A specially equipped cash machine has been installed for the blind and partially sighted in Isa Town.

The ATM was unveiled in a ceremony yesterday by the Bank of Bahrain and Kuwait (BBK) at its Financial Mall, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

The customised cash machine is the first in Bahrain and allows the visually impaired to interact through voice guidance.

It also has embedded Braille buttons which allow the customer to respond to voice guidance and then select from the banking options provided.

Statistics from the Social Development Ministry indicate that there are around 7,000 people with disabilities in Bahrain.

"At BBK we constantly strive to provide a quality banking experience for all our customers, particularly those with special needs - the hearing impaired, visually impaired and physically impaired," said chief executive Abdulkarim Bucheery. - TradeArabia News Service