Article assesses the accessibility to blind users of online financial services. Services reviewed include (1) H&R Block, whose free At Home software was found to be largely inaccessible using a screen reader, which was unable to detect anything other than unlabeled graphics; a phone inquiry to the company’s customer service department revealed that the software had not been tested for accessibility; (2) Citibank, which maintains two websites, one of which is designed for customers using screen readers. This site was found to be robust, with headings, well labeled edit fields, and data tables which worked well with the screen reader’s table reading commands, as did form controls such as combo boxes. The reviewer was able to set up online bill payments, make recurring payments, and transfer funds between linked accounts. The main Citibank website was also found to be largely accessible, although problems were found at the investing section of the site; (3) ING Direct, where the reviewer has a savings account, has its origins in Internet banking and take security very seriously; this results in some login obstacles, notably with entering the personal identification number (PIN), which the article guides the reader through overcoming; overall, however, the site is deemed easily accessible; and (4) the American Express website, which the reviewer found more navigable than it had been in the past, with information including statement, balance, recent payments, and payment due easily located; however, the site includes many pages without headings for keyboard navigation and poorly labeled graphics.
Published by: AFB Press (Website:http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID=46)
American Foundation for the Blind (AFB) (Web Site: http://www.afb.org )
Link to text: http://www.afb.org/afbpress/pub.asp?DocID=aw120305
