# Why do ATM's have braille? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 5, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217 "2003-12-05T19:28:36Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![caramelboy23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/bc8723/32.png) [@caramelboy23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caramelboy23)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/1 "2003-12-05T19:28:36Z")
have you noticed when you go to a bank you see braille on the ATM’s? WHY? ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/2 "2003-12-05T19:32:25Z")
For blind people 😛 Maybe the manufacturers use the same keys on all of their different machines because it would be cheaper, rather than to make some keys for braille and some keys for non blind people. And blind people can’t see, it doesn’t mean they are retarded, a blind man can easily find an ATM, plus the ATM might have a speaking feature. For the question about drive thru ATM’s with braille, like earlier, using the same machines is a lot easier than using different machines just so people wont ask questions like that ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/3 "2003-12-05T19:33:10Z")
Blind people DO use them, you know. Most have them either have a speaker and can read the screen to them through that, or have a place to plug in an earphone. ---
**Author:** ![NYR407](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/bbe5ce/32.png) [@NYR407](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NYR407)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/4 "2003-12-05T19:58:05Z")
The joke is supposed to be “Why do they have braille at **drive-thru** ATMs?”. The answer of course is because blind people may need to use them. ---
**Author:** ![ekow2kn3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ecc23a/32.png) [@ekow2kn3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ekow2kn3)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/5 "2003-12-05T20:13:05Z")
i knew the drive-thru ATM thing was going to come up, thats why i addressed it in my first post 😛 ---
**Author:** ![Number](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/number/32/242_2.png) [@Number](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Number)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/6 "2003-12-05T20:34:48Z")
[Cecil](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_010.html) covered this in a 1994 column. Back then he said **Vox Populi** was the one millionth person to ask the question. I wonder what the count is up to now. ---
**Author:** ![Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@Wonko\_The\_Sane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wonko_The_Sane)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 6:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/7 "2003-12-06T06:16:25Z")
I believe the best answer is “because taxis exist.” ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2003, 7:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-do-atms-have-braille/217217/8 "2003-12-06T07:50:04Z")
More on the [talking ATM feature](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=225538) and from just a week ago, no less!