Ivan has had sight problems for years now. Being visually impaired means he faces numerous challenges with his daily life activities.
One of those challenges is maneuvering with his phone when making digital payments, especially mobile money transactions.
“We use screen readers, if you can hear it, you listen to this”, Ivan says as the automated voice on his phone readies to guide him through the steps to perform a simple mobile money transaction.
This routine financial task he performs daily can be frustrating.
During the transaction process as a person with visual impairment, Ivan is challenged to follow and wait keenly on what the automated voice says.
“During the MTN transaction, guided by the voice, I input the code by voice, and go to the call button. It tells me where I am. And that continues till the process is done,” he said.
But the system’s efficiency is not that precise, nor does it take any considerations to wait for users’ prompts.
“Just at the time that I am speaking to you right now. Just a few seconds. It has timed me out. So, you can imagine how persons with disabilities have to be too fast to correspond with the timeline USSD code time allows. You wouldn’t get anywhere. And it will time you out,” Ivan says, as he illustrates how the pace of technology often outruns the abilities of users.
This ordeal is mutually shared by visually impaired persons who lag behind mobile money interfaces of the visual-centric design of Telecommunications Service Providers.
Ivan, like many other people with visual disabilities, is often unable to authenticate the content of SMS or One-Time Password (OTP) messages.
This inability bars any ability to detect and discern security risks, especially fraudulent messages or phishing attempts.
This defeats every stride for the promotion of financial inclusion, as the process is mired and the outcomes of their ordeal, leave them undeserved.
Mobile money is heralded as a fast developing tool for financial inclusion, but such stories point to instances of excluding people with special needs, especially those with sight impairment.
Over 230,000 visually-impaired people in Ghana risk being excluded from the benefits of such digital payment systems.
The struggles visually-impaired persons go through in accessing mobile money services are not just a battle to keep up the pace of access of the process, but an alarming issue of security and independence.
The conventional system of mobile money processes and reliance on visual interfaces alienate their needs, enforcing risks and easy loops for fraudsters.
Like Ivan, the only resort after failed attempts is to rely on the next sighted person, most often family members, and friends and in critical times, strangers.
Ivan’s MOMO pin code was not just memorized, the “helper” exploited his trust and stole from his wallet.
“I’ve had to give my phone to strangers. Sometimes, it gets a bit embarrassing. I have been bitten hard by the same compromising of security. This trusted person saved or memorized my pin because it’s just four letters.
“Within a short period he had withdrawn from my wallet more than GHc 2,500. Later, I was sending money and realized I didn’t have enough balance. So, someone close to me looked at the messages and by curiosity opened the recycle bin of my messages. I realized the strange transactions,” he recounted.
This opens doors to a bigger potential financial exclusion, especially for visually impaired people in rural areas, and visually impaired persons with low literacy levels.
Accessing financial services electronically becomes nearly insurmountable.
Sammy is a MOMO agent in Kumasi, who provides critical intermediary assistance to clients with disabilities.
“Sometimes they [Persons with visual impairment] fear us vendors. So I am always comfortable when they come with a family member. I make sure that the exact amount the person wants to withdraw is what the relative has withdrawn.
“I also try to help them because I feel any misdeeds against people questions my humanity. Phones now have some features to assist people with disability. That’s if they are educated to use them. And I believe that’s not the case of everybody, so there must be reforms,” Sammy said, stressing on urgent intervention to tighten inclusive efforts.
Visually-impaired persons, like Ivan, are direct victims of these digital disparities and exclusions, making financial transactions independently.
The Solutions
The Bank of Ghana reported 12,350 cases of mobile money fraud in 2021, amounting to a loss of GH₵12.8m.
For persons with disability, a massive reform of systems that shield their privacy and demand less to no intrusion of third parties is paramount.
The failure of Telecommunication Service Providers to implement extensive accessibility features in their mobile money platforms contributes to the omission of visually impaired persons.
Telecommunication networks invest in public awareness against fraud and risks of electronic financial systems to enhance user experience.
But at the bottom of the spectrum are people with sight impairment whose negligence of these awareness strategies are not imaginary but a real-life ordeal.
The Executive Director of Africa Education Watch, Kofi Asare believes the MoMo interfaces and systems can be more inclusive and disability friendly.
“The USSD approach could be transported onto digital platforms they are able to put their hands on, it takes their biometrics, or allowed to speak to the device that identifies your voice, others, to identify your face, to be able to perform transactions or operate in their privacy,” he suggests.
Cybersecurity Consultant, Yaw Ansu Gyeabour is suggesting a software that will be able to communicate effectively with the visually impaired.
“This can be an issue of application software that can easily be installed for the visually impaired, so instead of you tapping the interface, you speak and then it does what you want that we ensure disability-friendly, equitable and accessible,” he stated.
The solutions are on the horizon, but they require a great commitment. And mobile money providers wield the biggest expectation.
Apart from utilizing software features and digital innovation to capture voice prompts, point-of-sale machines, screen readers, there should be longer or flexible transaction times for special navigation.
Agents who are extensions of the transaction process, should be regularly involved in capacity training to better assist sight impaired users.
Visually impaired users, like Ivan, need consistent education, whilst the entire headship of disability stakeholders can be engaged on how to safeguard their wallets.
The Ivan story and that of many untold stories of personal struggles can impede the strides of financial inclusion.
