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Accessibility
The Australian banking industry is committed to ensuring the accessibility of all banking products and services for all people, including those with disability.
When it comes to banking, every customer counts, and banks wanted to make sure that their apps, ATMs, online services, in branch services and any other banking related products were accessible to all Australians.
As part of an industry wide commitment to inclusive banking, the industry undertook a comprehensive review of its accessibility standards – the first such review in more than 15 years.
The review was led by Dr Graeme Innes and was supported by various bank representatives, who formed the Accessibility Working Group. He also sought input from key disability sector stakeholders and technical experts.
The result is a set of principles of accessible design which cover all areas of banking, including:
- general accessibility
- digital channels (websites and mobile banking)
- device design and use
- telephone services
- voice activated services or AI
- specific areas related to customer authentication
The banking industry is committed to ensuring that all Australian’s can access their products and services – believing that every customer counts, and that access to banking is a fundamental human right.
The Accessibility Principles for Banking Services (PDF) are based around Universal Design Principles and WCAG Principles. A Word document version is also available for download (DOC).
A printable summary brochure is also available for download (PDF).
To help keep up with rapidly changing technological advancements, the Principles will be reviewed every two years.
The principles ensure that banking services in Australia are optimally placed to deliver the best accessibility and inclusive experience for their users.
The three dimensions to inclusive design encompass:
- Recognise diversity and uniqueness
- Inclusive process and tools: include people from diverse groups, with diverse needs and perspectives, into product and service design
- Broader beneficial impact: takes into consideration the context and environment and seeks solutions that benefit everyone through flexibility, adaption and personalisation.
For further information, please view the The ABA's media release on accessibility.
