Nearly thirty thousand ATMs not currently accessible to the blind will become accessible as the result of a recent settlement agreement between the National Federation of the Blind (NFB), the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, and Cardtronics, Inc.

The 1990 Americans with Disabilities Act requires that ATMs in the US be accessible to the blind. Large banks have been installing ATMs with voice guidance features for years, but stand-alone ATMs in places such as convenience stores and airports often have not included the features. The recent settlement followed years of litigation, according to a recent NFB press release.

 Cardtronics deploys ATMs in every state. The majority were previously owned by E*Trade Bank, against which the NFB brought the original suit. E*Trade sold its ATM portfolio to Cardtronics, Inc. in June 2004. In reaction to the settlement, Cardtronics President Jack Antonini said, “The settlement of this litigation will permit all parties to focus their attention where it counts, namely on improving ATM accessibility.”

As the settlement works its way through the court system, it is expected to become effective late in 2007. The agreement stipulates that all Cardtronics ATMs must be accessible to the blind by July 1, 2010.