All Cards Can Be Issued as Braille Cards... Application Procedures Simplified

Financial Supervisory Service, Improvement of Card Usage for Visually Impaired

Provided by Financial Supervisory Service

From now on, all card products will be issued as Braille cards. Product brochures will also be provided in Braille, and dedicated card application counters for visually impaired individuals will be established.

On the 18th, the Financial Supervisory Service announced that it has prepared these improvements together with the Credit Finance Association and the card industry to enhance the rights of visually impaired people and improve the convenience of card usage.

First, all card products will be available as Braille cards. Currently, the number of Braille card types per card company ranges from 2 to 8. However, there may be restrictions on Hi-Pass cards, metal or wooden cards, and other materials. Since Braille cards require separate production processes such as embossing, the issuance and delivery period may be about 10 days longer than regular cards.

Product brochures for Braille cards will also be provided in Braille. Some card companies did not provide product brochures indicating the conditions for using additional services in Braille when issuing Braille cards.

The procedure for applying for Braille cards through customer centers will also be simplified. When connecting to the call center, customers will be directed to the Braille card issuance consultation menu at the first step, or a dedicated phone number will be established. In addition, to help visually impaired individuals easily recognize the dedicated phone number, the card companies will provide voice guidance of the dedicated phone number on the homepage’s initial screen. When visually impaired users access the card company homepage with a PC equipped with a screen reader program, information such as the Braille card issuance phone number will be provided.

The procedure for verifying whether a card applicant is visually impaired will also be improved. Until now, supporting documents such as copies of disability certificates had to be sent by fax or email, but now submission will no longer be required. Alternative methods for verifying disability status will be discussed with the industry and introduced within the year.

A Financial Supervisory Service official explained, "The card industry plans to sequentially provide Braille cards and Braille product brochures starting from January next year after selecting Braille card manufacturers, developing IT systems, and training employees, while also simplifying call center usage procedures."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.