Sharjah: Sharjah Islamic Bank (SIB) has introduced a screen reader service in its mobile banking application to serve people with visual disabilities, the first service of its kind in the United Arab Emirates.
This step came after the specialised technical departments at Sharjah Islamic Bank conducted a series of meetings, deliberations, and continuous communication with people with visual disabilities.
According to Mr. Waleed AlAmoudi, Head of Digital Banking at SIB, the idea of providing new banking services to people with visual disabilities was launched after a person with a visual disability contacted the bank to find a solution to the difficulty of using mobile applications that meet their banking needs, such as balance inquiries, daily money transfers, and other digital banking transactions. User testing with visually impaired individuals was conducted to ensure easy and secure use of the application.
As part of SIB’s commitment to serve people with visual disabilities, the Digital Banking Department held multiple technical meetings and sought their opinions to help arrive at the best solutions that meet their needs. This communication resulted in the provision of a screen reader service for our fellow people with visual impairments in the SIB’s digital mobile application.
Mr. AlAmoudi commented.
“We anticipate its success as it is the first of its kind in the UAE to address the needs of this important sector in society. SIB, in line with the directives of the wise leadership and government plans, continues to work on implementing the best policies and practices to empower people with disabilities and ensure their inclusion in decision-making within society, thereby ensuring equal opportunities,” Mr. AlAmoudi added.
The Digital Banking Department at SIB conducted numerous studies for the requirements of the new service and organized several pilot tests in cooperation with a group of people with visual disabilities. These experiments contributed to accelerating the required compatibility for the screen reader service, enabling the bank’s customers with disabilities to perform all their banking transactions through the SIB application on smartphones. The interface for banking services within the smartphone application can be easily navigated, ensuring privacy and security.
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