Banks have introduced accessibility guidelines, sign-language training and digital interpreter services, but customers continue to encounter barriers.
The executive director of National Centre for Promotion of Employment for Disabled People (NCPEDP), who has cerebral palsy and an 80% locomotor disability, also spent seven years securing health insurance after being rejected by four providers. A 2025 NCPEDP nationwide survey of over 5,000 PwDs found that 71.4% had never applied for health insurance. Among those who had not applied, 42% cited a lack of information about policies, 32% unaffordable premiums and 22% a lack of support from insurers. Nearly 60% of applicants who were turned down reportedly received no explanation for the rejection, according to the report. Even when coverage is secured, disability-specific plans can cap coverage at Rs 4 lakh to Rs 5 lakh while charging premiums as high as Rs 30,000, leaving families to pay out of pocket for excluded therapies and contend with delayed reimbursements, the report said. Similarly, talking ATMs still rely on a transaction flow designed in 2012, failing to accommodate modern deposit and withdrawal options, headphone-guided prompts or screen privacy features.
Because his bank branch lacked a lift, mumbai: Arman Ali could not access his matured fixed deposit for years. Banks have introduced accessibility guidelines, sign-language training and digital interpreter services, but customers continue to encounter barriers.
“Who will pay me the cost of exclusion?” he asked at a stakeholder consultation on financial inclusion, underscoring the structural and operational barriers that continue to deprive Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) of basic financial security. Staff unfamiliarity, absence of sign-language interpreters and complex financial jargon made written instructions ineffective, compounding the delay, he said. Dr Sam Taraporevala of Xavier’s Resource Centre for the Visually Challenged said app and website updates can disrupt accessibility features when checks are skipped, turning buttons into unlabelled graphics for screen readers and creating navigation hurdles through poor colour contrast. Autistic customers can face other barriers: crowded branches, complex documentation and rushed staff interactions can cause sensory overload and make routine transactions difficult, said Sulekha Doshi of Forum for Autism. Gambhir said accessibility needs to be checked with every software update rather than relying on periodic audits, as even minor code changes can render an app unusable for people with disabilities.
Reasons for rejection included pre-existing conditions, disability-specific medical requirements and insurers’ limited understanding of disability. At banks, communication barriers can delay routine transactions and loan applications. Rahul Gambhir of Union Bank of India recalled a hard-of-hearing customer who spent nearly two months applying for a housing loan under a govt scheme for PwDs. Many deaf or hard-of-hearing customers are forced to bring relatives or friends to avoid being stranded. In another case, a visually impaired applicant seeking a car loan was rejected by two branches for lacking a driver’s licence, despite explaining he intended to hire a driver. The issue was resolved only after the customer contacted Union Bank’s accessibility programme, prompting a branch manager to process the application from the customer’s home. Digital banking presents further challenges. Additionally, Braille keypads offer no assistance to individuals who lose their vision later in life.
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