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Welcome!
This course is designed to provide you with the foundational knowledge and skills to serve all customers, including those with disabilities, respectfully and effectively. By the end of this course, you will understand the importance of disability inclusion and learn best practices for creating a welcoming banking environment for everyone in your country and beyond. You can also listen to this course as an audio ebook in the last session of this module.
Pre-Course Knowledge Check
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Understanding Disability & The Social Model
What is Disability?
"Persons with disabilities include those who have long-term physical, mental, intellectual or sensory impairments which, in interaction with various barriers, may hinder their full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others."
- The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD)
The Social Model: An Interactive Diagram
Click the buttons below to see how the social model of disability works in practice.
Social vs. Medical Model of Disability
Types of Disabilities
Physical Disabilities
Example: A customer who uses a prosthetic leg or has difficulty holding a pen.
Sensory Disabilities
Example: A customer who is blind and needs documents read aloud, or a customer who is Deaf and uses Khmer Sign Language.
Intellectual Disabilities
Example: A customer who may need complex financial information explained in simple, clear terms.
Psychosocial Disabilities
Example: A customer with anxiety who may need a quiet space for their appointment.
Invisible Disabilities
Barriers & The Importance of Inclusion
Disability in Context: A Global Perspective
1.3 Billion
people globally live with a significant disability.
1 in 6
people worldwide are affected.
A Voice from the Community
Hearing directly from customers builds empathy. Watch this short video to understand the real-world impact of barriers. It has English subtitle.
A Customer's Journey: Identifying the Barriers
Let's follow a customer's journey to the bank. Click through the scenes to see what happens.
The Physical Barrier
A customer arrives but cannot enter the branch because of the stairs. This is a physical barrier that prevents access.
The Attitudinal Barrier
Inside, the staff are unsure how to help and assume the customer cannot manage their own finances. This is an attitudinal barrier based on stigma.
The Systemic & Digital Barrier
The staff directs the customer to use an online platform that isn't accessible. This is a systemic failure in the bank's policies and technology.
Conclusion
This customer faced a chain of barriers that led to complete exclusion. Our goal as financial service providers is to identify and break this chain at every step.
The Value of Inclusion: Why It's Good for Business
Empowerment & Dignity
Inclusion allows people to participate fully in economic life, supporting their independence.
Market Expansion
People with disabilities represent a large, untapped market. Inclusive services attract new, loyal customers.
Innovation
Designing for accessibility often leads to better and more innovative products that benefit ALL customers.
Reputation & Trust
A commitment to inclusion enhances your brand's reputation and builds long-term community trust.
Best Practices in Action
Respectful Communication: Do’s and Don’ts with Different Disabilities
Do's
Speak directly to the customer, not their companion or support person.
Use person-centered language, respecting individual preferences.
Be patient, listen actively, and allow extra time if needed.
Ask before offering assistance and respect the customer’s response.
Use clear, simple language and check for understanding.
Provide alternative communication methods (e.g., written notes, interpreters).
Don'ts
Don’t make assumptions about a person’s abilities or needs.
Avoid patronizing language or “baby talk.”
Don’t interrupt or finish sentences for the customer.
Avoid speaking only to a companion or caregiver.
Don’t touch mobility aids or personal devices without permission.
Creating an Accessible Environment
Accessibility is about both the physical and digital environment. Reasonable accommodation means making necessary adjustments to ensure equal access. Click the cards below to see examples.
Physical Environment Checklist
- Ramps and elevators for step-free access.
- Clear, wide pathways free of clutter.
- Accessible ATMs with audio guidance and tactile keys.
- Good, consistent lighting.
- Lowered counter sections for wheelchair users.
Digital Environment Checklist
- Website compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG).
- Mobile apps usable with screen readers.
- Alternative text for all important images.
- High-contrast color schemes.
- Captions for all video content.
Reasonable Accommodation Examples
- Scheduling longer appointment times for those who need it.
- Providing a quiet space for customers with psychosocial disabilities.
- Offering sign language interpreters for important meetings.
- Providing documents in large print, braille, or easy-read formats.
- Allowing alternative identification methods.
Knowledge Check: Myth vs. Fact
Click each card to reveal the fact.
Providing accessible services is too costly for financial institutions.
Reasonable accommodations often require minimal investment and lead to greater customer satisfaction, expanded market reach, and innovation.
People with disabilities don’t want to use financial services.
Many people with disabilities want and need financial services but face barriers such as inaccessible branches, digital platforms, or lack of reasonable accommodations.
Disability only means physical impairment.
Disability includes a wide range of conditions—physical, sensory, intellectual, and psychosocial—that can affect participation in financial services.
All disabilities are visible.
Many disabilities are invisible, so it is important to avoid assumptions and provide respectful, individualized support.
People with disabilities prefer cash and avoid digital banking.
Many want to use digital banking but face accessibility barriers in apps, websites, and ATMs.
Listen to the Full Course
Explanation of Unconscious Bias
What is Unconscious Bias?
Unconscious bias, also called implicit bias, refers to the automatic, subconscious attitudes or stereotypes that affect our understanding, actions, and decisions without our awareness. These biases are shaped by personal experiences, cultural environment, and societal stereotypes.
(Source: Built In 2024, QuillBot 2024, UMass President’s Office)
How It Affects People with Disabilities:
- Assuming people with disabilities are less capable or need more help than they actually do.
- Making decisions based on stereotypes rather than individual abilities.
- Avoiding engagement to not “call attention” to a person’s disability.
- Offering unrequested assistance, which can be patronizing.
(Source: DO-IT, University of Washington)
Examples of Unconscious Bias:
- Assuming a person with a disability will take more sick leave.
- Believing a student with a disability cannot complete a task without help.
- Favoring employees who are similar to oneself (affinity bias).
Reducing Bias:
- Increase self-awareness through tools like the Implicit Association Test.
- Speak up when witnessing biased behavior.
- Model equitable and inclusive actions.
(Source: DO-IT, Equality Challenge Unit UK)
Knowledge Check
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Congratulations!
You have completed the introduction to Disability Inclusion.
To complete the course successfully and receive your certificate, please return to the main course page to take the final assessment.
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Medical Model:
Views disability as a problem within the individual that needs to be fixed or cured. For example, focusing on a person’s impairment as the barrier.
Social Model:
Recognizes disability as the result of the interaction between individuals and societal barriers—physical, attitudinal, or systemic. For example, a person who uses a wheelchair experiences disability not because of their mobility but because of barriers in the environment, such as buildings without ramps or elevators.
Why the Social Model Matters:
The UNCRPD and modern disability frameworks adopt the social model, which sees disability as arising from the barriers society creates, rather than the individual’s impairment alone. It shifts focus to removing barriers and creating inclusive environments, which is essential for equitable access to financial services.