Banking accessibility must shift from a model of charity to one grounded in rights and inclusion.
This was the call of Human Rights Commissioner, The Most Honourable Kerryann Ifill, during the Digital Banking Drive Accessibility Training For Financial Sector Leaders on Thursday, at CIBC Caribbean in Warrens, St Michael.
Leaders in the financial sector were provided with a deeper understanding of the barriers faced by people with disabilities while exploring practical approaches to improving accessibility across financial services.
Ifill, a former President of the Senate, said many of the barriers faced by people with disabilities stemmed not from the impairment itself, but from system designs and institutional practices. She urged financial institutions to rethink how services were delivered.
“We need a shift in our thinking to move away from thinking of charity and moving towards rights, from sympathy to inclusion, from limitation to opportunity.”
She pointed out that many obstacles in banking came from system designs, such as stairs, inaccessible ATMs, printed forms and rigid procedures.
Ifill said that financial institutions had a responsibility to ensure their systems did not force people with disabilities into dependence, extra costs or unnecessary procedures simply to access their own money.
Failure
“We have the right to expect that our financial institutions won’t set up a system where when I have to sign in, I have to jump through hoops and call and ask other people to sign in on my behalf.
“Insurers don’t need to be grateful because you waive the fees for the elderly and the disabled. That is my right. The failure is not mine; the failure is yours by not providing the right systems,” she added.
Ifill, who was designated by Government as Barbados’ first Human Rights Commissioner last December, noted that the lack of inclusive banking practices undermined privacy, dignity and independence for people with disabilities. She highlighted how requiring assistance, whether by others signing forms or handling transactions, could force people to give up control over their finances, risking privacy and dignity.
Attorney and former senator Andwele Boyce said that under the Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act 2025, financial institutions are required to accommodate all customers, and failure to do so can constitute discrimination.
“There is direct discrimination, which is refusing a customer service on their disability. I’m sure many of you would tell me, ‘Well, we don’t do that, I don’t know that that happen, but there can be a policy at your bank that by virtue of my disability, I am barred from services. That is indirect discrimination, because you don’t mean for that to be the case, but that is the end result,” he said. (AJ)
