OKLAHOMA CITY-Tinker FCU is making some minor modifications to its branches and has retrained front-line staff to better serve the visually impaired.
The moves, the $2.1-billion CU explained, are inexpensive and provide solid returns in member service and community involvement.
Tinker is adding a special JAWS (Job Access With Speech) software, at a cost of $595 off the shelf, in selected branches to help visually impaired members access PCs within the CU's Personal Finance Cafes. JAWS uses a speech synthesizer to "speak" what is on a computer screen to the user. It also streamlines keyboard functions, automates commands, and eliminates repetition.
Tinker recently absorbed the $350,000 Associated Blind of Oklahoma/Texas FCU, which served the blind and visually impaired. "A lot of this is just good member service," explained Matt Stratton, SVP-marketing. "And it's not expensive at all. We'll also do large-print statements if they're asked for, and we have a vendor who can produce documents in Braille. But only about 10% of the blind read Braille."
After acquiring the 450-member ABOTFCU, Tinker conducted sensitivity training for front-line staff, which was provided free by the Oklahoma League for the Blind. "It's really just about remembering little things we may easily take for granted-like nodding your head does not work, and having to say everything that needs to be said," Stratton shared. "Sighted folks use a lot of non-verbal cues, like hand gestures. Sometimes those are hard habits to break."
Stratton emphasized that the changes were made because "they were the right things to do. While we offer the new members much more in the way of account and service options than their previous credit union, we realized we must also be able to cater to their special needs, in order for them to be able to take advantage of what we offer."
Pinwheels, a small 89-cent device used by seamstresses, are helping, too. "Sometimes our visually impaired members need help in knowing where to sign," Stratton pointed out. "A pinwheel is used to transfer a pattern onto fabric, and by rolling this wheel across paper you get a nice row of dots you can feel."
Tinker absorbed ABOTFCU because the small CU had determined it could not continue on its own, Stratton explained.
