Emirates NBD introduces Traveller HD to assist customers with low vision

2 Min | 16 December 2018

Complements sign language and hearing loop technologies

Complements sign language and hearing loop technologies
Part of bank’s #TogetherLimitless commitment to financial inclusion

Dubai, 16 December 2018: Emirates NBD, a leading bank in the Middle East region, today announced the introduction of Traveller HD, an assistive technology designed to enhance the branch experience for customers with low vision.

Emirates NBD branches in Dubai Festival City, Hamriya and Al Qusais in Dubai will be the first to offer the high definition reader, being introduced as part of the bank’s flagship advocacy platform #TogetherLimitless that supports financial inclusion of people with disabilities (people of determination) in the UAE.

The Traveller HD is a lightweight video magnifier that offers adjustable magnification of up to 30 times the original text size, enabling customers with impaired vision or age related difficulties to read forms, cheques and other documents comfortably, with the help of a unique slide-and-read mechanism. Images are displayed in high definition as well as in different contrasting color combinations, with a tilted screen offering ergonomic viewing and a natural reading experience.

“Making banking accessible for people of determination is key to our commitment to financial inclusion,” said Suvo Sarkar, Senior Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Banking and Wealth Management, Emirates NBD. “Our investment in innovative assistive technologies is helping us to not only enhance the banking experience for people of determination but also empower them towards independence in their day-to-day lives.”

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that an estimated 285 million people worldwide are visually impaired, of which 246 million suffer from low vision. As part of its commitment to financial inclusion, Emirates NBD offers a Braille-enabled account opening service to customers with visual disabilities at four of its branches, in addition to Braille currency issued by the Central Bank of the UAE across all of its disability-friendly branches on request.

So far, the bank has transformed 38 branches to become disability-friendly. Other initiatives implemented include continuous training of branch managers and front line staff in the basics of American Sign Language (ASL); piloting KinTrans, a technology that enables easy two-way communication between sign language communicators with hearing disabilities and people who use spoken languages; and a hearing loop in two of its branches for customers using a hearing aid.

Emirates NBD’s commitment to people with disabilities (people of determination) supports the ‘My Community’ initiative launched by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council that aims to transform Dubai to a disability-friendly city by 2020.

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