Commonwealth Bank of Australia is facing a lawsuit over alleged discrimination in relation to its touchscreen electronic funds transfer machine, ABC News reported March 16.
Nadia Mattiazzo, along with former Disability Discrimination Commissioner Graeme Innes, is bringing a lawsuit against the bank alleging discrimination over the bank's touchscreen electronic funds transfer at point of sale, or EFTPOS, machines.
Mattiazzo, who is blind, said that there have been instances of her being forced to give her PIN number to cashiers to process a payment on her behalf, breaching the terms and conditions of her contract with her bank and leaving her feeling vulnerable.
As the machines, known as Albert, are entirely touchscreen, blind and vision-impaired users say the terminals are virtually impossible for them to use as they do not have a tactile keypad, the news outlet said.
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre is representing Mattiazzo in the case, which will be heard in the Federal Circuit Court of Australia.
In a March 16 statement, Commonwealth Bank of Australia said its EFTPOS tablet has an accessibility solution for people who are blind or have low vision. The lender added that it worked collaboratively with its technology partners, accessibility specialists and individuals with a range of vision loss to deliver the current accessibility solution.
The bank did not comment further as the matter is before the court.
