What It's Like For A Blind Man To Use An ATM For The First Time

Have you ever been waiting for the ATM to dispense your monies and seen that little headjack for blind people and wondered, hey, how does a blind person use an ATM? This video shows what happens when Tommy Edison, a blind man, uses the ATM for the first time. It takes him 11 minutes.


There are some difficulties which people with vision don’t have to deal with. First off, the time between when you slide your card in and open the door is pretty short. So if you don’t know where the handle is, it can be hard to get in. But one of Tommy’s biggest challenges is finding the headset jack to plug in the headphones to get instructions. He basically has to run his hands all over the side of the machine before locating the hole.

Watching Tommy struggle will make you appreciate some things you take for granted by having the gift of sight. As hard as it is for the average consumer, it’s even harder for consumers who can’t see, and accessibility laws don’t always quite make up the difference.