Business & Money | Thursday 2 June, 2016 2:46 pm |

In line with the Government of Dubai’s ‘My Community’ vision to transform Dubai into a disability-friendly city by 2020, Emirates NBD, one of the leading banks in the region, has inaugurated its first disability-friendly branch in Jumeirah. The initiative is part of the bank’s #TogetherLimitless advocacy platform to create a more inclusive community for people with disabilities in the UAE

The Jumeirah branch, located at the Al Wasl Road intersection, is the first of four bank branches to be modified to better suit the needs of people with disabilities this year, with plans to further extend the programme. In phase one of the modification, focusing primarily on enhanced mobility access, all Jumeirah branch employees were trained on disability etiquette and the Sanad Card* features. An accessible main entrance door with pull and push buttons, accessible ramps, handrails, newly painted zebra crossing, increased number of designated parking spots, and anti-slip for the slopes and ramps have been included to the branch exterior.

While the branch already had accessible ATMs, additional features now include new internal signage for the teller and Personal Banking areas, low-height ATM desks, dedicated areas for wheel chairs in waiting areas and a new option added to the queue machine for people with disabilities, to ensure fast-tracked customer service.

Emirates NBD’s #TogetherLimitless platform, launched in 2015, aims to offer solutions to the issues faced by people with disabilities. These include: Adaption of branches to be more accessible to people with disabilities; Workplace Inclusion – an initiative to recognise talent, hire and train more people with disabilities; and a long-term partnership with Manzil’s PRIDE (People Receiving Independence and Dignity through Empowerment).