Accessibility is the quality something has of being used or known without the user’s limitations supposing a barrier. These limitations may be due to physical restrictions or to technology or structure.
A tool is accessible when the user does not need to have, permanently or on a specific occasion, a determined level of intelligence, hearing, sight, mobility or capacity to memorise.
The social commitment of CaixaBank in questions of accessibility can be seen in several environments: branches, ATMs and Internet.
Welfare Projects also supports the values that good accessibility defines.
What is Accessibility?
Find out about Accessibility and the social commitment of CaixaBank
Accessibility in branches
Elimination of barriers (zero level) and ease of personal contact
At CaixaBank branches the idea of “zero level” is applied. This consists of the elimination of the differences in height between the inside of branches and the pavement outside or, if this is not possible, linking the two with ramps or lifts.
Then, the branches themselves are designed to offer customers more personal treatment and a space that encourages a warmer relationship.
Both the furnishings and the lay-out of the work areas are aimed at facilitating personal contact between customers and employees of CaixaBank.
Accessibility at ATMs
CaixaBank is making a great effort to give all the operations of its ATMs the highest degree of accessibility.
In 2006, it signed up to the ATM accessibility regulations drawn up by the Barcelona Digital Foundation.
Ever more ATMs of CaixaBank possess accessibility facilities such as high contrast, information videos in sign language, voice-guided options for the blind, easy menus, etc.
Accessibility on Internet
Accessibility on Internet and web accessibility is based on the recommendations of the Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), created by the international consortium, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C).
The web sites of CaixaBank apply AA level accessibility rules. Despite this, improvement in this area is on-going.
To meet the requisites laid down by the WAI, the web standards used in constructing the pages of its portal are HTML for contents and CSS for appearance. For example, the following have been introduced:
- Notice of new windows.
- Notice of change of format.
- Letters can be made bigger.
- Alternative texts in the images.
- Adaptation of speech browsers.
- Use of style norms to control page make-up and presentation.
- Use of headings to transmit the logical structure of the page.
- Metadata for adding semantic information.
Accessibility and Welfare Projects
Through its Welfare Projects, CaixaBank, characterised by its strong social commitment and a vocation of public service and work in favour of the general interest, undertakes social, educational, cultural, scientific and environmental activities.
In line with its spirit of responding to social needs without excluding anyone, Welfare Projects designs all the pages of its portal in an accessible way.
To meet the requisites laid down by the WAI, the web standards used in constructing the pages of its portal are HTML for contents and CSS for appearance.
In addition, the following have been introduced:
- Applications and aids to browsing.
- Notice of new windows.
- Notice of change of format.
- Help to view contents.
- Increase and reduction in letter size.
- Change in background or text colour.
- Alternative texts in images.
- Clear and concise links that can be understood out of context.
- Adaptation of speech browsers.
- Accessible videos with sub-titles and alternative contents.