{"id":573420,"date":"2026-07-29T07:36:12","date_gmt":"2026-07-29T07:36:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/573420\/"},"modified":"2026-07-29T07:36:12","modified_gmt":"2026-07-29T07:36:12","slug":"bank-of-ireland-rolls-out-enhanced-accessibility","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/573420\/","title":{"rendered":"Bank of Ireland rolls out enhanced accessibility"},"content":{"rendered":"

BANK of Ireland has\u00a0introduced new measures\u00a0across its branch network\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0customers\u00a0who\u00a0may\u00a0need\u00a0some\u00a0extra help\u00a0with their everyday banking needs.<\/p>\n

As part of recent branch upgrades,\u00a037\u00a0branches\u00a0have received\u00a0neuro-inclusive accreditation including Donegal town, Ballyshannon, and Killybegs. 44 more branches are planned by the end of this year, and the programme will continue into 2027.\u00a0In addition,\u00a0new \u2018Speak Easy\u2019 communication cards\u00a0will be available\u00a0in all\u00a0168\u00a0branches, enhancing accessibility for customers who experience communication difficulties.<\/p>\n

These new measures\u00a0reinforce\u00a0the bank\u2019s commitment to delivering an inclusive and accessible customer experience through both branch design and practical\u00a0assistance\u00a0tools.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Bank of Ireland has\u00a0introduced new measures\u00a0across its branch network\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0customers\u00a0who\u00a0may\u00a0need\u00a0some\u00a0extra help\u00a0with their everyday banking needs. Pictured are (L:R): Claire Murray, Head of Inclusion & Diversity. Bank of Ireland; Alan Durcan, Director Distribution Channels & Branch Network, Bank of Ireland; and Jane Kealy, Director Customer Advocacy & Outcomes, Bank of Ireland. Pic: Naoise Culhane.<\/p>\n

37\u00a0branches\u00a0have achieved neuro-inclusive accreditation from\u00a0auticon,\u00a0the world\u2019s largest autistic-majority IT consultancy and social enterprise.\u00a0This accreditation assessment\u00a0focused on consistency, accessibility,\u00a0capability\u00a0and confidence and\u00a0will\u00a0help\u00a0create a calmer, more accessible environment for a wider range of customers.\u00a0Branch\u00a0employees will undergo\u00a0neuro\u00a0inclusion training\u00a0to ensure\u00a0neurodivergent customers are served consistently well.<\/p>\n

Bank of Ireland is\u00a0the first\u00a0bank in the Republic to introduce\u00a0the\u00a0\u2018Speak Easy\u2019\u00a0cards. These\u00a0easy-to-use\u00a0cards\u00a0feature simple images,\u00a0colours\u00a0and phrases to help customers with common banking requests and support needs\u00a0such as\u00a0checking an account balance,\u00a0reporting\u00a0a lost debit card,\u00a0or\u00a0accessing online support.<\/p>\n

Jane Kealy, Director of Group Customer Outcomes at Bank of Ireland said:\u201cThe launch of Speak Easy Cards, alongside our neuroinclusive branch spaces, is another important step in our ambition to be a truly inclusive and accessible bank. We want every customer to feel supported in managing their financial needs, and initiatives like these can help build confidence and make banking easier for everyone.\u201d<\/p>\n

These initiatives add to the\u00a0Bank of Ireland\u2019s\u00a0existing range of accessibility supports, including\u00a0investment in\u00a0new ATMs featuring high-contrast screens and an earphone socket that enables audio guidance throughout the transaction,\u00a0SignVideo\u00a0services for customers who use sign language,\u00a0support\u00a0of\u00a0the Irish Text Relay Service,\u00a0participation in the JAM Card and Hidden Disabilities Sunflower schemes, and access to alternative communication formats such as Braille, large print and audio\u00a0documents.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"BANK of Ireland has\u00a0introduced new measures\u00a0across its branch network\u00a0to\u00a0support\u00a0customers\u00a0who\u00a0may\u00a0need\u00a0some\u00a0extra help\u00a0with their everyday banking needs. As part of recent…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":573421,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[241943,61,60,43],"class_list":["post-573420","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ireland","tag-bank-of-ireland-rolls-out-enhanced-accessibility","tag-ie","tag-ireland","tag-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573420","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=573420"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/573420\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/573421"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=573420"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=573420"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=573420"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}