Research Rationale

For the over 12 million adults who are visually impaired or blind, maintaining financial independence and personal banking can be a challenge, especially if websites are not fully accessible or compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Moreover, according to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, more than 60 percent of people with disabilities ages 25-64 have no savings for unexpected expenses to turn to in a time of crisis.

All Americans deserve equal access to online and mobile payment services, and to be empowered by the digital tools offered to plan, save, and thrive in today's economy. That is why the technology team at the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired set out to audit these websites for accessibility.

This is not the first time Miami Lighthouse leverages their website accessibility analysis tool, the ADA Compliance Meter, for the benefit of the American people. In 2019, ahead of the presidential primary election, Miami Lighthouse's all-blind expert accessibility team uncovered shocking news: none of the websites of the presidential candidates were fully accessible and ADA Compliant, shutting out 60 million voters living with a disability from the information needed to learn more about the potential next president.

Then, in the wake of COVID-19 and a world of social distancing, Miami Lighthouse wanted to ensure the millions of blind and visually impaired Americans could access their vital food deliveries. Reviewing top supermarkets and grocery delivery apps, Miami Lighthouse found the majority of the websites scored higher than those of the 2020 Presidential candidates, but the majority were still missing an accessibility statement to inform and support those with disabilities when needed.

Now, especially as the United States faces economic uncertainty, it is vital for all Americans to be informed of their available financial management services. Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually impaired has analyzed six digital money management websites and applications* to ensure there is financial transparency for all Americans. Under Title III in the ADA, all websites should provide equal access to information for people with disabilities, including the blind and visually impaired. This means access to digital and online media in addition to physical spaces.

Below is a full report of our findings and methodology.

*Except Zelle's stand-alone app, as the interface is incorporated in many online banking sites.

What We Uncovered

• The majority of the websites were missing an accessibility statement that provides a method of contact including a live email address and phone number that users can call for assistance.
• The majority of the websites were missing an accessibility widget that allows users to adjust font color and size.
• All services – except for CashApp – scored higher than Miami Lighthouse's initial scan of the 2020 Presidential candidates.

Scores

 

Online Payment Service	Score
Apple Pay	3.70
CashApp	2.70
GooglePay	3.33
Paypal	3.60
Venmo	3.44
Zelle	3.40

 

Our Methodology

An assessment was conducted by the Miami Lighthouse for the blind on January 26, 2023. The sample consisted of the top six online and mobile payment services. Websites and apps were assessed for accessibility to persons using assistive technology software such as screen readers. Websites and apps were ranked in order of accessibility. The process consisted of analyzing each website using the latest assistive technology screen reading software such as JAWS for Windows and the World-Wide Consortium (WC3) Website Accessibility Content Guidelines (WCAG v2.0/2.1) subset of 10 criteria. The review was conducted by the CEO of Miami Lighthouse and her IT experts, all of whom are blind. Scoring was based on the following criteria and scale:

We used a subset of the most common criteria from WCAG v2.0/2.1. The weighting scale numbers assigned to each criteria were evaluated on a 50 percent scale majority. Therefore, as an example using the criteria of "Is website organized for ease of navigation" using our best knowledge and experience with assistive technology software, if more than half of the individual pages examined on a particular website exceeded 50 percent of the specified criteria such as if the pages contained proper region divisions for page organization, the weight score would be a 3 for mostly accessible. If it fell below half of the individual pages, then the score would be a 2 for somewhat accessible.

In addition, if the specific criteria could not be verified using assistive technology software, then the score for that particular criteria would be a 1 for not accessible and if the criteria was fully verified using the assistive technology software throughout all pages on a site, then the score would be a 4 for fully accessible.

Criteria

• Is website organized for ease of navigation?
• Are headings appropriately structured?
• Do logos and links have descriptive alt text?
• Can users select active links with keystroke commands?
• Can users control changing images?
• Does site have play/pause video controls?
• Are users able to adjust color and font size?
• Can users easily fill out forms on site?
• Can users access error messages?
• Is there a commitment statement to website accessibility?

Scale

• 1: website was not accessible
• 2: website was somewhat accessible
• 3: website was mostly accessible
• 4: website was totally accessible

The Challenge

All online payment services should ensure their websites and apps are fully ADA compliant and immediately include an accessibility statement and accessibility widget on their websites and apps. In particular, the accessibility statement should reinforce their commitment to website accessibility and should provide a phone number and live email address for anyone needing assistance navigating the website.

About the Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired

Since 1930, Miami Lighthouse for the Blind and Visually Impaired, an independent organization, has been Florida's premier rehabilitation organization serving the blind. The mission of the Miami Lighthouse is to provide vision rehabilitation and eye health services that promote education and independence, to collaborate with and train professionals and to conduct research in related fields. Miami lighthouse serves over 22,000 blind and visually impaired people of all ages each year.

For more information, please contact Virginia Jacko, President and Chief Executive Officer at (305) 856-4176 or vjacko@miamilighthouse.org.