# Why is there braille on drive through ATM machines? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 24, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837 "2003-03-24T18:38:14Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![yme](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/35a633/32.png) [@yme](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yme)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/1 "2003-03-24T18:38:14Z")
Just wondering. The only reason I can think of is because of the cost associated with making the buttons or labels. It’s just easier to put the buttons and labels on all the machines instead of a select few. Or maybe blind folks are cruisin’ around looking for ATM’s? ---
**Author:** ![racekarl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6bbea6/32.png) [@racekarl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/racekarl)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/2 "2003-03-24T18:42:08Z")
Just wondering why people insist on saying (and writing) “ATM Machine” when the M in ATM stands for machine? :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/3 "2003-03-24T18:42:35Z")
I’ll tell you the answer if you can tell me whether or not a duck’s quack echoes… ---
**Author:** ![js\_africanus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/87869e/32.png) [@js\_africanus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/js_africanus)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/4 "2003-03-24T18:43:51Z")
I’m assuming that it is cheaper and easier to run one ATM button production line. It would make no sense to run a “braille free” line of buttons specifically for drive throughs. I have no evidence or cite for that. ---
**Author:** ![XJETGIRLX](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9fc29f/32.png) [@XJETGIRLX](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/XJETGIRLX)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/5 "2003-03-24T18:48:10Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by racekarl \* > Just wondering why people insist on saying (and writing) “ATM Machine” when the M in ATM stands for machine? > > :smack: Funny you should say that. I just read an ‘[Annie’s Mailbox](http://www.creators.com/lifestyle_show.cfm?next=3&ColumnsName=ama)’ column last Thursday where a reader offered this bit of information: > [@](#): > > From Silver Run, Miss.: While “ATM” may stand for Automated Teller Machine, it also stands for Asynchronous Transfer Mode, the networking protocol by which such money transfers are enacted. Therefore, it can be grammatically correct to say either “ATM” or “ATM machine.” Can’t validate the veracity, but it makes sense to me. As to why ATMs have braille, it’s due to a portion of the Americans with Disabilities Act, if I’m not mistaken. Because of the personal nature of an ATM transaction the person to whom the account belongs must be able to make transactions on their own, without the assistance of another person. This is to ensure the privacy of the transaction and the right to privacy of the disabled person. While they may need someone to chauffeur them to an ATM, they must (under law) be able to complete the transaction on their own, hence the braille. Now what I want to know is why there’s an insurance agency in my town with braille on the billboard-sized sign on the roof of their building. ---
**Author:** ![Odeon\_Bypass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Odeon\_Bypass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odeon_Bypass)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/6 "2003-03-24T18:52:51Z")
Cecil-wise: [ATMs braille wise](http://http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_010.html) ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/7 "2003-03-24T18:53:14Z")
[Cecil on this very question](http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a4_010.html). Gee, I guess they have cars nowadays with more than one left window… ---
**Author:** ![Odeon\_Bypass](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Odeon\_Bypass](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odeon_Bypass)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/8 "2003-03-24T18:57:50Z")
Note to self: Never http:// to an http://… ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/9 "2003-03-24T19:02:24Z")
## quote: ## From Silver Run, Miss.: While “ATM” may stand for Automated Teller Machine, it also stands for Asynchronous Transfer Mode, the networking protocol by which such money transfers are enacted. Therefore, it can be grammatically correct to say either “ATM” or “ATM machine.” Oh, good lord talk about someone trying to weazel out on a technicality. While it is correct to say that ATM also stands for a type of networking protocol, that has an only coincidental association with the ATM that you withdraw money from. That has always been an “Automated Teller Machine” and adding Machine after ATM is redundant. I will believe that you call it an ATM “machine” because you believe that ATM really stands for “Asynchronous Transfer Mode” when you can honestly tell me that you call your computer a “TCP/IP Machine” ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/10 "2003-03-24T19:05:28Z")
js\_africanus has it dead on. Oh, BTW, many models of ATM can be deployed in multiple scenarios… sometimes banks use “drive-thru” models in walk-up situations… just use a taller pedestal. Sometimes they’ll mount what the manufacturer considers a “walk-up” ATM in a drive-through scenario. Also, banks do close branches and relocate ATMs. A given ATM may wind up travelling from one location to another (they are durable, and expensive too). ATMs can be resold, as well. First Big Bank may sell an aging ATM to a used ATM vendor, who may either resell it to Second Big Bank, or just stick it in a quickie mart to make money from fees. Not being ADA compliant could only hurt resale values. New ATMs range from $5K-$40K depending on vendor, model and features, so optimizing resale value is a consideration. Given all of the above facts, there’s no margin in not putting braille on all the keys. Also-- a driver could allow his passenger to sit in the back seat and access the ATM as he’d pulled up to it. ---
**Author:** ![Cliffy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/59ef9b/32.png) [@Cliffy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cliffy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/11 "2003-03-24T19:21:50Z")
On more than one occasion I’ve found myself walking up to a drive-thru ATM. –Cliffy ---
**Author:** ![dylan\_73](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ecccb3/32.png) [@dylan\_73](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dylan_73)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/12 "2003-03-24T19:31:41Z")
So blind people can use them… [sub]ouch![/sub] ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/13 "2003-03-24T19:40:43Z")
Here’s another place I’ve seen braille…At the famous restaurant in Essex, MA (WOODMANS-the home of the fried clam)! I went into the bathroom to wash my hands…and there, infront of me was the sign: “EMPLOYEES MUST WASH THEIR HANDS BEFORE RETURNING TO WORK”! Beneath the lettering was the same message in braille! I don’t know how many fry cooks are blind, but perhaps Woodmans have employed some. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/14 "2003-03-24T20:01:22Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by XJETGIRLX \* > **…Because of the personal nature of an ATM transaction the person to whom the account belongs must be able to make transactions on their own, without the assistance of another person. This is to ensure the privacy of the transaction and the right to privacy of the disabled person. While they may need someone to chauffeur them to an ATM, they must (under law) be able to complete the transaction on their own, hence the braille…** But they still can’t complete the transaction on their own. How do they read the display? What good are braille buttons without some sort of braille, or audible, display? ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/15 "2003-03-24T20:12:54Z")
Well maybe you can’t get a balance, but you can certainly withdraw money. And that’s not an insignificant part of an ATM’s operation. ---
**Author:** ![davidm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/davidm/32/225_2.png) [@davidm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davidm)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/16 "2003-03-24T20:32:45Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Achernar \* > \*\*Well maybe you can’t get a balance, but you can certainly withdraw money. And that’s not an insignificant part of an ATM’s operation. \*\* On the machines I’ve used, you have to follow on-screen instructions and you sometimes have to go through several levels of menus to do a withdrawal. And the menus usually say things like “To make a withdrawal push this button” and have an arrow pointing to one of a row of generic buttons. You’d have to memorize the menus and buttons for every machine you use and then hope that the instructions and menus don’t change. It’s only slightly more effort on top of all that to also memorize the layout of the numeric keypad. I think there are such things as braille displays but I don’t know if they’d be economically feasible or not. As far as I can see, without a braille or audible read-out, the braille keypads are nearly useless. The one exception I can think of is someone who’s vision is good enough to read the glowing characters on the display, but not good enough to read the numeric keypad. ---
**Author:** ![Achernar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e274bd/32.png) [@Achernar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Achernar)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/17 "2003-03-24T21:02:49Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by davidm \* > You’d have to memorize the menus and buttons for every machine you use and then hope that the instructions and menus don’t change. You’re right that it’s not the most convenient thing in the world, but there are people who do just that. Says Cecil: “while ATM operation varies from machine to machine, people conduct most of their transactions at just a few locations, the operating sequences for which they can memorize.” ---
**Author:** ![yabob](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yabob/32/2821_2.png) [@yabob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yabob)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/18 "2003-03-24T21:57:32Z")
“ATM machine” is redundant, but it is also not worth getting your undies in a bunch over. It’s a common pattern with acronyms which have become so widely used that nobody thinks about what they actually stand for any more - the acronym has become a “word”. Most people think “IRA” means “Individual Retirement Account”, which doen’t stop them from saying “IRA account”. Not ALL those people are thinking “Individual Retirement ARRANGEMENT” when they say that. Even in technical areas - I hear “CMS system” all the time (CMS is “Code (or Content) Management System”). I’ve probably committed that one myself. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Controvert](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dec6dc/32.png) [@The\_Controvert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Controvert)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/19 "2003-03-24T22:49:36Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by davidm \* > \*\*But they still can’t complete the transaction on their own. How do they read the display? What good are braille buttons without some sort of braille, or audible, display? \*\* Because someone might bring a friend to read the display and get to the transaction, then have them look away as they enter their PIN number 😛 ---
**Author:** ![handy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b5a626/32.png) [@handy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handy)\ **Post date:** [March 24, 2003, 11:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837/20 "2003-03-24T23:05:11Z")
My bank (BofA) ATM’s have an audio option…if you look closely, yours might too. I believe you plug in a headset to a port so no one can hear what you’re doing. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-is-there-braille-on-drive-through-atm-machines/163837.md?page=2)