BAY CITY, Mich. A new round of lawsuits challenging readiness for the sight-impaired ATM provisions of the Americans With Disabilities Act is targeting credit unions, with as many as half-dozen ADA suits filed in the past few weeks.
Legally blind consumers have filed suits in the past few weeks against United Bay Community FCU in Bay City yesterday, Cincinnati’s Sharefax CU on Wednesday, as well as Virginia’s Chartway FCU last week, California’s Golden 1 CU and several other ATM owners claiming their failure to comply with the provisions of the ADA violates their civil rights.
The flurry of new suits comes as dozens of credit unions and banks have opted in recent weeks to settle ADA suits with promises to make their ATM accessible to the sight-impaired and to provide regular monitoring reports on the compliance. “We just found it was much less expensive and easier to settle,” said a lawyer for one of the credit unions who declined to be identified because the terms of the settlement are confidential.
Though the terms of every one of the settlements remain confidential, sources indicate that each of the credit unions has agreed to upgrade their ATMs with voice-activated technology and Braille keypads, among other things, to make them accessible to the sight-impaired, and to appoint an employee to ensure the ATMs remain accessible under the terms of the ADA. The settlements also give the plaintiffs in each of the suits or their designee the right to examine some of all of the credit unions' ATMs for compliance for a 12-month period.
Among the credit unions agreeing to settle ADA suits in recent weeks are: Premier America CU, Member Source CU, First Community CU, Houston FCU, Members Choice CU, JSC FCU, Coastal Community CU, Security One FCU, Fort Worth Community CU, Frick TriCounty FCU, Freedom United FCU, West AirComm FCU, Washington Community FCU and American Heritage FCU.
