The biggest financial institution in country Maybank setting example for others to follow. Time for the corporate, local and central government to wake-up and do what they promise. Don't just walk and talk

EASIER ACCESS  


2011/09/25 By Dawn Chan  streets@nstp.com.my

A wheelchair-bound customer using a disabled-friendly ATM machine at the Maybank branch at Taman Connaught. — Picture by Aizuddin Saad

Wheelchair-bound customers welcome Maybank’s initiative to introduce disabled-friendly features at some branches

KUALA LUMPUR: Maybank's disabled-friendly branches have made banking easier for the wheelchair bound.

In June last year, Maybank launched several disabled-friendly branches to cater to the needs of their wheelchair-bound customers.

Besides easy accessibility to self-service facilities at specially built ATM and cash deposit machines, there are also designated counters and parking lots, as well as ramps, for the disabled.
The ATM for the disabled is only 73cm high, from floor to keypad.

The area for the disabled-friendly machine is bigger than normal to facilitate a 1.5metre turning radius for customers in wheelchairs.

Some of the machines are also located near the entrance of the bank's self-service terminals.

Some branches have parking lots and ramps for the disabled.

Damai Disabled Persons Association of Selangor and Federal Territory (Damai) was approached by Maybank to plan and provide better facilities to cater to the needs of the disabled.

Association president V. Murugeswaran said the issue in the past centred around the inaccessibility of getting into the banks.

"This made it impossible for the disabled to carry out transactions without help from a third party.

"The regular ATMs are too high for those of us in a wheelchair, and if there is someone standing behind us at the ATM, there is no privacy as the person could easily peek at what we are doing."

"We are thankful that Maybank has done a great job and gone the extra mile for us," he said recently.

Murugeswaran said many association members had become Maybank customers because of the disabled-friendly facilities.

Disabled-friendly signages and stickers are also prominently displayed in the banks.

Maybank community financial services deputy president and head Lim Hong Tat said: "We have upgraded some of our branches with specific facilities for disabled customers such as ramps to the entrance, sliding doors to self-service terminal areas as well as special ATM models for wheelchair customers."

The branches that offer disabled-friendly facilities are in Taman Connaught (Cheras), Dataran Maybank (Bangsar), Jalan Bunus (KL city centre), Kuchai Lama, Kepong, and in Bandar Baru Selayang.

In Petaling Jaya, the disabled-friendly outlets are at its main branch in Jalan Sultan, Jalan SS2/63 outlet, and in Subang Perdana.

The disabled-friendly branches outside the Klang Valley are Senawang in Negri Sembilan, Lumut and Sitiawan in Perak, Karamunsing in Sabah, Taman Nusa Bestari in Johor, Jalan Munshi Abdullah in Malacca, as well as Wakaf Siku in Kelantan.

Lim said, besides Damai, the bank also worked with other organisations such as K9 Perwira (a non-governmental organisation in support of people with spinal cord injuries), Society of Disabled People of Sarawak and Sabah Cheshire Home in Kota Kinabalu, on the initiative.

Lim said there was encouraging response from their disabled-friendly branches.

"The feedback indicated our customers are satisfied with the services provided. They have also encouraged us to expand these services to more branches."

Lim said when the bank renovated other branches, they wou


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