American Council of the Blind v. LaSalle Bank - Multi-State Talking ATM Program

This settlement agreement, entered into on February 3, 2005, established comprehensive accessibility commitments for LaSalle Bank across all states where it operated. The agreement was negotiated by Lainey Feingold and Amy Peterson of Equip for Equality in Chicago using Structured Negotiations on behalf of the American Council of the Blind of Metropolitan Chicago and Kelly Pierce. Key commitments: - Development, testing, and pilot installation of 25 Talking ATMs by March 31, 2005 - Three-year rollout schedule to install Talking ATMs at 100% of LaSalle ATM locations (33% by 2005, 66% by 2006, 100% by 2007) - All newly purchased ATMs to be equipped as Talking ATMs - Comprehensive alternative formats policy (Braille, large print, audio) - Website accessibility compliance with WCAG guidelines - Provision of headphones for Talking ATMs - Spanish language support where available to sighted users - Training programs for bank personnel The agreement included provisions for handling bulk ATM acquisitions and established that all new ATMs would be Talking ATMs from installation, continuing the principle established in earlier bank agreements.