Santander Bank Polska: Barrier-free Service
On 5 May we celebrate the Day Against Discrimination of People with Disabilities. According to various data, there are between 4 and 7 million people with disabilities living in Poland.
This means that at least 8%* of the Polish population may face difficulties in accessing basic services on a daily basis. Santander Bank Polska has been implementing the „Barrier-Free service” programme for 11 years to increase the accessibility of financial services and products for customers with special needs. To this end, it uses both advanced technologies in remote banking and ensures appropriate conditions in the traditional ways of contact.
Barrier-free branches
Each year we expand our network of barrier-free branches. In late 2020 and early 2021, an independent expert conducted an architectural audit process for spatial accessibility, awarding certificates to 18 new barrier-free branches. Currently, more than 160 branches have an Accessibility Certificate for customers with disabilities.**
As a pilot project, Santander Bank Polska opened two branches – in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Wrocław – equipped with a typhlographic map, i.e. a tactile plan of the branch with a description in Braille, a tactile path for the blind and the Totupoint spatial navigation system.
Santander Bank Polska employees systematically undergo training on how to serve customers with special needs.
In addition, in order to facilitate the service of people with disabilities in the branches, Santander Bank Polska has introduced, among others, the following
- procedural arrangements for attesting the will of a client who cannot read and/or write;
- dedicated desks where people with disabilities can be served out of turn;
- frames to help signing documents by visually impaired customers or mini-magnifiers to help the visually impaired or seniors;
- in more than 30 branches, portable induction loops that amplify sound and eliminate acoustic interference for customers using hearing aids.
Special solutions not only in the branch
In Santander Bank Polska people with hearing impairment can remotely connect with an online Advisor communicating in the Polish Sign Language. The connection can be made at any branch, on the website (tab „Help and Contact”) and in online banking and mobile application under the „Contact” option. In this way, customers can not only use the products they already have, but also purchase new products or resign from products they do not need anymore. The service is available on business days from Monday to Friday from 8:00 am to 6:00 pm.
Another facility is a network of 'talking’ ATMs adapted for use by people with visual impairments. Customers can benefit from voice assistance with the screen going blank for the duration of the transaction for added security. In addition, the ATM screen can be switched to a high-contrast mode and the external components are described in Braille.
Currently, customers can use more than 1,400 specially adapted machines, representing nearly 90% of the bank’s entire ATM network.
The Bank also makes contract templates and regulations available in the form of the so-called accessible documents – a repository of which can be found at bank.santander.pl/ms/obb/dostepne-dokumenty.
Differently-abled persons at work
Santander Bank Polska is a signatory of the Diversity Charter and, as an employer, is committed to implementing the Charter’s provisions in its daily operations. The Diverse project prepares to increase employment of persons with disabilities.
For more information about the „Barrier-free Service” program and other arrangements please visit www.santander.pl/obb. The website has been developed according to the WCAG 2.0 standard which includes a set of recommendations to make content accessible to the widest possible range of users.
*https://www.gov.pl/web/popcwsparcie/ile-jest-osob-z-niepelnosprawnosciami-w-polsce
**As of 22 April 2021
