Disabilities Council wants uniformed accessibility policies at commercial banks

Programme Manager at the Guyana Council of Organisations for Persons with Disabilities (GCOPD), Ganesh Singh, believes greater consistency and inclusion at local commercial banks are badly needed.

In an interview with the News Room, Singh cited ongoing cases of discrimination and a lack of standardised accessibility measures for persons with disabilities.

“There is no uniformed policy.

“One branch of a bank may be accessible and accommodating, while another branch of the same bank may not even have a ramp,” Singh said.

While some commercial banks have made significant strides toward inclusion such as installing ramps, providing lower counters, and allowing blind persons to independently open accounts, others continue to lag.

He outlined troubling examples where persons who are blind were told they could not open personal accounts without a sighted co-signer, or were denied access to debit cards.

Meanwhile, many bank locations still lack wheelchair access, making it impossible for some individuals to conduct business independently.

“These practices are discriminatory.

“People with disabilities are living productive lives. They are working, earning, and have the right to access all financial services,” he said.

Singh acknowledged that some banks have made progress by introducing speech-enabled ATMs and touch-based interfaces, but emphasised that such services must be standardised across all institutions.

“It’s time for all banks to operate on the same level to facilitate everyone,” he said.